Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language Nebrija-Difusión

Competences

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Basic Competences

• Have and understand knowledge that provides a foundation or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
• Students know how to apply the knowledge acquired and their ability to solve problems in new or little-known environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
• Students are able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgments based on information that, even though incomplete or limited, includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
• Students know how to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and ultimate reasons that support them to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
• Students possess the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.

General Competences

• Know the theories, linguistic models and teaching methodologies of Spanish as a foreign language (SFL).
• Know the specific problems of teaching Spanish as a foreign language, both linguistic and cultural, that are typical of different learning environments, depending on the characteristics of the learners and the context.
• Be able to design proposals for didactic and intercultural intervention in the area of Spanish as a foreign language, taking into account the needs of the recipients and their contexts of learning and use of the new language.
• Be able to carry out a critical analysis, evaluation and summary of new and complex ideas that allow autonomy in training and continuous updating of knowledge in the field of SFL didactics.
• Be able to integrate sociocultural knowledge, cultural references and representative linguistic varieties of the different Spanish-speaking countries into SFL didactics.
• Be able to transfer the learning results to the community of teachers of Spanish as a foreign language, through the discussion, presentation and communication of SFL didactic proposals.
• Acquire basic theoretical knowledge aimed at establishing an informed teaching practice.
• Know the cognitive, individual and contextual factors that intervene in the learning and use of Spanish as a foreign language.

Specific Competences

• Know the different variables of the SFL teaching/learning/assessment process, from the perspective of the student, their communicative needs and the learning processes.
• Know the reference documents of the regulatory institutions for the teaching of foreign languages, and properly apply them to the design of programs based on the specific context of learning and use of SFL.
• Know the most current learning methods and approaches and know how to design and develop SFL didactic activities based on said methodologies.
• Know the necessary planning and evaluation instruments in the teaching SFL.
• Be able to develop and apply didactic methodologies and strategies for teaching Spanish as a foreign language adapted to the diversity of students based on their specific needs, according to their previous linguistic experiences, age and other individual variables.
• Be able to assess, select and use written and oral texts, of different genres and textual typology, suitable for the development of linguistic competence and the approximation to the socio-cultural context of the Spanish-speaking world.
• Create, select and adapt didactic materials for the teaching of SFL, adjusting the linguistic level and with sensitivity to the different learning paces, adapting the authentic material and turning it into didactic material.
• Incorporate new strategies, teaching materials and information technologies to activities in the SFL classroom.
• Be able to evaluate both linguistic and sociocultural content in the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language.
• Be able to manage multilingual environments for learning Spanish as a foreign language, with special attention to the current intercultural situation (migration, relations between countries, etc.), which generates constant situations of multilingual and multicultural communication.
• Critically analyze their experience in the classroom, according to the new teaching models of SFL.
• Design and develop learning spaces in the SFL classroom with special attention to equity, education in the values of a culture of peace and democracy, equal rights and opportunities between men and women, citizenship education and respect for human rights.
• Be able to communicate fluently and correctly in Spanish at a C1 level of the CEFR.
• Be able to use specialized terminology in the field of SFL didactics.
• Be able to elaborate hypotheses about didactic actions to optimize the learning of SFL, compile theoretical foundations in this regard and create didactic proposals of SFL from them.
• Be able to assess the most appropriate methodological options for the different SFL teaching/learning contexts, taking into account the different factors involved in the language teaching/learning process.

Online study

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The master's degree can be carried out in person or remotely (online).

• Classroom attendance: classroom classes from Monday to Thursday in the afternoon, supplemented with support through the virtual campus.
• Online mode: implementation of the distance learning programme through various training actions, including video-conferencing sessions for the presentation of content and group work based on case studies.

Schedules

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Academic calendar

Admission

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As established in article 16 of RD 1393/2007, modified by RD 861/2010, students who meet any of the following conditions may access these studies:

• Have an official Spanish university degree or one issued by an institution of higher education of the European Higher Education Area that grants access to Master's degrees in the country issuing the degree.
• The graduates of educational systems outside the European Higher Education Area may access without the need for the homologation of their degrees, after verification by the University that they accredit a level of education equivalent to the corresponding official Spanish university degrees and that they grant access to postgraduate education in the country issuing the degree. The access through this path will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the interested party's prior degree, nor its recognition for other purposes than that of studying the Master's program.
• In the case of students with special educational needs derived from disability, the need for possible curricular adaptations, itineraries or alternative studies will be assessed.

For the proposed master's degree, foreign language learning experiences, as well as intercultural training or professional experiences (bilingual qualifications, subjects in other languages, stays abroad, internships in multicultural or multilingual institutions, etc.) will be especially valued.

Criteria for admission to the Master's degree

In addition to the legal requirements, the university requires passing the student to pass its own admission tests.
The process of admission to the Master's degree begins by sending the following documentation by post or courier to the Postgraduate Admissions Section:

• • Completed Admission Application
• Updated curriculum vitae
• Photocopy of the DNI (only Spanish candidates) or passport (only foreign candidates)
• Photocopy of the Academic record (completed or of the last year of the university degree)
• Two passport-sized photographs, in color.
• For candidates whose mother tongue is not Spanish: certificate of knowledge of Spanish as a foreign language that accredits a B2 level (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). If the candidate does not have an official SFL certification, he/she may take an SFL proficiency test at Nebrija University to certify it.

Upon receiving the documentation and verifying that the degree presented grants access to the degree, as established in Arts. 15 and 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, candidates take the admission test for the chosen program, which is carried out by the Department of Promotion and Admissions. This test is taken in person in Madrid and in different Spanish cities and, additionally, it can also be taken remotely (online).
The online tests, of identical content to those taken in person, will be taken through the Blackboard Learn platform, which allows you to configure evaluation tests for both oral development, establishing an audiovisual connection by videoconference between the teacher and the candidate, as well as written development, using tools with editing fields to solve questions textually. Both parts of the test, oral and written, are done with the candidate connected by videoconference and after having shown his/her identity document with a photograph. This way, the teacher can verify the candidate’s identity.

The admission test, which aims to analyze the student's abilities to complete the Master's program, evaluates the profile and capabilities of the candidate, so it does not require prior preparation and allows the student to receive more comprehensive and personalized advice on their academic and professional options.

This test consists of the following parts:

• a. Aptitude test: a personal data questionnaire and a question regarding the candidate's expectations about the master's degree, in order for him to show his ability to express himself about the field of study.
• b. Specific program test: closed and open-answer questions about the mechanisms that regulate the use of the Spanish language, the difficulties of Spanish as a non-native language and the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language.
• c. Personal interview.
• d. International candidates whose mother tongue is not Spanish and do not have an official certificate of proficiency in SFL, must take the SFL proficiency test at Nebrija University and obtain a B2 level.

Admission Profile

• Graduates of a Bachelor's degree or equivalent, in the areas of philology, linguistics, translation, educational sciences, humanities and communication sciences.
• The program may be chosen from other university degrees as long as the candidate has experience in learning other foreign languages, teaching experience or interest as a future SFL teacher and verifiable interest in the language and culture of the countries of the Spanish-speaking world.
• Priority will be given to degrees with greater affinity to the area of knowledge of the master's degree: Philology, Linguistics, Modern Languages, Applied Spanish or Education.
• In the case of candidates whose mother tongue is not Spanish, they must also certify a B2 level of knowledge of Spanish.

Upon completion of the admission tests, the Admissions Commission, composed of those responsible for the Department itself, the General Secretary and the Department of Promotion and Admissions, analyzes the results and documentation submitted by the candidate and approves or rejects the application. The candidate receives written information about his admission, which is advanced by telephone, about the result of the admission process and about the formalization of his enrollment in the Program, the final documentation that must be submitted, duly legalized, etc.

Evaluation of the application by the Admissions Commission:

• 1. Strict compliance with the legal requirements established in Art. 16 of RD 1393/2007.
• 2. Adaptation of his/her bachelor's degree to the specialty of the master's degree in Didactics of SFL. Up to 3 points.
• 3. Knowledge of other foreign languages. Up to 3 points.
• 4. Complementary training in Spanish and Latin American culture or in teaching Spanish as a foreign language (continuing education courses). Up to 2 points
• 5. Training in didactics of other foreign languages. Up to 2 points
• 6. Professional teaching experience. Up to 2 points
• 7. Results of the specific skills test for this Master's degree. Up to 4 points
• 8. Personal interview. Up to 2 points.

The weighting of the values obtained in criteria 2 to 8 is calculated on a maximum score of 18 points.

Enrollment

Once admission has been communicated, candidates must reserve their place. This economic pre-enrollment guarantees the candidate's place at the University.

Pre-enrolled candidates who wish to formalize their academic enrollment at the University must, within the indicated deadlines, follow these steps:

• 1. Submit documentation: document proof that they have passed the requirements established by Spanish university legislation to be able to start/continue their university studies at Nebrija University.
• 2. Formalize the registration process online: The self-enrollment service on the Nebrija website allows admitted students to carry out all the academic, economic and administrative procedures, without having to physically travel to the University. Admitted students will formalize their self-enrollment within the indicated deadlines. To do this, they will receive at home, together with their letter of admission, the access code and personal password necessary to be able to carry out their academic and economic self-enrollment. Once the self-enrollment has been formalized, and after the documentation submitted is verified, the candidate acquires the status of a Nebrija University student. In the self-enrollment process, students will at all times have the technical assistance of the Computer Services department, as well as academic assistance through their future Tutor, so that he/she can guide them in choosing subjects.
• 3. Payment of the annual registration fees for the degree for which they were admitted. The place reservation fee is a part of the annual registration fees.

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