The Department of Literature and Languages offers you a variety of degree plans which prepare you for written and linguistic expertise in English or Spanish.

What sets our department apart is our insistence that whatever form it may take, discourse is discourse. A degree in English or Spanish prepares you for a variety of careers within and outside of academia.

A professor and a student sitting down at a desk with a computer and a microphone in front of them.

Explore Our Programs

Applied Linguistics (MA/MS) TESOL Emphasis

As a student in the Applied Linguistics program, you will engage in cutting-edge pedagogical and research strategies with others who are pursuing careers in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Whether you choose this field as a primary or complementary discipline, this program will prepare you for a variety of careers including teaching at the university level or teaching English as a second language abroad.

English (MA/MS)

Our Master of Arts in English is designed for students who, upon completion, demonstrate a foreign language proficiency while the Master of Science in English is for students without foreign language focus.

English (PHD)

The Ph.D. in English is designed for students wishing to teach in community or four-year colleges and universities. It stresses both substantive knowledge of the various divisions within the field of English and an extensive introduction to the profession, including classroom teaching, tutoring and computer-assisted instruction. The degree requires that each candidate serve as a teaching assistant.

English (PHD) Applied Linguistics Emphasis

The Ph.D. in English is designed for students wishing to teach in community or four-year colleges and universities. It stresses both substantive knowledge of the various divisions within the field of English and an extensive introduction to the profession, including classroom teaching, tutoring and computer-assisted instruction. The degree requires that each candidate serve as a teaching assistant.

English (PHD) Rhetoric and Composition Emphasis

The Ph.D. in English is designed for students wishing to teach in community or four-year colleges and universities. It stresses both substantive knowledge of the various divisions within the field of English and an extensive introduction to the profession, including classroom teaching, tutoring and computer-assisted instruction. The degree requires that each candidate serve as a teaching assistant.

Hispanic Studies (BA)

The undergraduate Spanish program is dedicated to the study of languages and literatures of Latin America, Spain and the United States. The department offers a wide range and variety of courses, including beginners, intermediate and advanced courses in Spanish language and culture as well as courses designed for heritage speakers and native speakers.

Hispanic Studies (BA) Teaching Emphasis

Our program encourages and equips Spanish educators. No matter your proficiency level, we have language courses designed for you. You’ll study the history, politics, social structures and traditions of Spain and Latin America. Our combined Spanish and teaching program prepares you for the high school classroom. You’ll take courses in methods for teaching Spanish, issues in Spanish literature and culture, and Hispanic linguistics. After graduating, you’ll be certified to teach Spanish at the secondary level (grades 7-12).

Legal Studies Minor

The legal studies minor gives students the benefit of a multi-disciplinary minor with rigorous courses intended to improve their ability to get into law school and help them to succeed once there. The reason for this is that not only do law schools consider undergraduate GPA in admission decisions—they also consider the quality of the undergraduate courses taken by a candidate. The minor in legal studies is available to any student in any major who is considering law school upon graduation from A&M-Commerce.

Spanish Language Teaching (MA)

The main goals of this degree program are to prepare Spanish language professionals who will become language instructors in high schools and/or community colleges, and to provide a strong foundation in Spanish literature and linguistics for those interested in pursuing a PhD in the areas of Spanish literature or Hispanic linguistics. Some of the classes we offer include: foreign language methodology, advanced writing, children's literature, and Spanish and Latin American literature and cinema.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Graduate Certificate

This certificate is ideal for students who either already hold a completed graduate degree or are actively in the process of earning a graduate degree and wish to earn this certificate in conjunction with their degree. In addition to the enhanced professional status that the Certificate in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) brings, this Certificate will enable the holder to meet the 18-hour SACS requirement to teach at the College level.

Explore Our Department

Woman studying at a table.

Writing Center

We are here to help you at any stage in the writing process; From brainstorming to polishing the final draft. Our tutors are able to help you understand the prompt, expand your current draft or even answer your questions about formatting, citations and grammar.

Professor working with student in the linguistic lab.

Applied Linguistics Laboratory

The Applied Linguistics Laboratory is dedicated to high-quality research in Applied Linguistics. We are actively seeking out partnerships and collaborative work with industrial partners.

Professor sitting down with student with in front a laptop and a microphone.

Ontological Semantic Technology Laboratory

The Ontological Semantic Technology Laboratory advances ontology-based research–in particular natural language processing (NLP)–through development and implementation of NLP software, and engages in academic and market research by harnessing the available industry expertise on campus in collaboration with off-campus colleagues.

Book on a stand with title "the mayo Review"

The Mayo Review

The Mayo Review is a student-run literary journal published by the Department of Literature and Languages at A&M-Commerce. We publish the highest quality prose, poetry, drama and visual art available from both outside and university sources.

Professionals having a meeting.
Dr. Hunter Hayes headshot.

Welcome from the Department Head

The Department of Literature and Languages is a multidisciplinary department with programs in English, linguistics, foreign languages and philosophy, and affords you opportunities for academic enrichment through diverse offerings and an international faculty.

Courses in the Department of Literature and Languages improve your reading, writing and analytical skills, offer insight into the use and structure of language, help you develop an understanding and appreciation of literature, and explore film as an art form. The programs offered for non-teaching majors are designed to prepare you to enter graduate study; or as basic preparation for professions such as law, publishing, ministry, broadcasting, government, advertising, freelance writing, creative writing and business. The programs prepare you to write effectively, to think and read critically and analytically, and to understand cultural and social differences.

Dr. Hunter Hayes
Department Head and Associate Professor

Our Research

Our literature and languages faculty are excited to develop your knowledge and skills through research. Opportunities are available for both undergraduate and graduate students. We encourage you to discuss any research interests with your professors.

Humor and Multimodal Markers Project

The project is based on a corpus of digital-quality audio-video recordings of dyadic conversations in which speakers perform a baseline joke and then are free to talk for about ten minutes. Both speakers are closely miked and have a computer camera trained on them, thus allowing for multimodal features including prosody and eye gaze to be captured. Learn More

News Spotlights

Meet our Department

Contact Us

  • P.O. Box 3011
  • Commerce, TX 75429-3011
Navigate This Page