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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Higher Diploma
5. Spanish

Course Fact File

Code	HDAHS
Duration	1 Year Full-time; 2 Years Part-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time, Part-Time
Qualifications	HDip in Arts
NFQ Level	Level 8
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.
Start Date	8 September 2025

Course Outline

The Higher Diploma in Arts (Spanish) is intended for those who already have a degree and who wish to study the subject intensively over one academic year full-time or two academic years part-time. It is aimed at graduates who may want to be considered for a master’s course in the area of Hispanic studies subsequently (but do not have an honours degree in the field) or who may want to add the subject of the Higher Diploma in Arts to their qualifications.

Higher Diploma in Arts (Spanish) students take modules worth 60 credits total from a range of modules, listed below, in Spanish language and culture.  

You have to take the module HS3001 (Final Year Spanish Language) (10 credits) and are recommended to take HS2063 (Research Project: Culture & Society in the Spanish-speaking World) (5 credits) and/or HS3063 (Advanced Research Project in Spanish & Latin American Studies) (5 credits).

Modules

• HS2006 Culture in the Spanish Golden Age (5 credits)
• HS2008 Business and Society in the Spanish-speaking World (5 credits) 
• HS2009 Contemporary Writing from Spain (5 credits)
• HS2011 Contemporary Hispanic Theatre (5 credits)
• HS2013 Iberian Identities (5 credits)
• HS2015 Gender in the Spanish Golden Age (5 credits) (Unavailable 2024-25)
• HS2016 Creative Practices on Social Justice and Marginalities in Latin America (5 credits)
• HS2017 Basque Language I (5 credits)
• HS2018 Basque Language II (5 credits)
• HS2019 Basque Cultural Studies I (5 credits)
• HS2022 Catalan Language and Culture I (5 credits)
• HS2023 Catalan Language and Culture II (5 credits)
• HS2024 Galician Language and Culture I (5 credits)
• HS2025 Galician Language and Culture II (5 credits)
• HS2026 Linguistic Aspects of Spanish (5 credits)
• HS2046 US Latino Literatures (5 credits)
• HS2057 Cinema and Identity in Spain and Latin America (5 credits)
• HS2063 Research Project: Culture & Society in the Spanish-Speaking World (5 credits)
• HS2102 Second Year Spanish Language (Ex-Non-Beginners) (10 credits)
• HS3001 Final Year Spanish Language (10 credits)
• HS3004 Translating Business, Culture and Society in the Hispanic World (5 credits)
• HS3005 History and Society in Spanish Literature (5 credits)
• HS3007 Aspects of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (5 credits) 
• HS3008 Linguistic Aspects of Spanish as a Global Language (5 credits)
• HS3010 Stages of Exile in the Hispanic World (5 credits)
• HS3022 Catalan Language III (5 credits)
• HS3023 Catalan Cultural Studies (5 credits)
• HS3024 Galician Language II (5 credits)
• HS3025 Galician Cultural Studies (5 credits)
• HS3028 Love and Sex in the Spanish Golden Age (5 credits)
• HS3029 The Body and Senses in the Spanish Golden Age (5 credits)
• HS3054 Gender, Violence and Power on the US-Mexico Border (5 credits)
• HS3058 Human Rights, Memory and the Post-Dictatorship Generation in the Southern Cone (5 credits)
• HS3059 Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Cultures in a Global Context (5 credits)
• HS3063 Advanced Research Project in Spanish & Latin American Studies (5 credits)
• HS3123 Catalan Language IV (5 credits)
• HS3130 Basque Language IV (5 credits)
• PU2202 Portuguese Studies II (5 credits)
• PU2203 Cultural Identity in Portuguese-Speaking Africa (5 credits) 
• PU2205 Gender and Cultural Creativity in Portuguese (5 credits)
• PU2206 World-Cinemas in Portuguese (5 credits)
• PU2207 Linguistic Aspects of Portuguese (5 credits)
• PU3302 Portuguese Studies III (5 credits)
• PU3303 Contemporary Brazilian Culture (5 credits)
• LL2003 The Classical Tradition (5 credits)
• LL3002 Travel Writing (5 credits)

If you are applying for this course to gain a teaching subject please consult with the Teaching Council Subject Declaration Form to view specific requirements for this subject.

If you are applying for this course for future eligibility for the Professional Master of Education (PME) see our PME page for more information.

See the University Calendar for more information on the Higher Diploma programme at UCC.

Course Practicalities

Three contact hours per week for language modules and two for elective modules are to be generally expected. The amount of reading hours would depend greatly on the subjects of your choice.

Part-time Option

The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over two years.

Assessment

Assessment varies depending on the specific subjects. Assessment methods include presentations, essays, exams, class tests, learning journals and portfolios.

Who teaches this course

The course is taught by staff in the Department of Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies, a group of academics with vast expertise in their own fields who teach and produce research in areas including Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Basque, and Catalan language and culture, Latin American studies, art and literature in the Spanish Golden Age and Hispanic theatre.

Find out more about our staff on our Department page.

Why Choose This Course

As part of the Higher Diploma in Arts (Spanish), you are given the opportunity to take an intensive course in Hispanic Studies, in order to bring you up to degree level in one or two years.

 

Skills and Careers Information

This qualification will give you an insight into different disciplines related to the Hispanic world that will prove very valuable in an environment in which Spanish and Portuguese have become global languages.

Previous graduates of the Higher Diploma in Arts (Spanish) have been employed in a wide range of careers, both in Ireland and abroad. These include teaching, tourism, marketing, international business (retail, accounting, banking), translation and interpreting, media and journalism, and public service. Other graduates have successfully continued their postgraduate studies in the field, at both MA and PhD levels.

Requirements

It is intended for those who already have a 3 or 4-year primary degree, preferably in the area of Arts or the Sciences, and who wish to study the subject Spanish intensively over one academic year.   

The Higher Diploma in Arts is a conversion programme. You will have some background knowledge of Spanish, but will not normally have studied Spanish language or culture to honours degree level previously.

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
• In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.
• Describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.
• Detail your computing/technical/IT skills.
• Please indicate your level of foreign language expertise in any of the languages offered by the programme.

Important Note:  Note that the Higher Diploma in Arts programme is NOT a teacher training programme. Graduates must apply for the Professional Master of Education (PME) teacher training programme to qualify as a secondary school teacher, see the PME page for more information. 

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

Apply Now