The beginning of the UC Faculty of Linguistics and Literature dates back to 1943, when the Spanish degree program was created under the direction of the School of Pedagogy, which depended on the Faculty of Philosophy, Linguistics and Literature, and Educational Sciences. In 1968, the Institute of Linguistics and Literature was founded as part of the University Reform of the Pontificia Universidad Católica (UC).
In the following decades, the Institute continued expanding and deepening both teaching and research. Thus, between 1944 and 1956, the departments of English, French and German were created. In 1971, the Institute was founded, and the Translation degree program was incorporated, and that same year the journal Taller de Letras was founded. In 1980, two new Master’s programs were opened: Literature and Linguistics.
In 1986, after the donation of letters and documents written by Gabriela Mistral, the Center for Chilean Literature Studies, or CELICH, was created in order to maintain the archives and promote the dissemination and research of our national literature.
In 2002, the UC Faculty of Linguistics and Literature was founded, based at the San Joaquín Campus of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. This campus, the biggest of the five UC campuses, includes 13 of UC’s 18 faculties, which promotes the intersection and interchange of approaches and disciplines.
In particular, the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature bases its teaching on the disciplines of literary studies, linguistics, and cultural studies. In this context, the Faculty has the following mission:
Currently, the Faculty offers three undergraduate programs: the BA in Spanish Linguistics and Literature in Spanish, the BA in English Linguistics and Literature, and the BA in English Teaching, in conjunction with the Faculty of Pedagogy. At the postgraduate level, we offer two PhDs, one in Literature and the other in Linguistics, and five Master’s programs: Literature, Linguistics, Translation, Linguistics Applied to English as Foreign Language, and Specialized Translation and Translation Technologies (English/German-Spanish and English/Spanish-German) with the University of Heidelberg.
As of 2022, the Faculty of Literature and Linguistics is N° 27 in the QS World University ranking for Modern Languages (11th edition). As such, it is one of the top faculties in the world to study Literature and Linguistics.
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile has signed agreements with some of the most prestigious universities in the world. This has led many foreign students to come to the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature, who choose our Spanish and Latin American Literature courses to immerse in the language and knowledge of our culture.