Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Latin American Studies

Graduate Program

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at the University of Arizona hosts an outstanding interdisciplinary faculty with particular regional strengths in Mexico, Central America and Brazil, and in thematic areas focusing on Borders of the Americas and Immigration, Environment and Development, History and Culture, and Power and Inequality. CLAS coordinates a broad range of instructional, research and outreach activities relating to Latin America and offers Dual Degree programs with Law (J.D.), Public Administration (M.P.A.), Public Health (M.P.H) and Journalism (M.A.). Complete and updated information is available in .pdf format or by contacting the Center.

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Latin American Studies

The interdisciplinary MA program combines two fields of study, Spanish and Portuguese language skills, three core LAS courses, optional electives or thesis. Students need a total of 36 graduate units (500 level courses or above) and the successful completion and defense of a thesis or a passing grade on the written/oral Master’s exam.

Graduate Coursework

During their first semester of study, all LAS graduate students are required to take a 3 credit seminar (LAS 500) designed to introduce them to Latin American studies and research. A research methods course (such as LAS 550 – “Qualitative Research Methods for Latin America”) and a LAS interdisciplinary research seminar (taught by a member of CLAS’s core faculty) are also required at some point during subsequent semesters.

Students select a primary field of concentration and complete 12 graduate units in this field including at least one research seminar. The fields of study available for areas of primary concentration include the thematic areas of Borders of the Americas and Immigration, Environment and Development, History and Culture, and Power and Inequality, as well as regional studies focusing on Mexico, Central America or Brazil. Disciplinary areas currently available for primary areas of concentration are Anthropology, Geography and Regional Development, History, and Latin American Literature (Spanish and Portuguese).

Students also choose a secondary area of concentration, requiring nine graduate units. The secondary area can have a thematic or regional focus or can be selected from one of the disciplinary areas listed above in addition to Art History, Journalism, Language, Reading and Culture, Political Science, and Women’s Studies.

Language Requirements

Because of the interdisciplinary nature and regional emphasis of the Latin American Studies program, both Spanish and Portuguese skills are required; one at the level of competence demonstrated by completing Portuguese 305a or Spanish 251 with a minimum grade of B or by an equivalency exam; the other at the level of proficiency demonstrated by the completion of Portuguese 325 or Spanish 330 with a minimum grade of B or by an equivalency exam. Students accepted into the program who do not meet one or both of the language requirements may satisfy this deficiency during the course of their graduate studies. Portuguese 305a is specifically designed as an intensive course for those fluent in Spanish. All incoming students are evaluated for language ability at the beginning of their first semester. An indigenous language of Latin America may be substituted with the approval of the LAS Graduate Advisor and the student’s Faculty/Thesis Advisor.

Admission Requirements

Applicants are asked to submit an online application through the Graduate College website. To do so, students must click on "Apply Now" on the top right hand side of the following website: http://grad.arizona.edu/ The online application will ask you to upload at least two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose or goals, a résumé or CV, and your Graduate Record Examination results. Apart from the online application, students must directly send by mail to CLAS the transcripts of all Universities that were listed as previous institutions in their application. An Admissions Committee takes into consideration all factors when evaluating applicants to the graduate program. The deadline for fall admissions and funding considerations is December 1 for international students and February 1 for domestic students.

Applicants wishing to apply to one of the dual M.A. degree programs will need to submit two applications to the Graduate College, one for each program being applied to. In addition, any supplementary materials required by either department will need to be completed and submitted as outlined.

For more information regarding the application process, you may contact the Graduate Program Coordinator, Colin Deeds, by email at or by phone at (520) 626-7242.

Ph.D. Minor

Doctoral students in other departments may elect a minor in Latin American Studies. Requirements include a minimum of 15 units in courses related to the student’s major and demonstrated

The program's excellence was recently recognized in 2010 with an instructional and outreach grant under the U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Program, placing it in a favorable position in relation to the nation's top Latin American Studies programs. This grant enables the University of Arizona to expand curriculum offerings and research programs and provide additional outreach to schools, businesses and the public in the region. In 2007 CLAS also received a Title VI-B grant for its proposal on “Undergraduate International Studies: An Integrative and Multidisciplinary Approach Engaging Students and Faculty with a Local Resource-The Mexican Borderlands”.

Requirements for the Master of Arts (M.A.) Degree in Latin American Studies

Graduate Coursework

During their first semester of study, all LAS graduate students are required to take a 3- credit seminar (LAS 500) designed to introduce them to Latin American studies and research. A research methods course (such as LAS 550 – “Qualitative Research Methods for Latin America”) and a LAS interdisciplinary research seminar (taught by a member of CLAS’s core faculty) are also required at some point during subsequent semesters.

Internship credit can be applied to the M.A. degree and used to fulfill appropriate elective fields.

Eligible Courses

Courses accepted for Latin American Studies credit can be found on line, and the Center tries to provide a list of campus-wide offerings each semester. We do not always have an exact list of all courses being offered by LAS faculty because seminar topics can change from year to year. There are also a number of courses not cross-listed with LAS that can be taken for LAS credit with permission of the LAS Graduate Advisor. The criteria for LAS credit might include writing a course paper on a Latin American topic or that the course has comparative (e.g. comparative politics), theoretical (e.g. development or literary theory), methodological (e.g. ethnography), or professional (e.g. trade law) relevance to Latin American studies.

Although many jointly convened graduate/undergraduate (400/500) courses can be taken as part of the program, we recommend that students try to take advantage of the many graduate seminars and courses (500 and 600-level) offered at the university. These courses are designed specifically for graduate students and allow for more faculty-student interaction. Students may also develop a directed reading or independent study course (599, 699) on a particular topic of interest with a faculty member as part of their program.

Language Requirements

Because of the interdisciplinary nature and regional emphasis of the Latin American Studies program, both Spanish and Portuguese skills are required; one at the level of competence demonstrated by completing Portuguese 305a or Spanish 251 with a minimum grade of B or by an equivalency exam; the other at the level of proficiency demonstrated by the completion of Portuguese 325 or Spanish 330 with a minimum grade of B or by an equivalency exam. Students accepted into the program who do not meet one or both of the language requirements are required to satisfy this deficiency during the course of their graduate studies. Portuguese 305a is specifically designed as an intensive course for those fluent in Spanish. All incoming students are evaluated for language ability at the beginning of their first semester. An indigenous language of Latin America may be substituted with the approval of the LAS Graduate Advisor and the student’s Faculty/Thesis Advisor.

Application and Admission to the Graduate Program in Latin American Studies

CLAS offers an interdisciplinary Master’s degree that focuses on the social sciences and humanities. If you have a strong academic background in one of these fields and some experience living, working or traveling in Latin America, we encourage you to apply to our graduate program. Applications will be evaluated on academic background and performance (generally a minimum GPA of 3.0), professional experience (Resume or CV is to be uploaded to your online application), competitive GRE test scores (with more attention given to the verbal and the analytical writing scores), proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese as demonstrated by advanced coursework and/or experience in Latin America, at least two letters of recommendation written preferably from academicians (to be uploaded to your online application), and a personal statement of purpose (also to be uploaded to your online application). Your statement of purpose should provide a description of your research interests or your likely area of focus in the Latin American Studies Graduate program at the University of Arizona. The application materials which should be mailed directly to CLAS are your official transcripts from all previous institutions you have mentioned in your application.

An admissions committee considers all factors in the evaluation process. The deadline for fall admissions and funding considerations is December 1 for international students and February 1 for domestic students. The official online University of Arizona application and information for the Graduate College are found online https://apply.grad.arizona.edu .

For more information regarding the application process please contact our Graduate Program Coordinator, Colin Deeds, by email at or by phone at (520) 626-7242.

Ph.D. Minor

Doctoral students in other departments may elect a minor in Latin American Studies. Requirements include a minimum of 15 units in courses related to the student’s major and demonstrated competence, as defined above, in either Portuguese of Spanish.

Graduate Advising and Mentoring

Mentoring and advising are important components of a graduate student’s educational experience, and the Center for Latin American Studies pays close attention to facilitating the mentoring process. Incoming students are encouraged to seek out one of the core faculty as a mentor during their first semester; mentors can give suggestions as to courses, faculty and other resources available on campus in the students’ area of interest. Students may make appointments with the core faculty by calling the Center (626-7242) and are also encouraged to communicate with them by email. Each student is expected to maintain regular contact (at least once a semester) with the LAS Graduate Program Advisor. Any new information about the program (such as announcements of courses and jobs) is circulated to students by email and posted in the Center. Please keep us up-to-date concerning your email and postal address.

Each graduate student will be required to have a faculty advisor chosen from the area of primary concentration. Students must choose a faculty advisor by March 15 (midway through the second semester). This faculty advisor provides important input and direction and assists the program advisor in academic guidance and monitoring. If a student chooses to do a thesis s/he will work closely with this faculty advisor in the undertaking of that work. One of the best ways to get to know LAS faculty is to take a course, preferably a seminar, with them.

Fellow students are another important source of information. They can provide useful advice on the design of your program, good courses to take, and other general ideas about how to succeed in the program. The orientation at the beginning of each semester is a good way for incoming students to meet some of the continuing students. The LAS Colloquium series also brings graduate students together in an informal, interdisciplinary setting.

Master’s Exam Options

All students will be required to take exams at the end of their fourth semester in the program. There are two options for this exam.

Option 1: The M.A. Thesis

The M.A. thesis is expected to be a full explication of a significant problem using primary sources (interviews, archives or analogous materials) or substantive secondary sources. Its length depends on the expectations of the thesis committee (a good target is 80-100 pages). Previous LAS theses are on file in the Center.

A potential thesis topic should be developed as early as the first semester of coursework and a thesis director and committee structure planned before the end of the second semester. Preliminary research should be conducted during the summer following the second semester. Students are encouraged to apply for Center-administered Tinker Travel Grants to support summer field research in Latin America. The thesis draft should be advanced during the third semester, and the final thesis should be written and defended during the fourth semester.