Applicable only to students admitted during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Latin American Studies

Interdepartmental Degree Program
College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Latin American Studies Program offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Latin American Studies.   In addition, two articulated degree programs are offered: Latin American Studies,  M.A./Library and Information Science, M.L.I.S., Latin American Studies, M.A./ Public Health, M.P.H. and two concurrent degree programs: Latin American Studies, M.A./ Urban and Regional Planning, M.U.R.P. and Management, M.B.A./Latin American Studies, M.A.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Academic advising is provided by the chair of the program and the Student Affairs Coordinator, who assists in program counseling, preparation of student petitions, and processing of student records. A faculty adviser meets with entering students individually to develop a program of study with academic coherence and vigor based on their proposed fields of specialization.

Areas of Study

Students are expected to develop and integrate two or three fields in Latin American studies, to be selected from the following: anthropology; art history; economics; education; engineering; folklore; geography; history; information studies; law; linguistics; management; music; political science; Portuguese; public health; sociology; Spanish; theater arts; and urban planning. At least one of the chosen fields must be a social science.

Foreign Language Requirement

Proficiency equivalent to 24 quarter units of university-level Spanish and 12 quarter units of university-level Portuguese or 16 quarter units of university-level Portuguese and 20 units of university-level Spanish is required. Only course work taken within five years of the award of the M.A. degree may be used to demonstrate current proficiency. Since these courses may not be applied toward the M.A. degree, students are encouraged to pass these proficiency levels by examination. Degree candidates who completed their language training five years prior to their advancement to candidacy must demonstrate their current proficiency by examination. A major Indigenous language of Latin America may be substituted for either Spanish or Portuguese. Students must fulfill the foreign language requirements by examination or petition for a waiver of the examination if they have gained competency in another manner (i.e., native speaker, upper division course work, Peace Corps service).

Course Requirements

Capstone Plan: A minimum of nine courses (36 units) is required, eight of which are to be distributed among three fields or disciplines on a 3-3-2 basis or among two fields on a 4-4 basis. Of the nine courses, five (20 units) must be at the graduate level, with at least one in each of the two or three fields. LAS 205 fulfills 4 units of the minimum 20-unit graduate course requirement.

Thesis Plan: A minimum of 10 courses (40 units) is required, nine of which are to be distributed on a 4-3-2 basis among three fields or two fields on a 5-4 basis. Of the ten courses, five (20 units) must be at the graduate level, with at least one in each of the two or three fields. LAS 205 fulfills 4 units of the minimum 20-unit graduate course requirement.

Latin American Studies 205 is a core course required of all M.A. students, to be taken during the first fall quarter in residence. All courses must be selected from the department-approved list of courses. Other courses must be petitioned in advance. Courses numbered in the 300 series are not applicable toward the M.A. degree. Graduate courses may be repeated unless they are of the lecture type. One course (4 units) in the 400 series professional courses can be applied toward the M.A. degree as electives by petition to the chair. No more than eight units of 500-series courses may be applied toward the total course requirement for the M.A. degree; no more than four units may be applied toward the minimum five graduate courses required for the M.A. degree.

Latin American Studies, M.A./ Information Studies, M.L.I.S.

The M.L.I.S./M.A. Latin American Studies is an articulated degree program of the Department of Information Studies and the Latin American Studies Program. The student can obtain two degrees: the M.L.I.S. and the M.A. in Latin American Studies. The program requires a minimum of 36 units in the Latin American Studies program, taken for a letter grade in addition to completing the requirements for the M.L.I.S. degree.

Management, M.B.A./Latin American Studies, M.A.

The Anderson Graduate School of Management and the Latin American Studies Program jointly sponsor a three-year concurrent degree program designed for individuals preparing for careers in international management with a special focus on the Latin American region. The program requires a minimum of 36 units in the Latin American Studies program, taken for a letter grade in addition to completing the requirements for M.B.A degree. The M.A. in Latin American Studies /M.B.A. in Management program allows students to use a maximum of 8 quarter units course work to be applied toward both the M.A. degree in Latin American Studies and the M.B.A. degree.

M.A. in Latin American Studies/M.P.H.  in Community Health Sciences

The M.A. in Latin American Studies/M.P.H.  articulated degree program requires a minimum of 36 units in the Latin American Studies program, taken for a letter grade in addition to completing the requirements for the M.P.H. degree.

Latin American Studies, M.A./Urban and Regional Planning, M.U.R.P.

The Latin American Studies Program and the Department of Urban Planning offer a two and one-half to three-year concurrent degree program leading to an M.A. degree in Latin American Studies and M.U.R.P. degree in Urban Planning.  The program requires a minimum of 36 units in the Latin American Studies program, taken for a letter grade in addition to completing the requirements for M.U.R.P. degree.  The M.A. in Latin American Studies /M.U.R.P. in Urban Planning program allows students to use a maximum of 8 quarter units course work to be applied toward both the M.A. degree in Latin American Studies and the M.U.R.P. degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

This requirement is fulfilled by the submission of three research papers written for at least two of the three fields included as part of the student’s program of study. At least two of these papers must have been submitted for graduate courses in the 200 series. The papers are evaluated by a three-member faculty committee representing the degree candidate’s three fields or both fields if the candidate is doing only two fields. Two positive votes among the three-member faculty examination committee constitute a pass. The committee evaluates the papers in the following terms: honor pass (a unanimous vote); pass; pass subject to revision of one or more of the research papers; or fail (majority vote). If two of the three members of the committee so request, an oral examination based on the papers may be required. When papers are passed subject to revision, one member of the committee is assigned the responsibility of working with the student on the revision, and determining when the paper has been satisfactorily revised. No reexaminations are permitted. The degree is awarded on recommendation of the faculty committee. Copies of the papers are filed in the Latin American Studies Academic Programs Office.

Thesis Plan

Every master’s degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

Although students are generally expected to follow the M.A. comprehensive examination plan, in special cases they may be allowed to follow the M.A. thesis plan. The student must develop a carefully prepared proposal to be approved by the academic coordinator in consultation with the student’s faculty committee chair. To be approved, the proposal must provide sound justification for the thesis plan, including provisions for funding any field research.

Once the thesis plan option has been approved, the student chooses a three-member faculty thesis committee consisting of one professor from each of three disciplines, one of whom has already agreed to serve as chair. The thesis committee works closely with the student in the development, writing, and revision of the thesis and is responsible for reading, evaluating, and approving the drafts and final version of the thesis, ensuring thereby that it meets the University standards of scholarship. Once the final version is approved, the thesis committee recommends the award of the M.A. degree. By the end of the quarter before graduation, the student must file for advancement to candidacy with the Graduate Division.

Time-to-Degree

Full-time students with no deficiencies upon admission can expect to complete all requirements for the M.A. degree within six academic quarters. Students who undertake field research in conjunction with the thesis plan may take up to seven academic quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.A.	6	6	9

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A recommendation for academic disqualification is made by the interdepartmental degree program committee, in consultation with the academic coordinator and, when appropriate, the student’s M.A. committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification through submission of a letter to the chair of the interdepartmental degree program committee which is submitted to the entire committee for a final decision.