Minimum Requirements
The Master’s degree (M.A.) in Latin American and Latino Studies requires at least 30 credits. A “B” average (3.0 GPA) must be maintained in courses taken for the Master’s degree.
Required Courses
Distribution Requirements
Thesis Requirement
Language Competency
Required Courses
Three courses, comprising 11 credits, are required for the degree:
- LLGA 5001 Latin American & Latino Cultures should be taken early in the student’s career, preferably in the first semester of graduate work. It is designed to introduce students to major themes and debates in the field.
- LLGA 5021 Latin American and Latino Studies Seminar for Service Learning/ Internship/ Research includes field experience; all students must complete hands-on practical experience as part of their graduate training. To meet the field experience requirement, students, in consultation with their advisor, will be required to complete either a service learning project, an internship, or guided research project in New York or in Latin America.
- LLGA 5020 Latin American and Latino Studies Research Seminar focuses on the writing of the M.A. thesis and the presentation of the thesis to a peer audience.
Distribution Requirements
Electives must include courses from at least three of the disciplines represented by the program; these disciplines include History, Sociology and Anthropology, Political Science, Economics, Theology, African and African American Studies, Art History, Spanish, and Psychology. The electives must also be distributed so that at least three courses have a U.S. Latino focus, and at least three courses have a Latin American focus. For example, a course such as History of Brazil would meet two distribution requirements, as a history course and as a course with a Latin American focus. Students will consult with their program advisor about specific electives for their individual program of study.
One course in cultural or social theory, such as theory of postcolonial literature, or a course in methodology, such as historiography, or a skills course such as statistics, can count as one of the courses needed to complete the degree.
Thesis Requirement
A thesis is required for the M.A. degree in Latin American and Latino Studies. The overall standard that the thesis should meet is that it should be based on primary sources, and meet professional standards of documentation and argument. Students must prepare their theses to conform to the appropriate style manual for their topic (Chicago Manual of Style, MLA Style Manual, etc). The thesis requires one mentor and one additional reader. Normally a student will select his or her mentor during his or her first or second semester, take an advanced course from that mentor during his or her second semester, and use that course paper as a first draft for the thesis which will be completed in LLGA 5020.
Language Competency
A fundamental requirement of the program is proficiency in one of the spoken languages (other than English) of Latin America and the Caribbean. The language requirement may be met by taking a competency exam or successfully passing an approved language course in Spanish, Portuguese or French. Placement examinations will be administered following admission. Students are encouraged to consult the Director or Associate Director about the language requirement.
