• M.A. In Latin American Studies
• Joint Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration
• Joint LL.M./M.A. Degree in Latin American Studies
• Certificate in Latin American Studies
• Latin American Studies 4 + 1 M.A. Program
• Language Requirements
• Financial Aid
• Conferences, Seminars, and Visiting Scholars

The Center offers a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies and also provides a Latin American minor for students earning a Master's or Ph.D. degree in one of the participating programs (Anthropology, Art and History of Art, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, and Spanish and Portuguese).

In addition, a certificate in Latin American Studies may be awarded with either a Master's or Ph.D. degree upon successful completion of 15 hours of course work and demonstration of language competence (Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous language of Latin America).

Latin American Studies Brochure.pdf

M.A. In Latin American Studies

The M.A. in Latin American Studies requires course work with a Latin American content or with subject matter that is closely related to the area. Candidates for the M.A. choose a thesis (24 semester hours plus thesis) or non-thesis (33 hours) option. Each option includes Latin American Studies 290 (an interdisciplinary seminar which focuses on research methodologies and the use of reference materials for Latin Americanists). Master’s degree candidates are expected to demonstrate language competence in Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous Latin American language. This means advanced proficiency in one of the three languages and intermediate proficiency in another.

Non-Thesis Option:  15 hours must be in a selected major discipline. An additional 9 hours must be in a second discipline, which will serve as the selected minor field. The remaining 9 hours must be in three additional courses with a Latin American content, wherever possible being selected from disciplines other than the major and minor fields.

Non-Thesis Option
15 hours – major field                 
9 hours – minor field                   
6 hours – additional fields         
3 hours – LAS 290                       
33 hours (Total) 

Thesis Option:  9 hours in additional fields. The student will write a thesis under the direction of a Center faculty member and with the collaboration of a second member of the faculty. There is no written or oral final examination for the M.A. degree, thesis or non-thesis.

Thesis Option
9 hours – major field
6 hours – minor field
6 hours – additional field
3 hours – LAS 290
24 hours (Total)

Joint Master of Arts and Master of Business Administration

For this program students apply both  to Owen Graduate School of Management and the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies.  The first year of study is devoted to the M.B.A. program (30 hours), the second year to course work in Latin American Studies (24 hours), and the final year is divided between M.B.A. studies and the writing of the Master's thesis for the M.A. degree. Interested students should contact both the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies as well as Owen Graduate School of Management.

Joint LL.M/M.A. Degree in Latin American Studies

Vanderbilt University has a joint degree program in Law and Latin American Studies (LL.M. / M. A. in Latin American Studies), which is structured as follows:

Certificate in Latin American Studies

The Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies offers graduate students from different departments and schools at Vanderbilt the opportunity to complete a Certificate in Latin American Studies. The Certificate allows students to document their regional specialization by earning the Certificate, which is awarded in conjunction with their M.A. or Ph.D.  The LAS Certificate also encourages graduate students to study outside of their disciplinary specialization.

The Certificate program requires a minimum of 15 hours of formal course work in Latin American Studies as listed in the Graduate Catalog.  Course work must be spread over at least two disciplines, no more than 9 hours coming from any one discipline, although we strongly encourage students to take as wide of a range of courses as possible.

In addition, the Certificate requires demonstrated conversational or reading proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous Latin American language. Proficiency may be demonstrated by 1) satisfactory completion of intermediate level course work in the language or 2) an oral or written exam to be administered by the Center. If a student chooses the second option, he/she should contact the Center well in advance to arrange an examination.

Students planning to complete the Certificate in Latin American Studies should declare their intent by contacting the Associate Director for Graduate Studies, Susan Berk-Seligson (susan.berk-seligson@vanderbilt.edu) at the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies.
Buttrick Hall 230
615-322-2527

Latin American Studies 4 + 1 M.A. Program

Requirements for admission to the program:

• Must have an undergraduate major in LAS (or in exceptional cases a closely   related field with sufficient LAS content)
• Must have taken LAS 201 and LAS 290 during undergraduate years
• Must apply in the student’s junior year

Requirements beyond those for the B.A. to receive the 4 + 1 M.A.:

1. Students must write a M.A. thesis (the non-thesis option is not available for 4 +1 students).
2. Students must complete 18 hours of formal LAS coursework, the distribution of which will be established by the graduate advisor in consultation with the student.
3. No independent study hours are allowed (except for thesis hours).
4. Students must complete 9 hours of work during the summer after their senior year; we encourage students to take 6 hours of thesis research and 3 hours of formal coursework (although all 9 hours may be used for thesis work).
5. Students must submit a completed thesis for defense and final approval by late March for May graduation.

Students considering the 4 + 1 program should consult with their LAS advisor as early as possible and make formal application to the program by the end of their junior year.  An application consists of a letter of intent, a copy of college transcripts, and the names of two Vanderbilt faculty who could be consulted as references.  Decisions on admission to the program will be decided by the Center’s Executive Committee.

Language Requirements

Master's degree candidates are expected to demonstrate language ability in Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous Latin American language; this means advanced ability in one of the three languages and intermediate ability in another.

Students combining a master's degree from a related discipline with a minor in Latin American studies select area courses as their minor and must fulfill the Center's language requirement of a reading and speaking knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous Latin American language.

Doctoral candidates with a minor in Latin American studies must have a reading and speaking competence in Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous Latin American language and a technical reading knowledge of either of the other. The doctoral minor consists of not less than 15 hours, selected from area courses in two disciplines.

Financial Aid

Fellowships and teaching assistantships are awarded each year on the basis of merit and promise.  These provide a living stipend in addition to tuition and health insurance coverage. Applications for financial awards should be made at the time of application to the Graduate School.

Each year several Vanderbilt Honor Scholarships and University Graduate Fellowships are awarded to exceptional students entering graduate study. Honor scholarships provide stipends of $3,000 to $5,000 per year in addition to the regular fellowship or assistantship award. Such awards are renewable, provided the holders continue to fulfill the high promise for which they were chosen.

The Department of Education has designated CLAIS as one of its Foreign Language and Area Studies Programs and funds five graduate fellowships annually, as well as summer travel to Brazil, Guatemala, and Mexico for intensive language training.  Vanderbilt CLAIS is also one of the select graduate programs approved by the U.S. Army for its Foreign Area Officer training.

Conferences, Seminars, and Visiting Scholars

The Center is actively involved in enrichment and outreach activities locally, nationally, and internationally. Faculty members and departments associated with the Center frequently sponsor special lectures and seminar discussions, and distinguished scholars and personalities from Latin America are invited to visit our campus annually.

Requests for graduate application forms may be sent to:

      The Graduate School
      411 Kirkland Hall
      Vanderbilt University
      Nashville, TN 37235 (USA)

These may also be downloaded or completed online.