Undergraduate student majoring in LAS are expected to demonstrate language competence in Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous Latin American language.  This requirement may be satisfied by completing Spanish 203, or any course with a higher number taught in Spanish, or Portuguese 202, or any course with a higher number taught in Portuguese. The requirement to acquire intermediate knowledge of another Latin American language may be satisfied by successfully completing Spanish 104, Portuguese 200, Anthropology 269 (indigenous language), or Anthropology 276 (indigenous language).

In addition, students must demonstrate their level of language proficiency at the beginning of the second semester of their senior year by way of an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). This is part of an evaluation of the Center (and not of the individual student) and the results will not affect fulfillment of the requirement as stated above.  This requirement may be accomplished by

• showing the OPI results of the Portuguese or indigenous language class(es) they took at Vanderbilt, if they did, or by
• taking a one-to-one telephonic conversation conducted entirely in Spanish or Portuguese language.  (Tests are arranged by Helena Simonett (helena.simonett@vanderbilt.edu)

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.

An Honors Program is available, acceptance into which must be approved by the Center faculty. Students must have a minimum 3.0 general GPA and a 3.3 GPA in Latin American Studies courses to be accepted into the program. The Honors Program requires the writing of an Honors Thesis and passing an oral Honors Examination. Interested students should consult their academic advisor during their junior year.

The Center for Latin American Studies also offers a minor in Latin American Studies. Students must complete 15 hours or approved courses with Latin American content including Latin American Studies 201. In addition, students must demonstrate intermediate knowledge of one Latin American language by successfully completing Spanish 104, Portuguese 200, Anthropology 269, or Anthropology 276. Courses taken to satisfy the language requirement may not be counted toward the 15 hours of core courses. Individual standardized testing may also be used to demonstrate knowledge.

Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary program, featuring major and minor options. In an increasingly interconnected world, ideas of confining national boundaries, static cultures, and single-language sufficiency are being transcended. With that in mind, Vanderbilt's Center for Latin American Studies' goal is to equip its students with tools that will help them work across both disciplinary and geopolitical borders. CLAS strives to provide solid foundations in the history, politics, culture, additional languages, and economics. When considering your academic track, remember that potential employers may be just as focused on an individual's versatility of skills and types of achievement as any other measure of education. 
After Latin American Studies

Possible career routes following training in Latin American Studies:

Almost 200 million native Portuguese speakers live in the Western Hemisphere.  Most live in the second largest country in the Americas, Brazil, which comprises about half of South America's population.  When the Center for Latin American Studies was founded in 1947 as the Institute for Brazilian Studies, and was a pioneer in the study of Portuguese in the United States.  Still today Vanderbilt maintains one of the strongest concentrations of Brazilianists of any university in the United States.  Along with featuring study abroad programs for training Portuguese,  the Center is happy to house the Secretariat of the Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA).