Master of Arts in Latin American Studies

The Master of Arts in Latin American Studies (LAS) is designed for students pursuing careers in government, business, and international organizations in the U.S. and abroad as well as those who contemplate additional post-graduate work in the humanities or social sciences.

The Master of Arts in Latin American Studies at SFS is a rigorous, interdisciplinary graduate program, designed for students pursuing careers in government, business, and international organizations in the U.S. and abroad, as well as those who contemplate additional post-graduate work in the humanities or social sciences. M.A. students typically focus their studies in one of the following concentrations: Governance and Leadership; Development and Political Economy; History, Culture, and Society.

There are four major degree requirements for the MA degree:

• 36 credit hours of graduate coursework with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale OR the completion of 33 credit hours of graduate coursework and the successful defense of an MA thesis.
• Language proficiency in either Spanish or Portuguese.
• Completion of an Internship.
• Completion of a Capstone Project.

While most students complete the degree in two years on a full-time basis, part-time and accelerated options are available as well.

In addition to the MA in Latin American Studies, CLAS also offers an undergraduate and graduate certificate in Latin American Studies, a joint MA/PhD program with the Department of Government, a joint MA/JD program with the Georgetown University Law Center, and an accelerated BAorBS/MA program. Also, cooperative degree agreements with colleges and universities allow undergraduates from these schools to pursue an accelerated masters degree in Latin American Studies at CLAS.

The Center sponsors three summer graduate programs located in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia and encourages individual summer research throughout the hemisphere.