www.ohio.edu/latinamerican

This interdisciplinary program allows the student to explore the cultural, institutional and structural realities of Latin America in depth and is designed for individuals who wish to expand their expertise regarding this important world region.

The program maintains solid teaching and library strength for both South and Central America and Mexico, as well as the Caribbean. It has strong institutional relations with—and faculty interest in— Ecuador and Brazil. The program is also known for its strength in Central America where strong faculty interests and numerous publications are enriched by an outstanding library collection. The library features a large and varied microfilm/fiche collection of U.S. diplomatic records.

The Latin American Studies Program is actively career oriented. Over four-fifths of its graduates find careers in or related to Latin America in areas such as teaching, non-governmental organizations, government service, business, and communication. The special, second Iberian language option, as well as the skills minor, greatly enhances graduate’s employment options. In addition, the program works to find its candidates Latin America-related internships in Washington, other cities in the United States, and in Latin America. Participation in internships is encouraged and earns academic credit towards the 70-hour graduation requirement.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 70-credit hours of course work which includes 40 in explicitly Latin American focused material (core courses) and 25 in a “skills minor” (a non-Latin American theme or discipline). The 65 hours in a core and skills courses must include two seminars and an introduction to graduate studies. Students must also complete a course in methods and be competent in at least one of the region’s Iberian languages.

Enhanced Language Skills Option: To complement the program’s stress on both Spanish and Portuguese speaking Latin America-and since over eighty percent of our students enter with competency in one of the two Iberian languages-students are urged to acquire competency in the other language by taking either second year Spanish or accelerated Portuguese. No credit towards degree requirements is given for coursework taken in the first Iberian language (Spanish or Portuguese). Credit is given for course work in acquiring a second Iberian language provided the student has reached certified competency.

Course work may be completed in five quarters and must include the completion of one of the following options under the Capstone requirement:  a comprehensive written examination during the last term of a student’s program, a professional project, or a thesis.

In addition students are expected to attend Center forums, guest lectures about Latin America and participate in some community outreach.