The Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies offers Washington University students the opportunity to pursue a multidisciplinary specialization on this region of the world while completing their PhD degree. The certificate combines discipline-based learning with cultural studies, thus allowing for a rigorous approach to Latin America's social, economic and political history. At the same time, students are exposed to new theories and current debates on the topics of nation formation, governance, colonialism, development, regionalism, public health, modernization, globalization and neoliberalism.

At the national level, programs in Latin American Studies date back to the late 1940s, when the area studies paradigm became central to the internationalization of academic focus in the context of the Cold War. Today, as globalization has made internationalization an even more pressing concern, Latin American Studies is part of a new need for the better understanding of other world regions. In fact, Latin American countries consistently play an important role within the intellectual and political spheres of the United States. Latin America is the single largest source of immigrants to the United States today. It contains the third-largest trade partner of the United States (Mexico); one of the most vibrant emergent economies in the world (Brazil); countries that have been at the core of U.S. foreign policy for decades (Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, and the Andean region, for instance); and a vibrant population and culture that are increasingly the focus of U.S. students.

Application

Students are required to apply to be considered for the certificate program. Their applications are evaluated by the Graduate Certificate Committee. This application is submitted at the beginning of the student's doctoral courses in Arts & Sciences and requires a support letter from the director of graduate studies of the student's PhD home department or program. The chair of the Graduate Certificate Committee will forward recommendations for admission to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, for final approval. All applicants to the certificate program are expected to be in good academic standing as defined by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Contact Info

Contact:	Professor Ignacio Sánchez Prado
Phone:	314-935-5175
Email:	isanchez@wustl.edu
Website:	http://lasprogram.wustl.edu

Core Faculty

Faculty with Courtesy Appointments

Faculty Specialized in Latin America

Professors Emeriti

Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies

Students interested in earning the Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies must complete 15 graduate units; 6 of those units may also count toward the PhD requirements with the prior approval of the PhD home department director of graduate studies. The graduate certificate is awarded concurrently with the PhD degree. Students in the Latin American Studies graduate certificate program must fulfill all requirements of the PhD required by their respective home departments and the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, in addition to the following certificate requirements:

Complete a total of 15 graduate credits:

• 3 credits from one Latin American Studies program core course
• 3 credits from one 500-level course from the Latin American Studies core program
• 9 credits from three Latin American Studies program–related courses in at least two departments or schools outside the student's major department

Other requirements:

• Students must have proven proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese in accordance with the guidelines established by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.
• Students must spend at least one summer abroad conducting research in Latin American Studies.
• Students must participate actively in the Latin American Colloquium for at least one semester. This participation is to include the presentation of a research paper, which should ideally result from the summer research mentioned above.