Certificate Candidacy

To earn a graduate certificate at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; fulfill all academic and residence requirements; and file an Intent to Graduate. Graduate certificates are not standalone programs and are only available to current students in applicable graduate programs. Thus, graduate certificates are conferred at the same time as the student’s primary graduate program.

Program Requirements

• Total Units Required: 15
• Certificate Length: Units must be completed during the course work period of the student's home program. 
  • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their course work, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
• Minimum grade requirements: Students must obtain a minimum grade of B- in graduate courses for them to count toward the degree (certificate). Students are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Required Courses

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.

Contact Info

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