Center for Latin American Studies

The Master of Arts in Latin American Studies at SFS 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. MALAS students typically focus their studies in one of the following four areas: Political Economy, Government, History, or Literature. However, students may also choose to concentrate in two of these four areas or to pair a concentration from the list with a focus in Anthropology or Sociology. 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 M.A. in Latin American Studies, CLAS also offers an undergraduate certificate in Latin American Studies, a joint M.A./Ph.D. program with the Department of Government, a joint M.A./J.D. program with the Georgetown University Law Center, and a five-year BSFS/M.A. program. Also, cooperative degree agreements with 15 North American 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 Ecuador. Other summer research opportunities are available in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and elsewhere in Latin America.

Degree Requirements

There are three major degree requirements for the MALAS 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 the written comprehensive examination.

Coursework

Each MA candidate is required to participate in five research modules and take four courses that count toward the core requirements; six courses in their chosen concentration; and two elective courses. Selection of courses is done in consultation with the associate director for academic affairs, the MA program director, and the student's faculty advisors.

Students planning concentrations in Government, Political Economy, or any other course of study requiring work in Economics must have completed introductory courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics prior to enrollment. No prerequisite courses (including those in language or economics) can be waived and none will count towards the 36 graduate credits required for completion of the MA.

Research Modules

Students are required to complete five not-for-credit research modules specifically designed to provide additional training in research, writing and methods. The research module requirements consist of the following courses:

1. Basics of Writing, Research and Bibliographic Resources
2. IRB-c
3. Qualitative Research Methods
4. Quantitative Research Methods
5. Elective

Electives

Students must take two elective courses unless they pursue a bi-disciplinary concentration, in which case they must only complete one elective course. Electives allow for experimentation, diversity, and additional study in fields outside the concentration and are commonly used to strengthen a regional or issue focus.

Independent Study

CLAS students have the opportunity to arrange independent studies for academic credit. Independent study programs must include the development of an original research project on a topic related to the student’s coursework or thesis. Individual mentors must be obtained to oversee the independent study, and the program must be approved by the MA program director.

The Thesis Option

Students who wish to complete a thesis must identify a research topic and a thesis adviser by the end of their first semester. Students choose two faculty members to guide their thesis process, a thesis advisor and a second reader. It is strongly suggested that the thesis adviser be a member of the CLAS faculty. Second readers may be either full-time Georgetown University professors or adjunct faculty.

The Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is offered two times each year (in November and March). The purpose of the exam is to allow students to demonstrate their mastery of general subject matter related to Latin America and their particular area of concentration as well as a broad familiarity with the literature of their field of study. All students must pass the comprehensive exam in order to complete the Master's degree.

More detailed information about all of these requirements can be found in the MA Handbook.