Institute for the Study of the Americas

The Certificate in Latin American Studies

Graduate students seeking to document their area expertise are encouraged to earn a Certificate in Latin American Studies in conjunction with an advanced degree in any University graduate program. Candidates demonstrate expertise in Latin America through their graduate or professional field but are also encouraged to pursue inter-disciplinary studies to enhance their professional development.

Certificates are issued twice a year:

• December (deadline November 15)
• May (deadline May 1)

• A minimum of two semesters of residence at UNC-CH.
• Four graduate courses on Latin American topics.
• A thesis, dissertation proposal, or major departmental paper on a topic related to Latin America.
• An oral defense of the thesis or dissertation prospectus/proposal. For students in professional schools or departments that do not require defense of a thesis, a letter from the student’s adviser indicating that graduate level coursework and research on a Latin American topic was successfully completed will be sufficient to waive the requirement.
• Language competence in Spanish or Portuguese. Non-native speakers must have the Language Evaluation Form filled out by a member of the faculty of the Department of Romance Languages. For Portuguese, consult Professor Fred Clark. For Spanish, consult Professor Glynis Cowell.

Submit all materials to: Beatriz Riefkohl Muñiz, ISA Associate Director, 3200 Fed Ex Global Education Center, 301 Pittsboro St, CB 3205, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3205.

Working Groups

The UNC-Duke Consortium sponsors six research and training working groups designed to combine an innovative form of interdisciplinary inquiry with apprenticeship-style opportunities for graduate students. The working groups encourage collaboration among Latin Americanist faculty and graduate students across disciplines and between campuses. Learn more.

Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC)

The Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC) Program offers LAC course options (independent seminars, discussion sections, combined discussion sections, and research components) in seven languages--Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish--for over 40 courses in 20 departments or professional schools. Learn more.

Students interested in strengthening their marketability on the academic job market can pursue the new Graduate Certificate in LAC Instruction, the only professional training program in LAC pedagogy offered nationwide. For more information, visit:
http://www.unc.edu/areastudies/degreeprograms/lac-graduate-certificate.html.