Overview
Latin American Studies Degrees
Tulane's Stone Center for Latin American Studies offers one of the world's premier programs for the study of Latin America and the Caribbean. The multidisciplinary M.A. and Ph.D. programs provide basic education and training for both academic and professional careers. In addition, the Stone Center for Latin American Studies offers several Latin American studies degrees, including joint M.A./M.B.A. and M.A./J.D. degrees and joint Ph.D. degree programs with art history and political science.
To earn a degree in the M.A. program in Latin American studies, students are required to complete a total of 30 hours of coursework distributed over a primary concentration and two supporting concentrations, and demonstrate competency in at least one language of the region. Normally, students in the Latin American graduate programs write an M.A. thesis, although a non-thesis option exists. The M.A. program in Latin American studies can be completed in three semesters by students who elect to pursue the non-thesis option, but the Stone Center strongly encourages students to pursue the thesis option and seeks to recruit students who are eager to accept the challenge. These students complete the program in four semesters.
Both joint-degree programs, the M.A./M.B.A and M.A./J.D., require 24 semester hours of coursework in Latin American studies in addition to the requirements of the respective professional school. The Ph.D. requires 54 hours of coursework in a primary concentration and two supporting concentrations, demonstrated proficiency in two foreign languages, general preliminary examinations, and a doctoral dissertation. In addition, the joint Ph.D. program requires completion of disciplinary degree requirements.
Research Facilities and Opportunities in Latin American Studies
The Latin American Library (LAL) at Tulane is one of three free-standing collections of its kind in U.S. universities, and a grand testament to the outstanding Latin American research programs at the university. It has more than 425,000 volumes, with world-renowned collections of Latin American social sciences and humanities, with particular emphasis on history, anthropology, archaeology, art history, architecture, and cultural studies. The library also has a Latin American photographic archive of 35,000 images and is one of the world's leading repositories of colonial and pre-Columbian pictorials (Native American writing). Its rare book and manuscript collections are extensive and open to students in our Latin American studies school.
Every summer, an average of 25 to 30 graduate students in the Latin American research programs conduct funded field research in Latin America. The Middle American Research Institute (MARI) is dedicated to research and publication in the social sciences about Mexico and Central America, which adds depth of understanding to our students enrolled in programs in Latin American studies.
The School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine operates research and teaching programs on campus and throughout the tropical world including the Health Office for Latin America in Lima, Peru. Tulane's Schools of Law and Business offer executive master's and doctoral programs in Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Chile for residents of those countries. Tulane offers several programs in Latin American studies and gives students extensive real-world, hands-on research experience.
Tulane's Latin American Studies Program
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian institution of approximately 12,000 students offering many programs, including several programs in Latin American studies. From its foundation in 1834, Tulane University has furthered a mission of leading study and research in Latin America and has several Latin American research programs for students to engage in.
The Middle American Research Institute was founded in 1924 and the Center for Latin American Studies in 1966. Today, the core faculty of more than 70 Latin Americanists represents the largest contingent of faculty members associated with any department or program at the university. Students and faculty members benefit from superior programs in Latin American studies, the holdings of the Latin American Library, and a network of contacts with public officials, nongovernmental organizations, and academic leaders in Latin America.
The Latin American studies school has received numerous accolades. It is currently one of eighteen Latin American studies programs designated on a competitive basis by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Resource Center on Latin America. In addition to the academic program at our Latin American studies school, which includes more than 450 courses plus independent studies, there are frequent lectures, conferences, symposia, and other events of scholarly interest on campus.
