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Degree Requirements

To complete the Master of Arts Degree in Regional Studies—Latin America and the Caribbean, students take 30 points of graduate course credit, which includes an M.A. thesis.  Students must complete two Residence Units and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 (B). 

To complete the degree in two semesters, students in the MARSLAC program take five courses, or 15 credits, (including the required Core Courses) in the Fall and in the Spring semesters. However, students can choose to take a third semester, or to complete the program on a part-time basis in four to six semesters.

Upon entering the program, students select a Concentration, or focus of study, which could be a particular country or group of countries, discipline(s), topic or problem. During the first semester of the M.A. program, students obtain solid foundations in the most relevant scholarship on key issues of contemporary Latin America (democratization, rule of law, urban development, environmental change, trade and immigration, gender relations, cultural expression of diversity, among others). In the second semester, they hone research methodologies and the critical use of scholarship in order to develop their own projects and complete the M.A. thesis.

Requirements

  1. The two-semester core course sequence,  REGN 6XXX and REGN 6XXX-- Scholarly Literature and Research on Latin American and Caribbean Studies I and II:
    The first semester core course gives students a critical understanding of the major theoretical approaches, principal research methods, and current trends in Latin American and Caribbean studies. Class meetings are organized around discussion of key texts or approaches, structured through the historical evolution of recent interpretive and research models. Latin Americanist and Caribbeanist faculty at Columbia University participate as guest lecturers to introduce students to their research.  During the first semester, students develop a proposal for a M.A. thesis in consultation with the course's instructor and another faculty member from the specific field of the student's interest who serves as co-advisor. The second semester core course is a seminar in which students conduct research on sources and methods necessary to write the M.A. thesis. The two-semester core course sequence culminates with the presentation of the completed M.A. thesis (see below).
  2. Designated regional courses:
    Students must take at least two Latin American and Caribbean courses from at least two disciplines, drawn from a list of designated courses in anthropology, economics, education, history, business, several Arts and Sciences departments as well as the Schools of Business, International Affairs and Law and Teachers College.  Students consult with their advisors to select a combination of courses that together cover multiple countries, regions and time periods. In other words, the depth of training is balanced with a breadth of courses in different topics.
  3. Elective courses:
    Up to two elective courses that do not pertain specifically to Latin America and the Caribbean may be taken with the prior approval of the student’s advisor. Any graduate-level course in any department or school of the University may qualify as an elective. In such a course, the student must produce a research paper of direct relevance to Latin America and the Caribbean which must be approved by the student’s advisor. With the approval of the program’s advisor, 3000 and 4000 level undergraduate courses may be counted if they produce a graduate-level research paper or literature review at the end of the course.
  4. Languages:
    Students must demonstrate intermediate-advanced proficiency (in accordance with ACTFL standards) in either Spanish or Portuguese (through a language proficiency test administered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese or by completing a 4000-level Spanish or Portuguese class with a grade of B or above). Students must also demonstrate reading knowledge of another language of the region, through satisfactory performance in translating an academic text (for Spanish, Portuguese, French) or through coursework in these languages or an Amerindian language (e.g. Nahuatl, Quechua). Based on their level of language proficiency and their research interests, students will consult with their advisor to choose their primary and secondary languages and to determine the coursework necessary to achieve the required levels. Only 4000-level language courses, but no more than two, count as electives toward the 30-point requirement.
  5. Thesis:
    Written in conjunction with the Core Courses and under the supervision of the student’s advisor, the M.A. thesis will deal with a modern or contemporary topic that focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean.  The M.A. thesis is meant to demonstrate the student’s ability to apply formal training in Latin American and Caribbean studies toward a specific and original research problem.

Students, we have prepared an important Requirements Checklist. Please download it here.