Ph.D. students pursuing a Minor or Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies have the freedom to customize a plan of study, in collaboration with the CLACS Director, and by utilizing the broad knowledge of CLACS affiliated faculty through diverse courses on the region.
Ph.D. Minor and Certificate
Requirements
Course Requirements
A total of 12 credit hours including:
- The interdisciplinary seminar LTAM-L501, Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Graduate Studies.
- 9 credit hours related to Latin America or the Caribbean from the CLACS Course List. Alternatively, students can fill out the Course Approval Form to request approval to count other courses not on the list towards their CLACS minor.
No courses from the student’s Ph.D. degree can double count for the minor. Courses below the 500 level may not be applied to the Ph.D. minor.
Grades
If a grade point average of at least 3.7 is maintained, no examination will be required. Otherwise, the director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies may stipulate that the student take a written examination.
Course Requirements
A total of 18 credit hours of coursework related to Latin American and Caribbean studies, including:
•The interdisciplinary seminar LTAM-L 501, Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Graduate Studies.
•15 credit hours (at the 500 level or above) related to Latin America or the Caribbean from the CLACS Graduate Course List. Alternatively, students can fill out the Course Approval Form to request approval to count other courses not on the list towards their CLACS certificate. Six of these credits can be within the student's home department, as long as they contain Latin American and/or Caribbean content and have been approved by the CLACS Director.
Grades
A minimum grade of B (3.0) is required in each course that is to count toward certificate requirements.
Foreign Language Requirement
Reading proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Maya, or Quechua must be demonstrated through one of the following methods:
Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese may be demonstrated following the requirements of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
PhD certificate students who wish to meet their language requirement with Haitian Creole, Maya, or Quechua have two options to demonstrate proficiency.
1. They may take two language courses during the first year, Elementary I and II. Students should receive a B or better in both courses.
2. They may pass a reading examination prepared by CLACS. The examination includes two texts of approximately 400 words each, one drawn from primary sources and the other drawn from secondary sources. A student will be expected to translate the first text and answer critical questions about the second.
Dissertation Topic
A dissertation on a Latin American or Caribbean topic is required.