Academics
Take the next step in your educational journey by earning your degree from the Latin American and Latino Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz.
Why study Latin American and Latino Studies at UC Santa Cruz?
Our undergraduate and graduate programs contextualize contemporary social, political, economic, and environmental issues across the Americas and teach valuable skills for critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, research, and community service. Our alumni have gone on to pursue high-impact roles in law, government, non-profit or corporate leadership, academia, and more. Many LALS alumni say their education was a transformative experience filled with treasured memories that set them on their path to fulfilling careers.
Our department is deeply invested in helping first-generation college students navigate the academic experience. In fact, 30% of our faculty members were themselves the first generation in their families to graduate from college. We also prioritize offering a learning community with a fun, intimate, supportive setting and unparalleled opportunities for meaningful connections among undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.
Through our close connection with the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas and other affiliated research units, our graduate and undergraduate students have opportunities to conduct research that creates real-world impact. The flexible design of our undergraduate program helps students explore a wide range of interests and enables opportunities like studying abroad, community-engaged research, double majors, major-minors, and two-year degree completion for transfer students.
Discover our degree options and learning opportunities:
Student experiences
Lorena Hernandez-Rivera: First-generation graduate helping students on campus
Hernandez-Rivera, an LALS and Sociology combined major, integrated her fields of study while finding her passion in student services. First working on campus for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and later securing a role with El Centro, she has led projects and events on campus for students just like her.
Sharon Valle Rodriguez: Double major at the intersection of “crimmigration”
Latin American and Latino Studies and legal studies double major Sharon Valle Rodriguez is studying the convergence of criminal law and immigration law. After she graduates, she plans to work as a paralegal or legal clerk to gain experience in the field, and one day attend law school to become a public defender.
Mauricio Ramírez: Artist and muralist studies pan-Latino solidarity in public art
As a Ph.D. student, Mauricio Ramírez studied murals throughout the Mission District in San Francisco, how they connect to the Chicano rights movement, and the stories they tell about issues like gentrification and state-sanctioned violence. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Chicana/o Studies at UC Davis.
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