B.A. Programs and Minor
The Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Department’s undergraduate program integrates the study of Chicanx and Latinx communities in the United States by analyzing the histories, politics, cultures, and societies of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Latin American and Latino Studies B.A.
Our curriculum addresses the changing political, social, economic, and cultural realities of this hemisphere, including: migration and transnational communities, social movements and cultural expression, the political and economic restructuring in Latin America, challenges of political and economic inequities and empowerment for Latinx communities in the United States, and gender, racial, sexual, and ethnic relations and identities.
Learning outcomes
Critical Thinking
Ability to analyze from a transnational/transborder/translocal perspective to see the interconnections between Latin American and Latino issues, people, ideas, problems, and solutions. This includes key skills, such as understanding sources, comparing arguments, analysis, and historical perspective.
Research Methods
Working knowledge of social scientific and/or humanistic approaches to LALS-relevant topics. This includes acquiring qualitative and quantitative skills, gathering or obtaining research data, finding/using primary sources, and other research methods.
Communication
Key communication skills, including written, oral presentation, and digital, including an understanding of media sources and ability to apply media literacy to cross-cultural analysis.
Lifelong Learning Skills
Acquisition of practical hands-on skills in community engagement, cross-cultural fluency, familiarity with Latin America, and familiarity with Latino experience acquired through experiential learning while working with community and civic organizations.
Combined degree programs
LALS/Education, Democracy, and Justice B.A.
The combined LALS and education, democracy, and justice major highlights the relationships between educational justice, Latinx studies, democratic politics, race, and social change.
LALS and Education Department 4+1 Contiguous Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway
Undergraduates in the LALS major can apply to be admitted to the 4+1 contiguous pathway, which allows students who are interested in teaching to earn a master’s degree in education in just one additional year.
LALS/Politics B.A.
A combined degree in Latin American and Latino studies and politics builds skills for collaborating across cultural differences to understand and interpret complex current and past political movements and the social, economic, and cultural aspects that inform them.
LALS/Sociology B.A.
The combined sociology and Latin American and Latino studies major teaches students how to work with and learn from people from a wide variety of cultures to understand current and past societies and social movements and how they’re influenced by politics, economics, and culture.
Latin American and Latino Studies minor
A minor in Latin American and Latino Studies provides an introduction to interdisciplinary theory and practice in the study of Latinx and Latin American communities. Students complete two lower-division courses and five upper-division courses and may use up to two pre-approved elective courses from outside of LALS toward the minor.
What can you do with a degree in Latino American and Latino Studies?
A major in Latin American and Latino Studies prepares students to excel in many different professions, especially those that involve working with Latinx populations or transnationally on issues across the Americas. Our graduates have gone on to careers in education and education administration, counseling and social work, community organizing, government service, journalism and the media, environmental science, global economics, global and community health, legal services, library science, music, publishing, teaching, research, and more.
Graduates from our department have also gone on to pursue advanced degrees in the United States and abroad, building upon the perspective they gained in our program to contribute to fields like anthropology, American and ethnic studies, bilingual education, communications, cultural studies, ecology, economics, geography, history, law, literature, media, medical school migration studies, public health, social work, sociology, and urban planning.
Meet our students and alumni
Montserrat Lopez: Art, outreach, activism
Lopez, a double major in Latin American and Latino studies and Spanish studies, enriched her time on campus by serving as a LALS peer advisor, leading the department’s community events, and participating in undergraduate research through the Human Rights Investigation Lab. After graduating, she wants to continue working toward social justice through teaching and research.
Hector Arroyo De La Paz: Family inspires student’s academic journey
Hector Arroyo De La Paz is a first-generation college graduate who credits his parents with teaching him the importance of hard work and encouraging him to prioritize his education. Arroyo De La Paz went on to earn two master’s degrees from Harvard University and now works in the Office of Minority Education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Undergraduates in UC Santa Cruz’s Human Rights Investigations Lab fight for migrant rights
LALS undergraduate students Mireya Curiel, Lorena Hernandez Rivera, and Nik Altenberg shared their experiences conducting research on the impacts of U.S. border policy through the Human Rights Investigations Lab, led by LALS Professor Sylvanna Falcón.
Admissions requirements
First-year students
No specific courses are required for UC admission in Latino American and Latino studies. The major offers enough flexibility to consider adding a minor, a second major, or other enrichment activities to enhance the undergraduate experience. LALS is also a three-year pathway option for students who wish to graduate early.
View all requirements for getting started in the major via the catalog.
Transfer students
This is a non-screening major. LALS is a flexible major that allows transfer students to take advantage of study abroad, research, and field study opportunities and balance other commitments like jobs and family responsibilities. Connecting with undergraduate advising and other support resources early on will increase the options available to transfer students who plan to graduate within two years.
View all transfer requirements via the catalog.