Graduate Program

Graduate Advisors
Kathryn McKnight, Associate Director for Academic Programs (mcknight@unm.edu)

Application Deadlines

Fall semester:	February 1 (with departmental financial aid consideration)
	April 1 (without financial aid consideration)
Spring semester:	November 1 (without departmental financial aid consideration)

Degrees Offered

M.A. in Latin American Studies (MALAS)

Students concentrate in two areas chosen from the following: Anthropology (with an emphasis in either Archaeology, Ethnology, or Human Evolutionary Ecology), Art History, (with an emphasis in either Pre-Columbian, Colonial, or Modern), Brazilian Literature & Culture, Communication, Community & Regional Planning, Economics, Gender Studies, History, Human Rights, International Management, Political Science, Religion & Philosophy, Sociology, Southwest Studies, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. Students may also petition for approval of other thematic areas of concentration (such concentrations cannot be transcripted). The combination of concentrations must ensure that the program is interdisciplinary. For example, students selecting Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology as one concentration may not select Anthropology with an emphasis in Ethnology as the second concentration. Students also are required to have no more than one interdisciplinary concentration. For example, a student may not choose both Human Rights and Gender Studies.

Concentration/Emphases requirements.
Select from the following list of courses for each concentration/emphases. Substitutions for these courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Anthropology Concentration.
Emphases. Ethnology: ANTH 530, 532, 533, 535, 537, 539, 543, 546, 547, 584, 587. Archaeology: ANTH 522, 524, 529, 574, 579. Human Evolutionary Ecology: ANTH 561, 562, 565, 566, 567.

Art History Concentration.
Emphases. Pre-Columbian: ARTH *343, 500, 511, 512, 560. Colonial: ARTH 500, 549, 550, 580. Modern: ARTH 500, 529, 583, 585, 588, 589, 590, 593, 594.

Brazilian Literature and Culture Concentration.
PORT *461, 514, 515, 516, 517, 521, 557, 558, 570, SPAN 502.

Communication Concentration.
Select one from: CJ 506, 531, 566, Choosing remaining courses from: CJ 517, 518, 519, 555, 569, 604

Community and Regional Planning Concentration.
CRP 500, 513, 515, 527, 528, 531, 567, 570, 574, 576, 578, 587.

Economics Concentration.
ECON **315, *320, *321, *331, *335, *343, *410, *421, *423, *424, *427, *429, *442, 503, 520, 521, 542, 584.

Gender Studies Concentration.
CRP 528, HIST 628, 651, 652, 686, 687, 692, SOC 509, SPAN **439, SPAN 639.

History Concentration.
HIST 518, 560, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 643, 644, 645, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 692. Students generally take HIST 686 and/or HIST 687. The course(s) may be substituted upon approval from the Associate Director.

Human Rights Concentration.
ANTH 539, ECON *423, HIST 574, 575, 653, 687, LAW 505, 537, 541, 548, 592, 593, 626, 667, POLS 521.

International Management Concentration.
MGMT 511, 524, 574, 583, 594, 595, 597.

Political Science Concentration.
POLS 511, 512, 520, 521, 525, 540, 541.

Religion & Philosophy Concentration.
ANTH 533, HIST 656, PHIL 588, 589, PHIL 590, RELG *422, SOC 532.

Sociology Concentration.
SOC *461, *484, 503, 506, 508, 509, 510, 513, 520, 528, 584.

Southwest Studies Concentration.
AMST 558, 560, 563, 565, ANTH *421, 521, 535, 537, 576, ARTH 576, CRP 586, 569, ENGL 565, 574, HIST 563, 564, 643, 644, 645, 684, 685, LING 532, LLSS *446, 566, 583,
PH 579, POLS *308, RELG *483, SOC 520, 528, SPAN **479, 546, 547, 578, 579.

Spanish American Literature Concentration.
SPAN **430, **431, **432, **433, **435, *438, **439, 502, 504, 531, 532, 536, 631, 633, 639.

Spanish Linguistics Concentration.
SPAN **443, 540, 542, 543, 545, 546, 547, 548, 549. Students with limited background in Spanish Linguistics are encouraged to take SPAN 350 and 352.

Variations may occur from year to year in the availability of faculty members to support concentrations. Such changes in faculty availability are beyond the control of the Latin American Studies program. Thus, it may occasionally be impossible for students to obtain sufficient coursework and advisement in one or more concentrations described herein. Therefore students’ choices of concentrations require the prior approval of the Associate Director.

Ph.D. in Latin American Studies

The Latin American Studies Program is currently not admitting students to its Ph.D. program. The doctoral program is in moratorium.

Students select a concentration from Group A and concentration from Group B. Group A concentrations include: Anthropology, Art History, Brazilian Literature & Culture, History, Political Science, Sociology, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. Group B concentrations include: Anthropology, Art History, Brazilian Literature & Culture, Economics, History, International Management, Political Science, Sociology, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics.

Concentration requirements.
Select from the following list of courses for each concentration. Substitutions for these courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Anthropology: ANTH 522, 524, 529, 532, 533, 537, 539, 543, 546, 547, 561, 562, 565, 566, 567, 574, 584, 585, 587.

Art History: ARTH 500, 511, 512, 529, 549, 550, 560, 580, 583, 585, 588, 589, 590, 593, 594.

Brazilian Literature & Culture: PORT *461, 514, 515, 516, 517, 521, 557, 558, 570, SPAN 502.

Economics: ECON *410, *421, *423, *424, *427, *429, *442, 503, 520, 521, 542, 584.

History: HIST 518, 560, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 628, 643, 644, 645, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 665, 673, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 692.

International Management: MGMT 511, 524, 574, 583, 594, 595, 597.

Political Science: POLS 511, 512, 520, 521, 525, 540, 541, 580, 581, 582, 583, 681.

Sociology: SOC *420, *461, *484, 503, 506, 508, 509, 510, 513, 520, 528, 584.

Spanish American Literature: SPAN **430, **431, **432, **433, **435, **438, **439, 502, 504, 531, 532, 536, 601, 631, 633, 639.

Spanish Linguistics: SPAN **443, 540, 541, 542, 543, 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550.

M.A. in Latin American Studies

Applications: In addition to the materials required by the University of New Mexico Office of Admissions, the following items must be submitted directly to the Latin American Studies Program: three letters of recommendation, a letter of intent, an academic writing sample, unofficial copies of transcripts, and GRE scores.

Prerequisite: The Bachelor’s degree is required. Background work in the social sciences and humanities related to Latin America is preferred. At least two years of undergraduate course work (or equivalent language training) in either Spanish or Portuguese is required prior to admission. Applicants with otherwise strong qualifications but with limited Spanish competence may be admitted on the condition that they complete Spanish 352, Advanced Grammar, within their first year of graduate study.

Degree Requirements

Plan I (thesis option); 36 credit hours. Students must select two areas of concentration within the MALAS program. Students have the option of completing 9 credit hours in one concentration and 15 credit hours in the other concentration or completing 12 credit hours in each concentration. The remaining 12 credit hours are divided between 6 hours of program electives and 6 hours of thesis credits.

Students under the Plan I option must complete a minimum of 12 credits in graduate seminars numbered 500 or above (excluding 551 or 552 Problems courses) and 6 hours of thesis credits numbered 599. Students should consult with the Associate Director to determine which courses are considered seminars. Students are required to present an oral defense of the thesis before a thesis committee composed of at least two faculty members in one concentration and one faculty member from the second concentration.Students also are required to sit for the comprehensive examination in the second concentration, administered by three faculty members from that concentration.

Plan II (non-thesis option); 36 credit hours. Students must select two areas of concentration within the MALAS program. Students have the option of completing 9 credit hours in one concentration and 15 credit hours in the other concentration or completing 12 credit hours in each concentration. The remaining 12 credit hours are comprised of electives. Students are required to sit for the comprehensive examinations in both concentrations. The examinations are administered by a Committee on Studies composed of two faculty members from each concentration.

Under the Plan II option, students must complete a minimum of 12 credits in graduate seminars numbered 500 or above (excluding 551 or 552 Problems courses). Students should consult with the Associate Director to determine which courses are considered seminars.

To maintain and improve language proficiency during graduate studies, students under both Plan I and II who are not concentrating in Brazilian Literature & Culture, Spanish American Literature, or Spanish Linguistics will be required to take at least one appropriate language course. Students may choose from Spanish 307 or above; Portuguese 277 or above; or a course in one of Latin America’s indigenous languages. If the course is available for graduate credit, it can count as one of the student’s elective courses.

Dual degrees: The Interdisciplinary Committee on Latin American Studies coordinates the five dual degree programs noted below. The student applying to any dual degree program is required to meet entrance and other requirements of both programs.

Students wishing to add one of these dual degree options after their initial enrollment must apply to that program within three semesters. Acceptance into the second program will establish dual degree status for the student.

MALAS/MBA: Offered jointly with the Robert O. Anderson School of Management (ASM), this program is designed to train management professionals with special expertise in Latin America. The dual degree reduces requirements to complete the two degrees by approximately 12 hours, to a minimum of 57 hours and a maximum of 72 hours past the Bachelor’s, depending on the number of waivers granted by ASM for core requirements. Competency in Spanish or Portuguese is required for admission to the dual degree. Applicants must meet entrance requirements for both programs; applications should be submitted simultaneously to both programs.

In order to meet the MBA requirements, a student must complete 48 credit hours of study, unless the student is eligible to waive some of the courses. If waivers are granted, a total of 33 credit hours must be completed. MBA core requirements include MGT 501, 502, 504, 506, 508, 511, 520, 522, 526, 598. Students must complete 30 hours of core courses or be waived from these courses (with the exception of MGT 598). Students must also complete 18 hours of elective management courses.

For the Latin American Studies component, students are required to complete 24 credit hours, including a minimum of 9 hours in each of two concentrations chosen from the following: Anthropology (with an emphasis in either Archaeology, Ethnology, or Human Evolutionary Ecology), Art History, (with an emphasis in either Pre-Columbian, Colonial, or Modern), Brazilian Literature & Culture, Communication, Community & Regional Planning, Economics, Gender Studies, History, Human Rights, International Management, Political Science, Religion & Philosophy, Sociology, Southwest Studies, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. The combination of areas must ensure that the program is interdisciplinary. For example, students selecting Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology as one concentration may not select Anthropology with an emphasis in Ethnology as the second concentration. Students also are required to have no more than one interdisciplinary concentration. For example, a student may not choose both Human Rights and Gender Studies. The remaining 6 hours may be used for thesis (under Plan I) or electives (under Plan II).

Under Plan I, students are required to present an oral defense of the thesis before a thesis committee composed of at least two faculty members in one area of concentration and one faculty member from the second concentration. Students also are required to sit for the comprehensive examination in the second concentration, administered by three faculty members from that concentration. Under Plan II, students are required to sit for the comprehensive examinations in both areas of concentration. The examinations are administered by a Committee on Studies composed of two faculty members from each concentration.

Under both Plans I and II, students must complete a minimum of 6 credits in graduate seminars numbered 500 or above (excluding 551 or 552 Problems courses). Students should consult with the Associate Director to determine which courses are considered seminars.

There are two fellowships that are available specifically for MALAS/MBA dual degree students: Bank of America MALAS/MBA Fellowship and Wells Fargo MALAS/MBA Fellowship. Both fellowships provide $2000 for one year and can be renewed.

MALAS/MCRP: The joint master’s program in Latin American Studies and Community & Regional Planning is designed for students who are interested in the professional practice of planning in a Latin American context.

The Community & Regional Planning Program at the University of New Mexico is dedicated to planning and advocating for sustainable communities and ecosystems throughout the Southwest region and Latin America. MALAS/MCRP graduates possess the knowledge and skills necessary to support planning by diverse human communities throughout the Western Hemisphere. MALAS/MCRP students learn to assist Latin American communities to create community-based plans and programs that sustain and enhance their culture, resource base, built environment and economic vitality. The program promotes participatory processes that respond to community identities and development needs.

Prerequisites to the program are competence in either Spanish or Portuguese (at least two years of undergraduate course work or equivalent language training) and basic course work in economics (micro and/or macro) and statistics. Deficit courses in economics and statistics may be made up after admission to the program.

The program requires a minimum of 54 hours of graduate credit (compared to 72 hours if the two degrees were pursued separately). The required graduate credit hours include: 1) CRP 578, a 3 credit hour bridge seminar; 2) 27 credit hours of thesis and course work in Community & Regional Planning; and 3) 24 credit hours of course work in Latin American Studies. For the 27 credit hours in Community & Regional Planning, students must complete CRP 500, 510, 511, 521, 545 (or 580), 588, and 599. For the 24 credit hours in Latin American Studies, students must complete a minimum of 9 hours in each of two concentrations chosen from the following: Anthropology (with an emphasis in either Archaeology, Ethnology, or Human Evolutionary Ecology), Art History, (with an emphasis in either Pre-Columbian, Colonial, or Modern), Brazilian Literature & Culture, Communication, Community & Regional Planning, Economics, Gender Studies, History, Human Rights, International Management, Political Science, Religion & Philosophy, Sociology, Southwest Studies, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. The combination of areas must ensure that the program is interdisciplinary. For example, students selecting Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology as one concentration may not select Anthropology with an emphasis in Ethnology as the second concentration. Students also are required to have no more than one interdisciplinary concentration. For example, a student may not choose both Human Rights and Gender Studies. Each candidate is required to prepare a thesis (Plan I). The Master’s examination will consist of an oral examination at the final presentation of the thesis; this examination will include coverage of the student’s two concentrations in Latin American Studies. The student’s Committee on Studies, comprised of at least two faculty members in one concentration and one faculty member from the second concentration, preside over the examination. The Chair of the Committee on Studies must be a faculty member from Community & Regional Planning.

Students must complete a minimum of 6 credits in graduate seminars numbered 500 or above (excluding 551 or 552 Problems courses). Students should consult with the Associate Director to determine which courses are considered seminars.

MALAS/JD: This dual degree program is intended to prepare legal professionals for work in Latin America or with Hispanic peoples in the United States by combining legal training with Latin American language and area studies. The program enables students to develop professional skills directly applicable to Latin American nations and populations. Prerequisites to the program are competence in either Spanish or Portuguese (at least two years of undergraduate course work or equivalent language training). The program requires 80 credit hours of Law course work that must include 9 credit hours of international law, 24 credit hours of Latin American Studies course work, and a 3 credit hour bridge course containing subject matter linking Law and Latin American Studies.

The first-year Law curriculum consists of required courses that emphasize methods of legal reasoning, policy analysis, and the analysis of legal institutions. During their second and third years, students can choose from approximately 100 elective courses in developing individualized programs suited to their career goals.

The Latin American Studies component requires that students complete a minimum of 9 hours in each of two concentrations chosen from the following: Anthropology (with an emphasis in either Archaeology, Ethnology, or Human Evolutionary Ecology), Art History, (with an emphasis in either Pre-Columbian, Colonial, or Modern), Brazilian Literature & Culture, Communication, Community & Regional Planning, Economics, Gender Studies, History, Human Rights, International Management, Political Science, Religion & Philosophy, Sociology, Southwest Studies, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. The combination of areas must ensure that the program is interdisciplinary. For example, students selecting Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology as one concentration may not select Anthropology with an emphasis in Ethnology as the second concentration. Students also are required to have no more than one interdisciplinary concentration. For example, a student may not choose both Human Rights and Gender Studies. The remaining 6 credit hours may be used for electives. Students must complete a minimum of 6 credits in graduate seminars numbered 500 or above (excluding 551 or 552 Problems courses). Students should consult with the Associate Director to determine which courses are considered seminars.

To meet the exit requirements for the Latin American Studies component, students must 1) sit for the comprehensive examinations in both concentrations. The examinations are administered by a Committee on Studies composed of two faculty members from each concentration; or 2) sit for a comprehensive examination in one concentration and complete an article length professional paper (jointly supervised by one member of the Law faculty and one non-Law Latin American-specialized faculty member) in the student’s other area of concentration.

MALAS/MA in LLSS: The Latin American Studies Program and the College of Education offer a dual degree program leading to master’s degrees in Latin American Studies and Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies. This program is intended to allow education professionals to enhance their secondary school teaching with Latin American topics in the humanities and social sciences. The program combines advanced professional development in education with advanced interdisciplinary study of Latin America and is designed to help students integrate the two fields through coordinated advisement and bridge courses.

The program requires 51 credit hours of course work for students who hold teaching certificates. It includes three components: 1) 21 credit hours of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies courses with a concentration in social studies; 2) 21 credit hours of Latin American Studies course work with at least 9 hours in each of two areas of concentration chosen from the following: Anthropology (with an emphasis in either Archaeology, Ethnology, or Human Evolutionary Ecology), Art History, (with an emphasis in either Pre-Columbian, Colonial, or Modern), Brazilian Literature & Culture, Communication, Community & Regional Planning, Economics, Gender Studies, History, Human Rights, International Management, Political Science, Religion & Philosophy, Sociology, Southwest Studies, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. The combination of areas must ensure that the program is interdisciplinary. For example, students selecting Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology as one concentration may not select Anthropology with an emphasis in Ethnology as the second concentration. Students also are required to have no more than one interdisciplinary concentration. For example, a student may not choose both Human Rights and Gender Studies. The remaining 3 credit hours may be used for electives; and 3) 9 credit hours of bridge courses.

All students follow Plan II (non-thesis) and are required to sit for the comprehensive examinations in both concentrations. The examinations are administered by a Committee on Studies composed of two faculty members from each concentration. Students also must meet exit requirements for the LLSS degree.

Ph.D. in Latin American Studies

The Latin American Studies Program is currently not admitting students to its Ph.D. program. The doctoral program is in moratorium.

The Ph.D. in Latin American Studies is designed to meet the needs of a small number of students whose career goals would be best advanced by an inter-disciplinary doctorate. Such students would include individuals who seek employment in small colleges where the ability to teach across disciplines would be an advantage and those who seek non-academic positions in fields such as museum work, international cultural exchange, diplomacy or other roles in which having skills in two disciplines, combined with Latin American area expertise, would be more useful than somewhat more extensive training within one discipline. Students primarily interested in academic employment in research institutions will generally be better served by earning a doctorate within a single discipline.

Prerequisite: A master’s degree in the concentration from Group A or in Latin American Studies with appropriate areas of concentration is required. Specific entrance requirements may vary depending on the student’s intended concentration. Each application for admission is screened by the department of the projected concentration from Group A before being approved by the Associate Director.

Degree Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 54 hours of graduate credit work (not including dissertation) beyond the Bachelor’s degree. This work must include a concentration from Group A consisting of at least 30 credit hours and another concentration from Group B of at least 15 credit hours. The remaining 9 credit hours may be elective credits or additional course credits in either of the concentrations. Of the 54 total credit hours required for the Ph.D., a minimum of 24 credit hours must be taken after admission to the doctoral program. (Any course work taken at the master’s level and applied towards the Ph.D. must be approved by both the Associate Director and the student’s Committee on Studies.) Course work at UNM must include 15 hours in the concentration from Group A and 9 hours in the concentration from Group B. Group A concentrations include: Anthropology, Art History, Brazilian Literature & Culture, History, Political Science, Sociology, Spanish American Literature, and Spanish Linguistics. Group B concentrations include all of the above as well as Economics and International Management. See concentration requirements listed under Ph.D. in Latin American Studies.

A Committee on Studies must be formed before the conclusion of the semester preceding the semester in which the student plans to take comprehensive examinations and a program of studies must be developed and approved by the Associate Director by the end of the second semester. The Committee on Studies will be composed of three members from the student’s Group A concentration and two members from the Group B concentration. Under no circumstances will the comprehensive examinations be administered by less than the approved five-member committee.

Comprehensive examinations will be given at the completion of all course work in both concentrations. The comprehensive examinations will be coordinated and administered by the Associate Director in conjunction with the student’s Committee on Studies (COS). There will be a six to eight hour written examination in at least two areas of study within the Group A concentration and a four to six hour written examination in at least two areas of study within the Group B concentration. The written examination in the Group A concentration will be followed by an oral examination in no more than two weeks. All examinations will be taken during the same semester.

A separate dissertation committee oversees the doctoral dissertation project. Members of this committee frequently also served on the student’s COS. This does not, however, have to be the case. The dissertation committee consists of at least two Latin American Studies faculty members from the Group A concentration (one of whom serves as the chair), one Latin American Studies faculty member from the Group B concentration, and a fourth member from “at large” that is approved by the Associate Director. If the student and committee chair agree, another Latin American Studies faculty member may serve as co-chair. The co-chair would need to be from either the Group A or Group B concentration.

Competence is required in two languages chosen from Spanish, Portuguese, French, Haitian Creole, or Latin American indigenous languages. (Basic competence is considered the equivalent of the successful completion of advanced level course work in the primary language and two semesters or more of study in the second language.)

General requirements for the Ph.D. are set forth in earlier pages of this catalog. Students must write and successfully defend a dissertation.

Latin American Studies (LTAM)

Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary program. In addition to the courses listed below, Latin American content courses can be found under the following departmental headings: Anderson Schools of Management (International Management), Anthropology, Art History, Community and Regional Planning, Economics, History, Law, Philosophy, Political Science, Portuguese, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Spanish.

Keys and Symbols Reference