Why Get an MA in Latin American Studies?

In today’s increasingly globalized world, Latin America is a region of key concern to business leaders, health-care professionals, policy makers, and academics, and an MA in Latin American Studies will help you stand out no matter what your future plans are!  As an interdisciplinary field, our students not only gain a deep understanding of Latin America as a region, but they develop the tool kit necessary to be successful in a variety of exciting and dynamic fields.

Why get your MA in Latin American Studies with CLACS at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the premier centers for the study of Latin America in the world.  With over 140 affiliated faculty members in 40 departments throughout campus, students have an almost limitless range of possibilities to design a highly individualized degree program to meet their specific needs and interests.  Furthermore, CLACS has affiliations with more than 60 institutions throughout Latin America, giving our MA students unprecedented ability to engage in field research throughout the region.  In addition, our MA students are eligible to apply for FLAS funding to cover the cost of tuition and living expenses while enrolled in the program.  The Urbana-Champaign area also has the vibrant night-life of a bourgeoning city but with a low cost of living which makes UIUC an excellent place to get your MA degree.

What do Latin American Studies MAs do After Graduation?

Our MA students go on to compete very successfully in the academic and job markets.  The majority of our graduates continue onto PhD programs at top tier schools such as the University of Chicago, MIT, Brown, and Rutgers among others.  Another 18% of our graduates go into jobs in higher education while 14% find jobs in the private sector, with the law and healthcare industries being our two biggest employers.  The rest of our alumni are evenly split between K-12 education, government work, and non-profits.

Application priority dates: December 1st, 2023. Rolling applications after.

For further questions, please contact CLACS Associate Director, Kasia Szremski (szremski@illinois.edu)