Undergraduate Special Programs

Please view our Four-Year Plan to help define your study plan. The plan should be used in combination with the general education requirements from your college. Please be aware that some courses are only offered once each year. 

Students are encouraged to complete the lower-division prerequisites before they enroll in upper-division courses. 

The Latin American Studies Program offers an Honors Program to those students who have demonstrated excellence in the Latin American Studies Major.  

Successful completion of the Honors Program enables the student to graduate "With Highest Distinction," "With High Distinction," or “With Distinction," depending upon their performance in the program. 

To receive honors, a student must: 

• Satisfy all lower-division requirements of the major program. 

• Complete 36 of the upper-division units. 
• Complete 12 units in a three-course sequence in the senior year consisting of LATI 199: Individual Study, LATI 190: Senior Seminar, and LATI 191: Honors Seminar. 
• Produce an original thesis based on primary research under the direction of a mentor selected from the Latin Americanist faculty and defend this thesis during the Spring Quarter before an interdisciplinary faculty committee. 
• Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major. 

Click here for more information on the Honors Program and Application. 

Independent Study courses give students the opportunity to explore in more detail what they have learned in the classroom. Students engage in field research in a topic of their choice, under the guidance of a faculty member. Student who wants to work individually with a professor enroll in LATI 199, Independent Study. Students wanting to work as a team on the same project take LATI 198, Group Independent Study. 

Students should meet with a professor who has either performed research in an area they would like to pursue, or a professor whose course they have previously taken and enjoyed. The student and professor will decide together on a project proposal, including the objective, the method by which it will be carried out, and the type of finished product (paper, artifact, etc.) that will be submitted. The instructor must provide a reading list. Once both student and faculty sponsor have completed and signed the special studies form, it should be given to the undergraduate coordinator, who will obtain the necessary approvals in the department. When this is completed the form will be ready to take to the Registrar's Office for official enrollment in either LATI 198 or LATI 199. Plan early, allowing time for the proposal to be developed, signatures to be obtained, etc. Applications must be submitted by the end of week 1 or they will not be accepted. 

Special study courses are highly recommended by the program. A special studies course may be used to satisfy an upper-division elective. Remember, special studies courses are taken P/NP, so only one may be used towards the major. 

To enroll, a special studies application must be submitted to the Registrar's Office before the end of the add/drop period.  

Fill out the special studies application Special Studies 199 Form

In partnership with the Academic Internship Program (AIP), the Latin American Studies program offers opportunities for practical learning through internships in community settings, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and businesses with activities related to Latin America, immigration, or Latino/a groups in the U.S. 

To participate in the program, students enroll in the upper division course AIP 197. Internships require an availability to intern approximately 10 hours per week for an entire quarter. Interns work closely with faculty who supervise the research paper/project. AIP 197 can be counted as one of the elective courses required by the Latin American Studies major or minor. For detailed information, interested students should seek advice from the Latin American Studies Student Affairs Coordinator. They can also visit the website of the Academic Internship Program at http://aip.ucsd.edu.