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Caribbean and Latin American Studies MA

London, Bloomsbury

This MA offers students the opportunity to develop an understanding of the diverse societies of both the South American continent and the Caribbean from a multidisciplinary and comparative perspective. The programme's graduates have established careers in research, journalism, teaching and policy formulation and implementation in both government agencies and NGOs.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2023/24)
£14,100
£7,050
Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)
£29,000
£14,500
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2023
Applications accepted
All applicants: 17 Oct 2022 – 31 May 2023

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

Entry requirements

Normally an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. A basic competence in Spanish, French or Portuguese is useful but not essential.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Students will gain a broad empirical knowledge of the diverse societies of Latin America and the Caribbean from the perspective of at least two disciplines, together with an awareness of the general patterns of differences and commonalities in the histories, politics, economies and cultures of the different linguistic territories of the region.

Who this course is for

This programme is suitable for students who wish to develop their understanding of Caribbean and Latin American Studies for further research or a career in this field.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The Institute of the Americas occupies a unique position at the core of academic study of the region in the UK, promoting research and postgraduate teaching on the Americas, including Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.

The institute actively maintains and builds ties with cultural, diplomatic, third sector and business organisations with interests in the Americas, and provides resources to the wider academic community, serving and strengthening national networks of North Americanist, Latin Americanist and Caribbeanist scholars.

Students benefit from tuition by world-leading scholars in an academic environment at the cutting-edge of research in the humanities and social sciences.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Students will have excellent opportunities to expand professional networks enhancing their future employability. Through institute staff members' extensive contacts in the region, and through participating in the institute's extremely active events programme, students will meet potential colleagues in government and the diplomatic service, development agencies and the international NGO community, business and finance, and print and electronic media. On the basis of such contacts, recent graduates have found employment in government (Foreign & Commonwealth Office), NGOs (Amnesty International, Caritas) and political risk-analysis firms, while others have undertaken PhD research.

Employability

Graduates of this programme will be well placed to use their skills and knowledge to find employment in government, business, journalism, finance and international NGOs, teaching, or for further research in this field.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, lectures, presentations, independent reading and research.

Assessment is through varied assignments including essays, oral presentations and the dissertation.

Modules

In term one, you will undertake a compulsory module that covers Caribbean history and politics from the Haitian Revolution to the Cuban Revolution. This will provide a solid grounding in key themes and scholarly debates in the study of the Caribbean. You will also begin a research-skills module which provides guidance for undertaking the research dissertation in term three. You will be exposed to concepts of research design and research methods, thus gaining the necessary knowledge to develop your research dissertation. In terms one and two you will select four modules of further substantive-subject options from a broader range of modules covering Latin America and the Caribbean (and, depending on your preferred focus of study, North America) from different disciplines including history, politics, anthropology, sociology, political economy, and development. During term two, you will also prepare your research project proposal, giving continuity to activities in your research skills module.

In term three, you will fully develop your research dissertation in consultation with a specifically designated dissertation supervisor. Many of our Master's students undertake fieldwork in order to carry out research for their dissertation projects. The dissertation for this programme will focus on the Caribbean and/or the Caribbean diaspora, or a topic focused on comparisons or interconnections between the Caribbean and Latin America.

Part-time students will split the taught modules between year 1 and year 2. The compulsory module on the Caribbean from the Haitian Revolution to the Cuban Revolution will be taken in year 1, the research skills module is usually taken in year 2, the dissertation is taken in year 2.

Compulsory modules





Optional modules

Democratization in Latin America

Globalisation and Latin American Development






Gender, Politics, and Public Policy in Latin America

Latin American Perspectives on Development

Introduction to Carribean Intellectual History: 'None but ourselves can free our mnds'


Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Fieldwork

Many of our Master's students undertake fieldwork in order to carry out research for their dissertation projects.
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Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2023/24) £14,100 £7,050
Tuition fees (2023/24) £29,000 £14,500

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

There may be travel costs associated with fieldwork. The institute has limited funds available to students to help towards the costs of fieldwork. These funds are awarded on a competitive basis on the criteria of academic performance to date, the quality of the research proposal and the importance of fieldwork for completing the research.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

Funding opportunities at the Institute of the Americas can be found here.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Aziz Foundation Scholarships in Social and Historical Sciences

Value: Full tuition fees (1yr)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Caribbean and Latin American Studies at graduate level
  • why you want to study Caribbean and Latin American Studies at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to elaborate on your reasons for applying to this programme and how your interests match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that some funding schemes have an earlier application deadline; please view the funding section for further details.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Got questions? Get in touch

Institute of the Americas
Institute of the Americas

ia-programmes@ucl.ac.uk

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