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Latin American Studies MA

This multidisciplinary Master's programme provides a comprehensive overview of social sciences and humanities in Latin America. The programme's graduates have established careers in research, journalism, teaching, and policy formulation and implementation in both government agencies and NGOs.

Covid-19 programme updates

Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.

Key information

Programme starts

September 2020

Modes and duration

Full time: 1 year
Part time: 2 years

Application dates

All applicants
Open: 1 November 2019
Close: 11 August 2020
Notification
Due to the large number of applications received, this programme is no longer accepting applications for 2020/21 entry. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Applications for 2021/22 entry will open later in the year.

Tuition fees (2020/21)

UK/EU:
£11,170 (FT)
£5,660 (PT)
Overseas:
£23,340 (FT)
£11,830 (PT)


Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website.

Location: London, Bloomsbury

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 reading competence in Spanish or Portuguese is desirable. Students without such skills may be considered but are advised to undertake a separate language course prior to or during the programme.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

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

International students

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.

Select your country:

About this degree

Depending on their chosen areas of specialisation, students will develop analytical and critical perspectives on multidisciplinary aspects of Latin American history, politics and international relations, anthropology, geography and environmental issues, and economics, as well as cultural studies. They will gain key research skills, together with in-depth knowledge of current debates in the field of Latin American Studies.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (15 credits), five optional modules (75 credits), and the research dissertation (90 credits).

Please note: All optional modules are subject to availability.

Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MA in Latin American Studies.

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 is subject to change.

Compulsory module

  • Researching the Americas

Optional modules

Students choose five option modules from a selection that includes the following:

  • Confronting the Colossus: US Anti-imperialism, 1945-present
  • Democratization in Latin America
  • Histories of Exclusion: Race and Ethnicity in Latin America
  • Globalisation and Latin American Development
  • The International Politics of Latin America
  • Latin American Economics
  • State and Society in Latin America: Ethnographic Perspectives
  • The Caribbean from the Haitian Revolution to the Cuban Revolution
  • Money and Politics in Latin America
  • The Politics of Human Rights in Latin America: Transitional Justice
  • Politics, Society and Development in the Modern Caribbean
  • The Latin American City: Social Problems and Social Change in Urban Space
  • Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • The Politics of Human Rights in Latin America: Challenges to Democratisation
  • The Making of Modern Latin America: History, Politics and Society
  • Challenges to Development in Brazil
  • Gender, Politics, and Public Policy in Latin America

Students may choose a maximum of 30 credits from other departments or from other University of London colleges, subject to the Programme Director's approval.

Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study. These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only.  The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August.  From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system. There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available.

Dissertation/report

All students write a dissertation of 15,000 words on a research topic of their choice linked to the subject area of one of their taught modules.

Fieldwork

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


Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, lectures, presentations, research skills training, and independent reading and research. There is a range of assessments including essays and a short oral presentation, and the dissertation.

Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully. In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching. UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.   If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.    
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.

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.

Accessibility

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

Funding

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

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

Miller Bursary

Note:
Deadline: 28 August 2020
Value:
£5,000 (1 year)
Eligibility:
UK, EU
Criteria:
Based on both academic merit and financial need

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

Careers

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

Employability

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

Why study this degree at UCL?

In the UK the Institute of the Americas occupies a core position in the academic study of the region in promoting, co-ordinating and providing a focus for 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 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.

Department: Institute of the Americas

What our students and staff say

Staff view

"UCL combines all the advantages of working within a small and friendly department within a large, global university. The proximity to the amazing libraries and other resources has been highly beneficial to both my research and teaching. I also appreciate the small class sizes (both at BA and MA level) which mean you can really get to know your students and follow their progression, which makes for a rewarding teaching experience. Also, great colleagues, doing innovative research in the field."

Dr Kate Quinn

Caribbean and Latin American Studies MA, Latin American Politics MSc, Latin American Studies MA
UCL Institute of the Americas

Application and next steps

Applications

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 £80 for online applications and £105 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.

Who can apply?

Applicants must have a UK Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate subject, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard from a recognised higher education institution. They should have competence in Spanish and/or Portuguese, and wish to develop their understanding of Latin American Studies for further research or a career in this field.

Application deadlines

All applicants
11 August 2020

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


For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Latin American Studies at graduate level
  • why you want to study 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.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

Page last modified on 13 August 2020