Area Studies, B.A.

Universal Curriculum Requirements

To be awarded a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, students are required to complete universal curriculum requirements in addition to the program requirements provided below. The school universal curriculum requirements can be found on the school Degree Programs page  .

Requirements for Major

The requirements for a major in Area Studies are as follows:

1. Either SPAN 2020, PORT 2120 or PORT 2050
2. 30 Credits: of courses in the field of Area Studies offered by the following departments:
   1. African American Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Commerce, Economics, English, French, Global Development Studies, Politics, History, Humanities, Latin American Studies, Linguistics, Maya K’iche’, Media Studies, Politics, Portuguese, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish, System & Information Engineering, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality.
3. Students can enroll in the Area Studies courses listed in the online Course Offering Directory.  
4. Students may also receive Area Studies Credit: for courses not listed in the Course Offering Directory, and in other departments, programs, and schools not listed above, with the approval of the director of the Area Studies program director.  These classes must have a minimum of fifty percent Latin America content.
5. No more than 15 Credits: in any one department or program may be counted toward the major.
6. All majors are required to take LAST 2050 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Latin American Studies. This course will be offered once a year and does not count toward the 30 Credits required for the major.

Note: Spanish classes at the 1000 and 2000 level do not count as part of the major’s 30 credit hours requirement.  Portuguese classes at the 1000 and 2000 level can count towards EITHER the major’s required 30 credit hours OR (in the case of PORT 2120 or 2050)  towards the major’s language requirement, but not towards both.

Students can take classes of Latin American Studies in the U.Va. Program Valencia which are considered Direct Credit. (www.virginia.edu/valencia)  In addition, students who study abroad in Latin America can petition to have their classes count toward the major

Distinguished Majors Program

The major’s thesis is not required, but is offered as an option for students interested in specific topics of research.

Latin American Studies also offers a Distinguished Major Program. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.4 to be accepted. A Distinguished Majors thesis is required.

Students interested in writing a major’s thesis or in the Latin American Studies Distinguished Major Program should meet with the Latin American Studies program director before the end of their third year. Details about the distinguished major program are available at the program office located in New Cabell Hall 445 or on the program website. 

Additional Information

For more information, contact the Latin American Studies program director, Dr. Eli Carter, 441 New Cabell, Charlottesville, VA 22904; elc6b@virginia.edu; www.virginia.edu/latinamerican.