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Major · Area, Ethnic & Gender Studies

Study the Americas south of the border, from the Caribbean to the Southern Cone

Latin American and Caribbean Studies integrates the history, politics, culture, and economics of the Latin American and Caribbean region. About 30 bachelor's degrees are awarded annually across 23 colleges, with CUNY Lehman, Florida International, and Dartmouth leading recent completions — reflecting the major's urban and Caribbean institutional roots.

Schools offering
23
Annual completions
33
Typical degree level
Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$59k

About this major

Latin American and Caribbean Studies is an integrated program focused on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the Latin American and Caribbean region. The curriculum deliberately treats Latin America and the Caribbean together — Mexico, Central and South America alongside the Spanish-, English-, and French-speaking Caribbean — rather than splitting them into separate regions. A typical curriculum includes seminars on colonial history, 20th-century political economy, Caribbean and Latin American literature, migration and diaspora, and contemporary issues like democratization, trade, and environmental policy. Spanish-language work is usually required, with Portuguese or French as common secondary languages depending on research focus. Study abroad or field research in the region is standard at most programs.

About 30 bachelor's degrees are awarded annually across 23 colleges. CUNY Lehman College leads with 5 completions, followed by Florida International and Dartmouth at 4 each, then University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gustavus Adolphus, Trinity University, University of Vermont, and Brown. The institutional profile tilts toward urban universities with significant Caribbean diaspora populations (CUNY, FIU), research universities with established Latin American programs, and liberal-arts colleges with specific regional faculty. Bachelor's completers in the broader 05.01 area-studies family report five-year median earnings around $58,500.

The only career directly mapped to this CIP code is area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary, an $84,290 median wage role requiring a doctoral degree. Real-world destinations cluster around international work: foreign service, international development and NGOs, trade and regional policy, law (particularly immigration and human rights), journalism on Latin American and Caribbean affairs, cultural and community institutions serving diaspora populations, and graduate study in history, political science, or regional affairs. The degree's distinctive value is the hemispheric scope — students leave with both a regional expertise and a linguistic toolkit that maps cleanly onto careers in international work.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary $84k +2.4% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$59k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you want a regional focus that deliberately links Latin America with the Caribbean rather than treating them as separate subjects, if you are prepared to build Spanish and potentially Portuguese or French language skills to the level of primary-source work, if you have a concrete interest area — migration, Caribbean literature, trade and development, a specific country or diaspora community — that can anchor your upper-division work, and if a career running through international affairs, NGO work, or graduate study sounds right. The urban and coastal institutional concentration also means your program choice will shape your experience significantly; CUNY Lehman and Florida International offer distinctly different environments than Dartmouth or Bowdoin.

Think twice if you want a major with a direct bachelor's-to-job pipeline at a strong wage. The one mapped occupation, postsecondary teaching, requires a doctorate, and most policy and international-affairs paths layer a master's on top of the degree. Think twice also if you aren't prepared to commit to serious language study — the major is not gettable without at least strong Spanish, and many research questions require more. And think twice if the small program footprint is a concern: 23 colleges is thin, and at many of them the program depends on a handful of faculty, so program depth and advising quality will vary substantially by institution.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 0 9 9
Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN 0 6 6
Brown University Providence, RI 0 4 4
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 0 3 3
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 0 2 2
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH 0 2 2
State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY 0 2 2
University of Georgia Athens, GA 0 1 1
University at Albany Albany, NY 0 1 1
Rollins College Winter Park, FL 0 1 1
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

American/United States Studies/Civilization

783 completions/yr

Asian Studies/Civilization

448 completions/yr

Area Studies, Other

419 completions/yr

East Asian Studies

218 completions/yr

Latin American Studies

134 completions/yr

Near and Middle Eastern Studies

84 completions/yr

Regional Studies (U.S., Canadian, Foreign)

74 completions/yr

African Studies

63 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Latin American and Caribbean Studies majors study?
The curriculum integrates history, politics, sociology, economics, literature, and cultural studies of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean — including Haiti, Cuba, and the anglophone Caribbean. Students read colonial-era sources, 20th-century Latin American literature, and contemporary policy material on migration, trade, and political economy. Spanish and often Portuguese and French language work is typical, along with a study-abroad or field-research component in the region.
How does this differ from Latin American Studies?
The scope. Latin American Studies (05.0107) focuses on Latin American countries themselves. Latin American and Caribbean Studies (05.0134) is an explicitly integrated program that includes the anglophone and francophone Caribbean — Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti — alongside Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. For students interested in Caribbean literature, diaspora studies, or the hemispheric connections across Spanish, English, and French Caribbean traditions, this major is the better fit. For a narrower focus on Mexico, Brazil, or the Southern Cone, Latin American Studies can be more direct.
Where is this major offered?
At 23 colleges, with a notable concentration at urban universities and liberal-arts schools with Caribbean diaspora communities. CUNY Lehman College in the Bronx leads with 5 completions, followed by Florida International (4) and Dartmouth (4). Brown, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Vermont, and Trinity University in San Antonio also produce graduates. The geographic profile is coastal — urban Northeast, Florida, and a handful of research universities with regional strength.
What careers do graduates go into?
The one directly mapped occupation is area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary — $84,290 median with a doctoral requirement. In practice, graduates move into foreign service, international nonprofits, trade and development work (think USAID, IADB, or World Bank pipelines), journalism on Latin American affairs, immigration and civil-rights law, and graduate programs in history, political science, or public policy. Bachelor's completers in the broader 05.01 area-studies family report five-year median earnings around $58,500.
Do I need a graduate degree?
For academic and many policy careers, yes. A master's in international affairs (Georgetown, Johns Hopkins SAIS, Columbia SIPA) is standard for foreign service and international development work. For journalism, community and nonprofit work, or translation, the bachelor's with solid Spanish and Portuguese proficiency is often sufficient as an entry credential. Law school is another common post-bachelor's path, particularly for immigration and human-rights work.