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Major · Area, Ethnic & Gender Studies

Study the countries of Latin America from the pre-Columbian era to the present

Latin American Studies examines the history, politics, culture, and economics of Hispanic peoples of the Americas outside the U.S. and Canada — from the pre-Columbian period through contemporary migration. About 130 degrees are awarded annually across 143 colleges, a relatively broad institutional footprint anchored at Brigham Young, University of Utah, and University of North Texas.

Schools offering
143
Annual completions
130
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$59k

About this major

Latin American Studies focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the Hispanic peoples of the North and South American continents outside Canada and the United States, including the pre-Columbian period and the flow of immigrants from other societies. The curriculum pulls from history, political science, economics, literature, anthropology, and cultural studies, organized around a particular country (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba) or a thematic focus (colonial history, development economics, contemporary migration). A typical program includes seminars on the colonial and independence periods, 20th-century literature (Borges, García Márquez, Vargas Llosa), contemporary politics and economic policy, and indigenous or Afro-Latin cultural traditions. Spanish-language work is central at all programs; Portuguese is added for Brazil-focused research, and study abroad in the region is expected at most colleges.

With about 130 bachelor's completions annually across 143 colleges, this is the most institutionally broad major in the 05.01 area-studies family. Top producers include Brigham Young (7 completions) and the University of Utah (7), followed by University of North Texas (6) and a group of research universities and liberal-arts colleges — Bowdoin, Wash U in St. Louis, Illinois-Chicago, University of Washington, and Yale — at 4-5 each. The institutional diversity reflects the major's flexibility: it exists at religious schools, flagship universities, Ivy and peer research schools, and small liberal-arts colleges. 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 and diplomacy in a region where Latin America is a major State Department focus, international business with Mexican and South American partners, development finance (IADB, World Bank, USAID), journalism covering the region, immigration and human-rights law, translation and interpretation, and graduate study in political science, history, or international affairs. The degree is distinctively strong preparation for international careers that require both regional expertise and Spanish-language fluency.

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 have a genuine interest in Latin America as a region — its histories, literatures, and politics — rather than a general interest in "international studies," if you're prepared to commit to serious Spanish-language work and potentially Portuguese on top, if a career running through foreign service, international business, development, or journalism sounds like a destination you'd pursue, and if you can anchor your upper-division work in a specific country or theme rather than trying to cover the hemisphere broadly. The relatively wide institutional footprint (143 colleges) is a real feature here: unlike most area-studies majors, you have meaningful program choice.

Think twice if you want a major with a direct job pipeline at a strong wage. The one directly mapped occupation, postsecondary teaching, requires a doctorate, and policy and international-affairs careers typically layer a master's on top of the degree. Think twice also if you aren't prepared to commit to Spanish at the reading-primary-sources level — the major is not gettable without substantial language work, and the career payoffs depend on language proficiency. And think twice if your interest is diffuse rather than specific: the major rewards focus (Mexican political economy, Brazilian literature, Andean history) in a way that a generic "I like learning about other countries" orientation often doesn't sustain through upper-division research.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Latin American Studies

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Brigham Young University Provo, UT 0 7 7
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 0 7 7
University of North Texas Denton, TX 0 6 6
Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME 0 5 5
Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO 0 5 5
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL 0 5 5
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 5 5
Yale University New Haven, CT 0 4 4
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 0 4 4
Wheaton College Wheaton, IL 0 3 3
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

American/United States Studies/Civilization

721 completions/yr

African-American/Black Studies

563 completions/yr

Area Studies, Other

451 completions/yr

Asian Studies/Civilization

433 completions/yr

American Indian/Native American Studies

355 completions/yr

East Asian Studies

220 completions/yr

Near and Middle Eastern Studies

97 completions/yr

African Studies

80 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Latin American Studies majors actually study?
The curriculum pulls from history, politics, economics, literature, anthropology, and cultural studies to examine the countries of Latin America — Mexico, Central and South America — across the pre-Columbian, colonial, and modern periods. Students read indigenous chronicles, colonial-era sources, 20th-century literature (García Márquez, Borges, Vargas Llosa), and contemporary material on trade, migration, democracy, and development. Spanish-language work is central, and Portuguese is often added for research on Brazil. Study abroad or field research in the region is a common requirement.
How widely is this major offered?
Reasonably broadly for an area-studies major. About 130 bachelor's degrees are awarded annually across 143 colleges — the highest institutional count in the 05.01 area-studies family. Top producers are Brigham Young (7) and the University of Utah (7), followed by University of North Texas (6), Bowdoin, Wash U in St. Louis, Illinois-Chicago, and University of Washington at 5 each. The footprint spans religious institutions, flagship universities, and liberal-arts colleges.
How does this compare to Chicano Studies?
The focus is different. Latin American Studies (05.0107) is about Latin American countries themselves — their histories, governments, literatures, and economies. Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies (05.0203) focuses on Hispanic-American communities within the United States and Canada. If your interest is Mexico, Brazil, or the hemisphere abroad, this major is the direct path. If your interest is U.S. civil rights, immigration, or Latinx cultural production in the States, Chicano Studies is the better fit.
What careers do graduates pursue?
The one directly mapped occupation is area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary, at $84,290 median with a doctoral requirement. In practice, Latin American Studies graduates distribute across foreign service (Latin America is a major State Department region), international business with Mexican and South American partners, international development (USAID, IADB, World Bank feeders), journalism, translation, immigration and human-rights law, and graduate study in political science, history, or international affairs. Bachelor's completers in the broader 05.01 family report five-year median earnings around $58,500.
Do I need Spanish proficiency before starting?
Not before starting — most programs accept students with high-school-level Spanish and build from there — but yes, by the time you graduate. Upper-division coursework often involves reading primary sources in Spanish, and the major's career value, whether in foreign service, translation, or international business, depends substantially on your language proficiency. Programs typically require 3-4 semesters of college-level Spanish and encourage immersion through study abroad. Students entering with no Spanish can still complete the major but should expect the language to be a significant part of their workload.