The joint degree program in Law and Latin American Studies was created to provide training for attorneys, policy makers, and public servants who wish to learn about Latin America and to gain a deeper knowledge of the civil code legal system of Latin America and Louisiana, which differs profoundly from that found in the rest of the United States. Applicants to the joint degree program must be admitted separately by each of the participating programs. Thus a potential joint degree student must be admitted to the Law School through its normal admissions process, and also to the Latin American Studies graduate program in the School of Liberal Arts via its own separate admissions process. Admission to one school does not guarantee admission to the other; nor does the failure to be admitted into the joint degree program preclude admission into either one or the other school independently.
This unique joint JD/MA degree program encourages students to explore the economic, social, political, environmental, and cultural contexts that shaped not only legal thought and institutions in distinct regions of Latin America, but also the practice and application of law. Within this degree program, students can shape a program that is broadly conceived or highly focused. A focused program might concentrate, for example, on environmental, maritime, corporate, or human rights issues.
In addition to the 79 hours of law coursework required by the Law School, students pursuing the joint degree must complete 24 semester hours of coursework in graduate courses approved by the Stone Center. One of which is the interdisciplinary core seminar (LAST 7000) offered by the Center. The School of Law itself offers courses on Latin American legal issues. These ordinarily will form a part of the 79 hours of training required in Law. Most of the courses addressing Latin American subject matter are taken through other social science departments at the university, especially the departments of Political Science and Economics, although students frequently explore environmental issues and the cultural dimensions of the law as well. An interdisciplinary thesis option is offered in lieu of one three-credit course; however, students who elect the thesis option must pass a thesis defense in order to earn the credit. Demonstrated competence in either Spanish or Portuguese is required. The Graduate Advisor of the Stone Center serves as program advisor for the joint degree program. The degree is awarded upon fulfillment of the degree requirements for BOTH programs.
To speak to an advisor before applying, please fill out our inquiry form.
The joint degree program in Business Administration and Latin American Studies is predicated on the integration of the Latin American concepts taught within the Graduate Program in Latin American Studies with the policy and general management approaches and techniques taught at the A.B. Freeman School of Business. The program is specially designed to prepare the student (1) to manage effectively; (2) to cope with the uncertainties of interdependent, though usually conflicting, economic environments; and (3) to integrate private and public sector perspectives and criteria into a single framework.
As with our other joint degree programs, applicants to the joint MBA/MA degree program must be admitted separately by each of the participating programs. Thus a potential joint degree student must be admitted to the Business School through its normal admissions process, and also to the Latin American Studies program in the School of Liberal Arts via its own separate admissions process. Admission to one school does not guarantee admission to the other; nor does the failure to be admitted into the joint degree program preclude admission into either one or the other school independently. Students admitted to the joint degree program do not matriculate in both schools concurrently. Students receiving a fellowship through the Stone Center start the joint degree program as a full-time student of the Stone Center for Latin American Studies in the School of Liberal Arts and defer enrolling in the Freeman School of Business for one year.
The joint course of study integrates the MBA core curriculum, the MA curriculum in Latin American Studies, and a set of electives. The MBA core courses provide the student with a general background of all the functional fields of management. Latin American Studies courses provide the student with critical understanding of the cultural, political, economic and social context in which business is practiced in Latin America. This understanding is achieved through coursework in the Social Science and Humanities and in a core seminar (LAST 7000) that seeks to integrate this knowledge.
Students must take 24 semester hours from the Latin American Studies curriculum and 51 hours from the Freeman School of Business. Demonstrated competence in either Spanish or Portuguese by oral examination is required for graduation. Finally, students are encouraged to spend one summer in an internship experience with a firm operating in Latin America, which is usually arranged independently or through the Business School.
Once accepted into the program a student already resident in the Freeman School of Business must complete and submit an inter-school transfer request form. These forms are required to register in the School of Liberal Arts, and must be signed both by the student’s academic advisor in the Business School and the Graduate Advisor in the Stone Center for Latin American Studies.
To speak to an advisor before applying, please fill out our inquiry form.
This joint program will be small and highly selective. It will probably accept only one or two highly qualified applicants each year, based on recommendations, performance, and other indicators of academic excellence and the ability to conduct original, clearly articulated research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge. Prospective students should submit their application to this joint PhD program through the normal online application process by clicking here, where you can read relevant information on the application process and where you can find the link to the actual online application system in the “Graduate Admissions Application Portal” page.
Students are admitted to the program only after demonstrating an ability to work in a critical and imaginative fashion. Along with the School of Liberal Arts graduate program application form, applicants submit transcripts, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, evidence of language ability, and an MA thesis or two substantive research papers.
The PhD requires 54 credit hours (including an MA thesis or equivalent) in addition to qualifying examinations in two concentration areas and the production of a dissertation. Of the 54 credit hours of coursework, at least 30 hours must have a Latin American content, including at least 18 hours in Latin American art; other Latin American courses can be taken in departments such as Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, and Spanish and Portuguese; the School of Architecture; and Latin American Studies special offerings. Fifteen credit hours must be in art history pertaining to areas outside Latin America. The balance of credit hours are electives; they may be in art history and/or Latin America, but they may also pertain to other areas relevant to the student’s work (e.g., European history, Medieval thought, writing systems). The Latin American Studies core seminar is required, as is a course on art historical method and/or theory. All courses must be at the 6000 and 7000 levels.
Students must develop a primary concentration (e.g., Pre-Columbian, colonial, or modern) and a secondary one. The second concentration may be within Latin American art (e.g., Pre-Columbian, colonial, or modern), or it may cover a comparative area (e.g., modern Latin American art paired with modern European art, or colonial Latin American art paired with medieval and early modern European art). Twenty-one semester hours (7 courses) must pertain to the primary concentration, and 12 semester hours (4 courses) must pertain to the secondary concentration. These courses may be in Art History or other disciplines with Latin American content. For example, a student with a primary concentration in Precolumbian and a secondary concentration in colonial would take seven art history and anthropology courses with a Precolumbian content, and 4 courses with a colonial content in art history, history, or literature.
