Latin American Studies Degree Requirements
Ohio University's academic calendar is based on the semester system. Students normally register for 12 to 15 credit hours per 14-week semester. Students enrolled in less than 12 credits are considered part-time and are ineligible for a scholarship (GRS, GA, TA). Most graduate courses are 3 or 4 credit hours. A minimum of 48 credit hours is necessary to complete the master's program in Latin American Studies (LAS).
- Core course
- 12 credit hours (if doing a thesis/project)
- 15 credit hours (if taking comps option)
- Two Latin American-content graduate seminar (6-8 credit hours)
- One methods graduate course (3-4 credit hours)
- 12 credit hours of coursework in a field of specialization
- Capstone option (only 8 credit hours count towards graduation requirement):
- Comprehensive Exams: students complete two four-hour written exams, one in their field of specialization and the other in a core discipline of their choice, and an oral exam during their final semester.
- Professional Project: students work with a faculty advisor to develop a creative, research, or community outreach project, among other possibilities, and prepare a 25-50 page narrative describing their project goals, methodology, outcomes, and relevance to the field of Latin American Studies.
- Thesis: students work closely with a faculty advisor to develop their research agenda and produce a master's thesis that satisfies the academic expectations of the program and contributes a scholarly discussion to the field of Latin American Studies.
- Fluency in one Latin American language (usually Spanish or Portuguese): This requirement may be fulfilled through native proficiency, testing, or the successful completion of at least two years of college course work with a grade of "B" or better. Students admitted to the program with the required language skills are encouraged to pursue a second Latin American language. Credit hours of language courses will count towards the 48-total credit hours students are required to complete; up to 3 credit hours of language can count towards the field of specialization requirement.