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Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

Early action deadline: November 1; Regular Decision Deadline: June 15

Financing Your Education

Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process 

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

For additional information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s Office or send an email to Bursar@umb.edu.

Students must select a major track from Language, Culture, and Society; Translation Studies; or Latin American Studies.

Language proficiency: Students in the major must demonstrate intermediate proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese.
GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.75 is required for all courses applied toward the major.
Pass/fail: No courses taken pass/fail may be applied toward the major.
Residency: At least five courses used for the major must be completed at UMass Boston.
Course reuse: No more than one course may be shared between major tracks.

The major in Latin American and Iberian Studies features three tracks:

• Language, Culture, and Society
• Translation Studies
• Latin American Studies

All tracks require the completion of 12 courses (36 credits), including a common core of three required courses.

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Upon completion of the BA, students will be able to:

• Communicate proficiently, using all four skills (i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing), in academic, professional, and everyday settings in the language that is required by their selected track.
• Conduct and disseminate academic research both orally and in writing in the language that is required by their selected track.
• Identify and analyze cultural representations of the languages, cultures and societies of the Latin American and Iberian world, both their own and those produced by others, in accordance with academic standards. 
• Document data and formulate concrete research questions to conduct academic research at undergraduate level.
• Recognize and utilize appropriate methodologies to explicitly outline a research plan to conduct academic research at undergraduate level.
• Produce scholarly work in dialogue with academic fields such as anthropology, history, and geography at undergraduate level.
• Apply pre-professional translation skills to a variety of documents in both directions, Spanish to English and English to Spanish. (Exclusively applicable to the Translation Studies track)
• Assess a variety of theoretical approaches to Translation Studies in order to adopt adequate methodologies for the translation of a variety of documents. (Exclusively applicable to the Translation Studies track)

The Language, Culture, and Society Track offers students an opportunity to advance in the mastery of the Spanish language and become adept in reading, interpreting, and analyzing cultural production in specific, social, historical, and political contexts. The multidisciplinary approach of this track supports student success by allowing them to hone a number of transferable skills, such as the ability to question and examine representation of events, to maintain multiple perspectives, and to exercise critical thought. All of these skills are key competencies of the university’s General Education Program and also constitute the fundamental goals of a Liberal Arts education.

The completion of this track will provide students with the linguistic and cultural competency to be successful in today’s transnational world. Students specializing in this track may consider career options in education, counseling, journalism, international relations, trade, management, law, health care, and public policy, as well as higher degrees in the humanities and social sciences.

The track also offers courses in language, culture, and society that are mandatory for students interested in teaching Spanish.

Track Requirements

Complete 36 credits from twelve courses including three core courses, four language courses, four advanced 300-level courses, and one advanced 400-level course.

Students in this track are strongly encouraged to study abroad.

With department approval, the teaching practicum may be substituted for two of the 300-level courses for those in the teacher preparation program.

Course Requirements

The demand for well-trained translators is rapidly growing in the world. The Translation Studies Track provides pre-professional training in the theory and practice of translation for students who are interested in translation or wish to acquire translation as ancillary skills to be used in many professions such as commerce, health services, social services, international relations, management, etc.

The track is designed for students who are proficient in Spanish and English.

The Translation Track covers the areas of development of technical vocabulary (legal, medical, business, technical), written translation and/or interpretation. In addition to translation courses, students take four language courses, two foundational courses, and two advanced courses (400 level) to promote advanced reading and interpretation skills.

Track Requirements

Complete 36 credits from twelve courses including four core courses, four language courses, three translation courses, and one advanced elective course.

This track is designed for students who are proficient in Spanish and English.

Course Requirements

Track Requirements

Complete 36 credits from twelve courses including three core courses, one foundational course, three intermediate courses, four advanced 300-level courses, and one advanced 400-level course.

Native speakers of Spanish must also obtain intermediate proficiency in Portuguese.

Native speakers of Portuguese must also obtain intermediate Spanish proficiency.

Students in this track are strongly encouraged to study abroad.

Course Requirements

Latin American and Iberian Studies
University of Massachusetts Boston
McCormack Hall, 4th Floor, Room 618
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125-3393
617.287.7550