Why Consider Latin American Studies?

For several decades, Simon Fraser University's Latin American Studies program at has been among the most prominent in Canada and the only such program to offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field. Located in the cosmopolitan and beautiful city of Vancouver, the university is well known for its flexible educational programs, commitment to academic achievement, internationally recognized research, and cross-disciplinary approaches to academic inquiry and training.

Taking into account criteria of class size, proportion of classes taught by tenure-track faculty and external research funding, McLean’s magazine has consistently ranked SFU at the top of its list of “comprehensive universities” in Canada.  SFU excels both in teaching and research. Students can expect their instructors to be working on the frontiers of  knowledge across a range of fields in the Arts and Sciences, as well as in other faculties, including Applied Sciences, Business Administration, Education and Health Sciences.  

Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary field. Thus, it draws on the conceptual and methodological tools of a wide range of disciplines. At the undergraduate level, students may pursue a minor program.  Our students receive a solid grounding in disciplinary knowledge, complemented by the international perspective and is ideally suited for students interested in supplementing courses of study in a particular discipline with substantial expertise on social and cultural aspects of Latin America and the Caribbean.

At the graduate level, the Latin American Studies program offers a sequence of courses geared to meet the needs of students enrolled in its masters degree program as well as those around campus whose graduate studies include a concern with contemporary Latin American affairs.  Simon Fraser University has established a graduate certificate in Latin American Studies, open to students in faculties across the university beginning in 2009.  We believe that this will offer an attractive opportunity for our students to demonstrate extensive knowledge of Latin America as well as competence in their primary discipline.

Exchange Programs and Field Schools   

Simon Fraser offers many opportunities for Latin American Studies students to experience Latin America firsthand. We have exchange programs with universities in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Mexico.  Students interested in undertaking study abroad should explore the variety of funding opportunities offered through Student Services.

Career Opportunities 

The multidisciplinary nature of Latin American Studies enables students to tailor their academic preparation for careers across a wide range of fields.  Whether your interests lie in business, government, law, media, education, intelligence, foreign service/diplomatic relations, cultural brokering, development, inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, journalism or tourism, Latin American studies has much to offer. At the same time, many Latin American students draw on their training to pursue graduate study in a variety of fields at both the masters and doctoral levels.