Mexican American Studies Certificate
Students who are not currently enrolled in a Master’s program may pursue the Graduate Certificate by applying as a Professional Development student in the College of Liberal Arts
Overview
This certificate is designed for students who want to pursue a concentration in Mexican American, Chicano/a, and/or Latina/o Studies. It would position them as competitive job candidates in various fields (such as the Humanities, Education, Law, Social Services, Communication, Health, among many others) that require a specialized knowledge in Mexican American Studies, as well as Master's students wanting to pursue a Ph.D.
Admission Requirements
(for students not currently enrolled in a graduate program)
To be admitted to the certificate program in Mexican American Studies, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley.
- Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field.
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours.
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Program Requirements
- Students currently enrolled in any graduate program are eligible to take course work toward the certificate upon approval of their Graduate Faculty Director or Advisor
- Students may take no more than 6 hours in any one discipline
- Students may count coursework in their major field of study towards the certificate without penalty contingent upon approval from their Graduate Faculty Director or Advisor.
- At the end of their coursework in Mexican American Studies, students will be required to present their research to Mexican American Studies students and faculty and produce this presentation with the guidance of a faculty advisor/mentor.
Required Courses (12 Credits)
Chosen from the following:
| ANTH 6306 | Anthropology of Borders | 3 |
| ANTH 6323 | Mexican American Culture | 3 |
| ANTH 6338/MUSI 6338 | Music Ethnography & Methods | 3 |
| ANTH 6350 | Mexican American Folk Medicine | 3 |
| ANTH 6375 | Mexican American Folklore | 3 |
| ARTS 6352 | Art History Seminar III: Topics in Latin American Art Prior to A.D. 1521 | 3 |
| ARTS 6353 | Art History Seminar IV: Topics in Latin American Art Since A.D. 1521 | 3 |
| COMM 6352 | Media, Race, and Ethnicity | 3 |
| EDBE 6322 | Bilingual/Multilingual Critical Issues | 3 |
| EDBE 6335 | Bilingual Content Area Across the Curriculum | 3 |
| EDUL 6305 | Socio-Cultural Contexts of Education | 3 |
| EDUL 6345 | School-Community Relations | 3 |
| ENGL 6308 | Studies in Mexican American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 6310 | Studies in Ethnic Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 6390 | Special Topics in English | 3 |
| ENGL 6390 | Special Topics in English | 3 |
| HIST 5340 | Readings in Latin American History | 3 |
| HIST 5345 | Readings in Borderlands History | 3 |
| HIST 5350 | Readings in Texas/Southwest History | 3 |
| HIST 5355 | Readings in Mexican American History | 3 |
| HIST 6325 | Research Seminar Borderlands History | 3 |
| HIST 6330 | Research Seminar in Latin American History | 3 |
| HIST 6340 | Research Seminar in Mexican American History | 3 |
| MASC 6340 | Directed Readings in Chicana/o Studies | 3 |
| MASC 6350 | Learning and Reflective Experience: The Mexican American Experience | 3 |
| MASC 6390 | Special Topics in Chicana/o Studies | 3 |
| MUSI 6335 | Music of Greater Mexico | 3 |
| MUSI 6336 | History of Border Music & Performance | 3 |
| MUSI 6338 | Music Ethnography & Fieldwork Methods | 3 |
| MUSI 6374 | Music of Latin America and the Caribbean | 3 |
| RLIT 6305 | Conducting Literacy Research | 3 |
| SOCI 6362 | Mexican American Society | 3 |
| SOCI 6363 | Border Studies | 3 |
| SOCI 6365 | Society and Culture of Latin America | 3 |
| SOCW 6315 | Social Work with Diverse Populations | 3 |
| SOCW 6332 | Social Work Practice with Latinos | 3 |
| SOCW 6399 | Special Topics in Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SPAN 6312 | Language in Policy and Training | 3 |
| SPAN 6318 | Special Topics in Spanish Linguistics | 3 |
| SPAN 6380 | Latina/o Literature Before 1960 | 3 |
| SPAN 6381 | US Latina/o Contemporary Writers | 3 |
| SPAN 6382 | US/Mexico Border Literary and Cultural Productions | 3 |
| SPAN 6383 | Studies in US Latina/o Literature | 3 |
| SPAN 6384 | Introduction to US Latina/o Linguistics | 3 |
Notes:
1st ENGL 6390: Chicana/o Poetry and Poetics
2nd ENGL 6390: Chicana/o Literature and Writing for Social Action
HIST 5350: when content is Mexican American
SOCI 6365: when content is Mexican American
SOCW 6399: Latino Mental Health
Capstone Requirement
Presentation of a research or creative paper related to the field of Mexican American Studies during the final semester of graduation/or end of coursework for fulfillment of the Certificate
**Students may count coursework from their main program with permission of advisor.
Total Credit Hours: 12