University of California, Santa Barbara
Latin American and Iberian Studies Program

Undergraduate Study

Undergraduate Study

The undergraduate program is designed for students broadly interested in the following areas: culture and art; professional careers in business and government; teaching professions in fields such as language, social sciences, and history, and further academic study of Latin America, Spain, or Portugal.

The Latin American and Iberian Studies program offers interdisciplinary undergraduate courses for students in the program. LAIS course offerings range in type from lecture classes with discussion sections to small seminars taught by faculty affiliated with the program and individualized independent study. Faculty affiliated with the LAIS program offer these classes, assisted in some courses by LAIS graduate students. A full list of these courses can be found below.

In addition to the courses that LAIS offers, students also take courses in other programs and departments, including Art History, Economics, Film Studies, Music, Religious Studies, Spanish and Portuguese language and literature, Linguistics, History, Anthropology, Black Studies, Chicana and Chicano Studies, Environmental Studies, Political Science, Sociology, and Feminist Studies.

Students are also encouraged to pursue coursework in the University of California Education Abroad Program (EAP), which has study centers in Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, and Brazil. Students can take advantage of the EAP to strengthen their language skills, gain important cultural experience, and earn credit toward their degrees. Please see the undergraduate or graduate advisor if you are interested in this option. With the approval of the Director, students can also pursue internships for academic credit. List of pre-approved EAP courses for LAIS majors/minors.

Latin American and Iberian Studies may be taken as either a minor or a major. The major may be taken as part of a double major in combination with another discipline, such as history, global studies, anthropology, or economics subject to the 8-unit limit on overlapping upper-division courses.

Details of both the major and the minor can be found by clicking the tabs to the left and in summary below.

Bachelor of Arts – Latin American and Iberian Studies

Upper-Division Major.

Preparation for the Major:  

  • Spanish 6 or Portuguese 6 (students with prior proficiency in the language, please see department for information on appropriate placement or testing out of the language requirement).
  • LAIS 10 or History 8 is a requirement in preparation for the major.

Upper-division Major:

  • A minimum of 40 units, including Latin American and Iberian Studies 100/100S, 101/101S (LAIS 101/101S counts toward Area 1 or Area 3), or 102/102S (LAIS 102/102S counts towards Area 2 or Area 4),
  • At least 16 upper-division units in one of the four areas (1-Social Sciences; 2-Music, Art, Film, and Drama; 3-History; and 4-Literature and Language)
  •  20 units to be distributed among the other three areas, with a minimum of one course in each area. 
  •  In addition, no more than 12 units of LAIS 194AA-ZZ may be applied to the major.

Consult the UCSB General Catalog for the prerequisites to all listed courses.  Regulations for the Major are:

  • P/NP grading is not allowed for any major course (Preparation or upper-division major)
  • Substitutions in the major is permissible only by petition to the program director and dean
  • Residence requirements – at least 20 of the upper-division units for the major while in residence at UCSB
  • GPA requirements –At least 2.0 overall UC average in all upper-division major courses and all courses (Prep and UD) for the major, including courses in excess of minimum requirements
  • Double majors – With the approval of each department chair or program director, up to a total of 8 units may be applied simultaneously to both upper-division majors.

Upper-Division Minor.

All courses to be applied to the minor must be completed on a letter-grade basis. This includes both courses offered in Latin American and Iberian Studies and those offered by other departments and applied to the minor. 

Preparation for the Minor:

  • Spanish 6 or Portuguese 6 (students with prior proficiency in the language, please see department for information on appropriate placement or testing out of the language requirement). 
  • LAIS 10 or History 8 is a requirement in preparation for the minor.

Upper-division Minor:

  • A minimum of 24 upper-division units are required, distributed as follows: LAIS 100/100S, 101/101S, or 102/102S (4 units)
  •  20 upper-division in the four areas  Area 1-Social Sciences; Area 2- Music, Art, Film, and Drama; Area3- History; and Area 4- Literature and Language. Note: Courses may be applied to one area
  • No more than 12 units of LAIS 194AA-ZZ may be applied to the minor.  Substitutions and waivers are subject to approval by the program director.

 Consult the UCSB General Catalog for prerequisites to required courses. The following conditions must also be met for official recognition of the Minor:

  • The sponsoring program reports completion of the minor prior to the posting of the degree
  • At least 18 upper-division quarter units are completed for the minor. (Waivers cannot reduce the requirements below this number.)
  • At least 12 of the upper-division units for the minor are completed while in residence at UCSB
  • The UC grade-point average in ALL applicable upper-division courses, including those in excess of minimum requirements, is 2.0 or higher
  • No more than 5 upper-division units overlap between this minor and the upper-division portion of the major(s) or other minor(s). If overlap is greater with the major(s), completion of the minor will not be formally recognized; if overlap with other minor(s) is greater, only the first minor reported will be recognized
  • No reference will be made to the minor on any progress checks or degree clearance forms.