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.
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.
Meet our revised major and minor!
Beginning in Fall 2025, the LAIS major and minor have been streamlined to give students greater flexibility and a clearer path to completion. The language requirement has been reduced to three quarters of Spanish or Portuguese (down from six), the four areas of concentration have been consolidated into three — Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and Language — and total upper-division units have been reduced. A redesigned LAIS 10 now serves as the gateway course to both programmes, introducing students to the interdisciplinary breadth of Latin American and Iberian Studies across campus.
Major (B.A.) — at a glance
- Preparation: 3 quarters of Spanish or Portuguese, LAIS 10, and one introductory course
- 36 upper-division units: one core course (LAIS 100, 101, 102, or 103), 16 units in a primary area, and 16 units across the other two
- Three areas of concentration: Social Sciences; Arts and Humanities; Language
Minor — at a glance
- Same preparation as the major
- 20 upper-division units: one core course plus 16 units across the three areas
Full course requirements, area listings, and regulations.
Study Abroad
Students are encouraged to pursue coursework in the University of California Education Abroad Program (EAP), which has study centres 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.
For questions about requirements or course planning, contact our Undergraduate Advisor, Elena Baez, at (805) 893-3161.