Mexican American Studies Certificate

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.

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

Admission Requirements 

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.

  1. Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field.
  2. 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 Hours

Choose four from the following:

ANTH 6306Anthropology of Borders

3

ANTH 6323Mexican American Culture

3

ANTH 6338Music Ethnography & Methods

3

ANTH 6350Mexican American Folk Medicine

3

ANTH 6375Mexican American Folklore

3

ARTS 6352Art History Seminar III: Topics in Latin American Art Prior to A.D. 1521

3

ARTS 6353Art History Seminar IV: Topics in Latin American Art Since A.D. 1521

3

COMM 6352Media, Race, and Ethnicity

3

EDBE 6322Bilingual/Multilingual Critical Issues

3

EDBE 6335Bilingual Content Area Across the Curriculum

3

EDUL 6305Socio-Cultural Contexts of Education

3

EDUL 6345School-Community Relations

3

ENGL 6308Studies in Mexican American Literature

3

ENGL 6310Studies in Ethnic Literature

3

ENGL 6390Special Topics in English

3

ENGL 6390Special Topics in English

3

HIST 5340Readings in Latin American History

3

HIST 5345Readings in Borderlands History

3

HIST 5350Readings in Texas/Southwest History

3

HIST 5355Readings in Mexican American History

3

HIST 6325Research Seminar Borderlands History

3

HIST 6340Research Seminar in Mexican American History

3

MASC 6340Directed Readings in Chicana/o Studies

3

MASC 6350Learning and Reflective Experience: The Mexican American Experience

3

MASC 6390Special Topics in Chicana/o Studies

3

MUSI 6335Music of Greater Mexico

3

MUSI 6336History of Border Music & Performance

3

MUSI 6338Music Ethnography & Fieldwork Methods

3

MUSI 6374Music of Latin America and the Caribbean

3

RLIT 6305Conducting Literacy Research

3

SOCI 6362Mexican American Society

3

SOCI 6363Border Studies

3

SOCW 6315Social Work with Diverse Populations

3

SOCW 6332Social Work Practice with Latinos

3

SOCW 6399Special Topics in Social Work Practice

3

SPAN 6318Special Topics in Spanish Linguistics

3

SPAN 6380Latina/o Literature Before 1960

3

SPAN 6383Studies in US Latina/o Literature

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

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

Total Credit Hours: 12