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Latin American Studies

Types of Degrees Latin American Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Latin American Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	252
Master’s Degree	236
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Latin American Studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in Latin American Studies develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Latin American Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Latin American Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Latin American Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Latin American Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Latin American Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Latin American Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Social media software	Web page creation and editing software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Latin American Studies graduates include:

• African Studies Professor
• American Studies Professor
• Lecturer
• Professor
• Latin American Studies Professor
• Black Studies Professor
• College Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Gender Studies Lecturer
• University Faculty Member
• Faculty Lecturer
• Ethnology Teacher
• Asian Studies Professor
• Gender Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Latin American Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	60.5%
Master’s degree	31.0%
Post-doctoral training	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Latin American Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.9% of Latin American Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	353	70.9%
Men	145	29.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Latin American Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	128	25.7%
Asian	7	1.4%
Hispanic or Latino	271	54.4%
Black or African American	14	2.8%
Two or More Races	9	1.8%
Race Unknown	7	1.4%
International Students	62	12.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Latin American Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Latin American Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,815
4 years	$54,317
5 years	$64,382

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,382 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Latin American Studies Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Latin American Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Latin American Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Latin American Studies graduates earn a median of $54,317 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Area Studies	05.01
African Studies	05.0101
American/United States Studies/Civilization	05.0102
Appalachian Studies	05.0135
Arctic Studies	05.0136
Area Studies, Other	05.0199
Asian Studies/Civilization	05.0103
Balkans Studies	05.0116
Baltic Studies	05.0117
Canadian Studies	05.0115
Caribbean Studies	05.0119
Chinese Studies	05.0123

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.