Graduate handbook information is updated and maintained by each program. Graduate handbooks are available within each program's office and online at https://utexas.box.com/v/UTAustinGraduateHandbooks. Please contact the program with concerns or questions.

Master of Arts

The Master of Arts (MA) degree is only open to students enrolled in the PhD degree program in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies. Students admitted to the PhD program without a master's degree must complete the requirements listed below to earn the MA degree; students admitted with a master's degree are not required to earn a second master's degree.

Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours of coursework including two required courses: Mexican American Studies 395C, Theories in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies and Mexican American Studies 395M, Interpretive Methods. In addition, students must complete at least 30 credit hours of related coursework that includes no more than six hours of Mexican American Studies 382, Conference Course in Mexican American Studies; no more than 15 hours of Mexican American Studies 392, Topics in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies; and no more than nine hours of graduate coursework taken outside the department. Students who complete these requirements and pass the PhD qualifying exam are eligible to apply for MA degree certification. Students who choose to leave the program after completing these requirements and students who do not pass the PhD qualifying exam must complete Mexican American Studies 398R, Master's Report, before seeking MA degree certification.

Doctor of Philosophy

Students pursuing the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours of coursework including the 36 credit hours required for the MA degree and six credit hours of dissertation. Students must earn a minimum grade of B (3.0) in all coursework taken in satisfaction of PhD program requirements.

Required Courses (not including dissertation) include:  Mexican American Studies 395C, Theories in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies; and Mexican American Studies 395M, Interpretive Methods

Required Dissertation Courses include: Mexican American Studies 399W, Mexican American Studies 699W, and Mexican American Studies 999W.

Required for Students Seeking Employment as Assistant Instructors: Mexican American Studies 398T, Supervised Teaching in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies (may be taken outside the department with the permission of the graduate advisor when not offered in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies).

Elective courses (27 credit hours) are chosen in consultation with the student’s primary advisor and the MALS graduate advisor.
Elective courses should satisfy the following requirements:1) At least five graduate-level courses offered by Mexican American and Latina/o Studies; 2) Up to four graduate-level courses offered by other departments or interdisciplinary programs/institutes; 3) One humanities course; and 4) One social science course.

Students with a master’s degree from another institution may elect to take up to a maximum of six credit hours of conference coursework in preparation for the qualifying exam and Mexican American Studies 398T, Supervised Teaching in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies .

Students without a master’s degree must write a master’s report and take a Master’s Report Course: Mexican American Studies 398R

Students entering the doctoral program without a master’s degree may elect to take up to a maximum of nine credit hours of conference coursework in their third year to prepare for the qualifying exam.

All students must complete a qualifying exam prior to advancing to candidacy and continuing in the program. If a student does not pass the examination, they will not continue onto candidacy and their doctoral degree program will be terminated. If a student is given a conditional pass, they will have one month to make the corrections and/or edits requested by the committee. Failure to meet the one-month deadline or implement the requested changes will result in termination from the PhD program.

Before completing the program, all students must demonstrate competence in one language in addition to English (preferably Spanish, Portuguese, or a relevant Indigenous language) by means approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.