About Us
Who We Are
The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at Stanford University is the university’s hub for interdisciplinary research on the region. CLAS is a U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center committed to outreach to the scholarly community in California and the United States.
Located in the historic Bolivar House on Alvarado Row, we support faculty and student initiatives, including teaching, scholarly travel, and language study. Our partnerships include several private foundations and grant-making agencies. We also collaborate with distinct programs on campus focused on cultural studies, political science, the Latin American diaspora, environmental studies, history, public service, and many others.
Latin America being more than the sum of its parts, CLAS features state-of-the-art scholarship from different subregions and nations, with special attention to their complex interrelations. Our purview is vast, from Mexico to Patagonia and from Rappa Nui to Barbados. Our linguae francae are English, Spanish and Portuguese. We are also grounded in Creole and in indigenous languages, especially Quechua and Nahuatl.
CLAS' origins go back to the 1940s when a group of Stanford faculty developed the Hispano-American Studies Program. By fall of 1965, the University established the Center for Latin American Studies and it has been operating since then.
We are committed to promoting "the public welfare by exercising an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization,” per Stanford University’s founding grant. In particular, CLAS seeks to advance scholarly knowledge towards social, economic and environmental justice, inclusion, and democracy in Latin America.
What We Do
The Stanford Center for Latin American Studies draws on the strengths of faculty and students in Stanford University’s seven schools. The Center's academic programs encourage multidisciplinary approaches and draw on the expertise of active affiliated faculty members representing Stanford's various departments.
Every year the Center hosts a number of Tinker Visiting Professors and offers a rich program of lectures and other events, often in collaboration with different campus partners. CLAS actively supports Stanford University Libraries in strengthening its substantial Latin American and Iberian collections, which are valuable resources for students, faculty, and visiting researchers alike.
As a Latin America National Resource Center (NRC), supported by the U.S. Department of Education under the auspices of Title VI, Section 602(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, CLAS serves to strengthen access to and training in the major languages of Latin America, and to broaden Latin-America area studies training across all disciplines.
CLAS is part of Stanford Global Studies in the School of Humanities and Sciences. The program offers two academic programs in Latin American Studies: an Undergraduate Minor and a Master of Arts.
Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs in Latin American Studies
CLAS offers a master’s and a minor program in Latin American Studies to Stanford students:
The Master of Arts in Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary program. Students with little prior Latin American Studies coursework may benefit most from our interdisciplinary curriculum consisting of a core set of courses surveying the region’s history, politics, culture, society, and environment and ecology, along with advanced language training and in-depth courses. Latin American Studies master students receive basic training in systems and tools such as visualization, big data analysis, and GIS to be current and more effective in their career of choice.
The purpose of the master’s program is to further develop knowledge and skills in Latin American Studies and to prepare students for a professional career or doctoral studies. In consultation with a faculty advisor, students select a course of study suited to their interests.
The Global Studies Minor with specialization in Latin American Studies (GS-LAS) is available to Stanford undergraduates from any major, and is designed to provide students an opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary study in one of six specializations, including in-depth language study, while integrating this knowledge within a larger global perspective. The minor in Global Studies, Latin American Studies consists of courses surveying the Latin American region’s history, politics, society, ecology, and culture through in-depth coursework and language training.
The GS-LAS minor is especially well-suited for undergraduates who plan to make service, research, or study abroad in Latin America a part of their Stanford experience. The minor and the specialization appear on the transcript but not on the diploma.
Undergraduate Financial Aid
Each summer, CLAS awards grants to a small number of undergraduates to complete internships in Latin America. Applications include a proposal, academic transcript, and letters of recommendation. Students from any department are eligible to apply. See Funding for Undergraduate Students on our website for more information.
Graduate Financial Aid
CLAS provides fellowships, travel and field research grants, and course assistantships with the Tinker Visiting Professors to graduate students. Master’s applicants who wish to be considered for financial aid during the admissions review process can simply indicate this when prompted on the online application. See Funding for Graduate Students and Master’s Financial Aid pages for more information.
Master’s Admission
The application deadline for the 2026-27 academic year is December 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM PT. Applicants must meet University admission requirements, have a working knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, or an indigenous language of Latin America (e.g., Quechua or Nahuatl) at the university third-year level or higher, and have experience working, living, or studying in Latin America or Iberia prior to admission.
CLAS takes a holistic approach to evaluating applications for admission. We consider all aspects of the application, including the applicant’s transcripts, letters of recommendation, academic writing sample, and the experiences and goals conveyed through the personal statement and resume/CV. We welcome graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. See How to Apply for more information, including application requirements.
Coterminal Master's Degrees in Latin American Studies
Undergraduates at Stanford may apply for admission to the coterminal master's program in Latin American Studies when they have earned a minimum of 120 units toward graduation, including advanced placement and transfer credit, and no later than the quarter prior to the expected completion of their undergraduate degree. The application deadline for the 2026-27 academic year is December 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM PT.
Stanford coterminal applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and meet the pre-entry language requirement. See the Coterminal Master’s section on our website for more information.
People
Browse some of the people that work for Stanford's Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS).
Director of Graduate Studies: Rebecca Tarlau
Connect With Us
Use these channels to learn more about our department and reach out to us.
Visit our website: http://clas.stanford.edu
Email us: latinamerica@stanford.edu
Call our main office: (650) 725-0501
Find Us on Campus or Send Us Mail
Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS)
Bolívar House
582 Alvarado Row
Mail Code: 8545
Stanford, CA 94305