Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Degrees and Fields of Study

  • M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
  • M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies/Museum Studies
  • M.A. and Advanced Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies/Museum Studies
  • Joint M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies/Journalism
  • M.A.-J.D. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies/Law

Application Deadlines

Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted online by 5PM Eastern Time. If a listed deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or U.S. federal holiday, then the next business day will be the actual deadline.

M.A. and Advanced Certificate & M.A.-J.D.

  • February 1: Fall admission with financial aid consideration
  • April 15: Fall admission without financial aid consideration

M.A.-J.D. applicants must submit two separate applications — one to GSAS, and another to NYU Law. Please consult NYU Law Admissions for the J.D. application deadline.

Joint M.A.

  • December 18: Fall admission, recommended deadline
  • January 15: Fall admission, final deadline

All Other M.A. Programs

  • November 1: Spring admission
    • Not offered by M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies/Museum Studies program.
  • February 1: Fall admission with financial aid consideration
  • April 15: Fall admission without financial aid consideration

Test Scores

GRE

  • GRE general test optional.

TOEFL/IELTS

Applicants must submit official TOEFL or IELTS scores (TOEFL preferred) unless they:

  • Are a native English speaker; OR

  • Are a US citizen or permanent resident; OR

  • Have completed (or will complete) a baccalaureate or master's degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English.

Statement of Academic Purpose

All Programs

In a concisely written statement, please describe your past and present work as it relates to your intended field of study, your educational objectives, and your career goals. In addition, please include your intellectual and professional reasons for choosing your field of study and why your studies/research can best be done at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU. The statement should not exceed two double-spaced pages.

Joint M.A. Program

In addition to the Statement of Academic Purpose instructions above, Journalism requires applicants to write a personal essay. The essay is an extremely important part of the application, so treat it accordingly. The essay should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length. In addition, all applicants must submit at least three samples of their work, whether published or not.

The goal of the essay is to give the Admissions Committee a concrete sense of who you are as someone who aspires to a career as a professional journalist, writing and reporting for print, online or broadcast media. It should address the following questions: What do you expect to get from the program? What aspects of your experience are most relevant to your interest in journalism? Tell us about your background--your academic degree, intellectual interests, work experience, life experience, and other sources of inspiration--and explain how this background informs what you want to do as a journalist.

Applicants should also describe their existing "body of work" as a journalist, critic or just someone who writes. We are mostly interested in published work, but if you have yet to break into print, then tell us what kind of writing you have done. What have been your major themes? What issues and phenomena most engage you? What publications do you read regularly and why? Which journalists do you admire, which do you dislike, and which have influenced you?

Please append to your essay a brief statement of your plans for financing your graduate work. This statement must be included, whether or not you are applying for financial aid.

 

 

Writing Sample

All Programs

A writing sample is required. It should be limited to 15 double-spaced pages, perhaps excerpting a longer work, and must be written in English. It should be a term paper, essay, or publication that demonstrates your capacity to conduct research and/or social, political, or cultural analysis. It need not have been published. If you are a native speaker of Spanish or Portuguese, you may also submit an additional writing sample not longer than 15 double-spaced pages written in Spanish or Portuguese; this text is optional and does not replace the English language sample. Please note that bibliography/end notes/figures are not included in the page count limit.

Joint M.A. Program

In addition to the writing sample described above for all applicants, three additional writing samples are required for Journalism. The writing samples need not have been published, although if you have clips you are proud of, please do submit them. The samples should represent your best overall work and your aptitude for journalism. Clips from your college newspaper, personal essays, academic research papers, and short fiction are all acceptable.