Latin American Studies Leiden University

Overview

Latin America is an increasingly important player on the world stage: culturally, politically, and economically. In Latin American Studies , you develop into an expert on this strategic region: from global food supply (thanks to the region's large agricultural exports) to the energy transition (driven by its vast reserves of lithium and copper).

With Spanish and Portuguese you can already reach nearly one billion people, spread across more than twenty countries. But the programme goes beyond geopolitics and language alone. You explore how language and culture are intertwined with identity and power. You will be trained to set up an individual research project you will specialise in through your fieldwork.

Leiden University 's master in Latin American Studies explores the most current social, political, linguistic and cultural developments shaping Latin America today. We offer you the opportunity to specialise in the Latin American region, and offer a unique combination of multi-disciplinary expertise for the Netherlands in the field of Brazilian studies. You can choose to focus on any of the countries in the region, depending on your interests.

What you will learn

With the skills and knowledge you have gained during the MA in Latin American Studies at Leiden University you will be able to work in a range of professional and academic careers. These include highly sought after skills such as:

• Problem solving (recognizing and analyzing problems, solution-oriented thinking)
• Analytical skills (analytical thinking, abstraction, evidence)
• Project management (planning, scope, boundaries, result-orientation)
• Responsibility (ownership, self-discipline, bear mistakes, accountability)
• Motivation (commitment, pro-active attitude, initiative)
• Self-regulation (independence, self-esteem, aware of own goals, motives and capacities)
• Verbal communication (presenting, speaking, listening)
• Written communication (writing skills, reporting, summarising)
• Collaboration (teamwork, group support, loyalty, attendance)
• Flexibility (adaptability, dealing with change, teachability, eagerness to learn)
• Critical thinking (asking questions, check assumptions)
• Creative thinking (resourcefulness, curiosity, thinking out of the box)
• Integrity (honesty, moral, ethics, personal values)
• Intercultural skills (communications between different cultures)

Career prospects

Your degree qualifies you for roles in cultural organisations, education, translation, tourism, publishing, documentation and information processing, development, embassies, ministries of foreign affairs, and semi-governmental and non-profit organisations with a focus on Latin America. You are also well-equipped to pursue a PhD position and a career in academia.

Examples of the diverse roles of our graduates include:

• The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (policy advisor)
• NGO’s
• Fairtrade organisations
• Translation agencies
• Education
• PhD’s in Colombia, Germany, and the United States.

Accreditation

Accredited by NVAO, the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders.