The program in Chican@ and Latin@ Studies (CLS) offers a systematic and interdisciplinary analysis of Mexican- and Latin-American-origin people, cultures, and collectivities within the United States. The CLS major and certificate are designed to provide students with a broad knowledge base and the intellectual tools to understand the unity and diversity of those people and cultures, both historically and in the contemporary period, as they explore the central questions and topics that have emerged in this interdisciplinary field.  The CLS curriculum enables students to engage with the history, experience, arts, cultural production, and social lives of communities of Latin American descent in the United States, developing their capacities for civic and community engagement as well as research, writing, and analytical skills. CLS graduates are equipped to include and engage with diverse perspectives as they pursue careers in such fields as education, social service, communications, publishing, business, journalism, agriculture, engineering, the arts, construction, and the health professions.

To declare the Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies major, a student should set up an appointment with the CLS advisor. It is recommended that students declare the major as early as possible to plan the required coursework. There are no specific courses that must be completed before declaration.

Students declared in the Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies Certificate may not be declared in the Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies major at the same time. Students who do wish to declare this major must first cancel their declaration into the Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies Certificate.

University General Education Requirements

All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below. Consult your advisor for assistance, as needed. For additional information, see the university Undergraduate General Education Requirements section of the Guide.

College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. The College of Letters & Science allows this major to be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree requirements.

Bachelor of Science DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Non–L&S Students PURSUING AN L&S MAJOR

Non–L&S students who have permission from their school/college to pursue an additional major within L&S only need to fulfill the major requirements. They do not need to complete the L&S Degree Requirements above.

Requirements for the Major

The major requires a minimum of 30 credits and the specific requirements include: 

Residence and Quality of Work 

• 2.000 GPA in all CHICLA and major courses
• 2.000 GPA on at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major, in residence.  Upper-level in the major includes CHICLA courses numbered 300 and above and courses that count for the major that are designated as Intermediate or Advanced level.
• 15 credits in CHICLA taken in residence on the UW-Madison campus

University Degree Requirements

1. Identify and analyze core concepts, important social and political issues, and key artistic and cultural expressions related to Chicana/o and Latina/o life in the United States.
2. Discuss the histories of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in the United States and their implications for contemporary problems of racialization, social stratification, colonialism, and oppression.
3. Describe the commonalities and differences among Chicanas/os and Latinas/os along lines of class, gender, race, sexuality, citizenship, and national origin, and evaluate Latinidad as a pan-ethnic category in the United States.
4. Analyze relations between Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in the United States and their countries of heritage from a transnational and transborder perspective.
5. Apply ideas from Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies to concrete problems through service-learning and community-based research, in a spirit of dialogue and reciprocal exchange informed by ethical and social justice principles.

Sample Four-Year Plan

This Sample Four-Year Plan is a tool to assist students and their advisor(s). Students should use it—along with their DARS report, the Degree Planner, and Course Search & Enroll tools—to make their own four-year plan based on their placement scores, credit for transferred courses and approved examinations, and individual interests. As students become involved in athletics, honors, research, student organizations, study abroad, volunteer experiences, and/or work, they might adjust the order of their courses to accommodate these experiences. Students will likely revise their own four-year plan several times during college.

Sample Three-Year Plan

This Sample Three-Year Plan is a tool to assist students and their advisor(s). Students should use it —along with their DARS report, the Degree Planner, and Course Search & Enroll tools — to make their own three-year plan based on their placement scores, credit for transferred courses and approved examinations, and individual interests.

Three-year plans may vary considerably from student to student, depending on their individual preparation and circumstances. Students interested in graduating in three years should meet with an advisor as early as possible to discuss feasibility, appropriate course sequencing, post-graduation plans (careers, graduate school, etc.), and opportunities they might forgo in pursuit of a three-year graduation plan.

Departmental Expectations

A three-year degree is feasible for students with a variety of backgrounds and specific preparation. The plan assumes that students are coming to UW-Madison with approximately 27 credits from AP/IB or college transfer credits.  Your plan may look different depending on the number of credits you bring in.

Departmental Advising

Academic advising for the CLS major and certificate is available in the Student Advising Office, 307 Ingraham Hall.  Prospective and current students must make an appointment with Senior Advisor Rachelle Eilers, reilers@wisc.edu, to discuss requirements, courses, and application to the major or certificate.  CLS graduates have enjoyed great success in fields including the health professions, social service, education, law, journalism, business, the arts, politics, and government service.

L&S career resources

Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities.  SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.

In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.

Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.

• SuccessWorks
• Set up a career advising appointment
• Enroll in a Career Course - a great idea for first- and second-year students:
  • INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit)
  • INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Comm B General Education Requirement)
• Learn about internships and internship funding
  • INTER-LS 260 Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Activate your Handshake account to apply for jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers recruiting UW-Madison students
• Learn about the impact SuccessWorks has on students' lives

For a detailed list of faculty, please see the department website.