The Ph.D. program in Latin American and Latino Studies at UCSC offers an innovative transnational and interdisciplinary approach to the study of the peoples, cultures, societies and institutions of the Américas. The program is designed to educate students in this new field of study and train them to develop the conceptual and analytical skills necessary for understanding the dynamics of hemispheric change. This is the first doctoral program in Latin American and Latino Studies.

The Doctoral Program in Latin American and Latino Studies is projected to accept students in fall 2014.

Currently, the department has a Graduate Designated Emphasis, open to any current graduate student at UCSC.