Master of Arts in Latin American Studies and Doctor of Jurisprudence

The Law School and the Institute of Latin American Studies offer a dual degree program leading to two graduate degrees: the Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) and the Master of Arts in Latin American Studies (MALAS). The program is designed for those students who wish to study law and Latin American issues in an integrated and interdisciplinary manner. Students who expect to be involved in government service or legal practices with a Latin American focus could benefit from this program. After spending the first year at the Law School, students will divide their course load between the two programs to complete the dual degree program requirements within eight semesters.A student admitted to the dual degree program must begin in the Fall Semester at the Law School and complete the first-year course work during the first year of dual enrollment. This must be done before taking any courses relating to the dual degree program. Both degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of all requirements of the dual degree program. Therefore, students should arrange their course schedules so that both degree requirements are completed in the same semester.

Transcript(s) - Applicants must submit an official transcript from all undergraduate and graduate institutions you’ve attended, with the exceptions of community or junior colleges that offer no coursework beyond the sophomore year.GRE Score - The GRE score requirement is being waived for Fall 2025 admissions applicants.Letters of Recommendation Personal statementCurriculum Vitae (CV) or RésuméWriting sample (both MA and PhD applicants): Please submit a writing sample of approximately 6,000–8,000 words. MA applicants: This could be a thesis chapter or a term paper, no more than 30 pages or 6,000–8,000 words. PhD applicants: We prefer a chapter of your master's thesis, but a term paper or article will also be accepted. The preference for writing samples to be in English, but they will also be accepted in Spanish or Portuguese.All applications and required materials are submitted online. Please do not send hard copies of required application materials, including letters of recommendation, directly to LLILAS or UT’s Graduate Admissions office as this may delay completion of your application. Do not send any additional materials with your application. We are unable to return original copies of documents sent for admissions review.The Graduate School requires applicants to have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree from a foreign academic institution.A grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or a comparable GPA in upper-division work—junior- and senior-level courses—and in any graduate work already completed is also required