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Getting started in Latin American and Latino Studies: Fall 2024 Entering Frosh

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Students are admitted to UCSC with a "proposed major" in most cases, and later petition to officially declare the major. Admission to UCSC does not guarantee acceptance into a particular major. Students must be declared in a major by the end of the second year (or equivalent), so learning about and preparing for a major is a primary goal for first-year students.

Importance of an early start:	Students interested in the LALS B.A. are encouraged to enroll in at least one Latin American and Latino Studies course in their first year.
Qualification requirements and/or prerequisites for the major:	Review 2024-25 Major Qualification Requirements in the General Catalog. Contact lalsadvising@ucsc.edu with any questions.
Frosh who intend to pursue this major should do the following things prior to the beginning of fall term...	Review the major programs offered by LALS, and explore our course offerings for the upcoming academic year, to make a plan for taking your first LALS class. Contact LALS Advising to make an academic plan for the major. If you are pursuing the optional LALS Language Intensive concentration, contact the LALS Advisor about preparation for LALS courses taught in Spanish and/or study abroad options to take courses taught in Spanish or Portuguese. You might also consider the domestic exchange program to study Latin American Indigenous languages at the University of New Mexico.
...and should take these courses their first term:	LALS 5: Introduction to Human Rights and Social Justice or any lower-division elective (numbered 1-94).
Special enrollment procedures:	Enroll online during your enrollment appointment time.
Sample Academic Plan:	Reach out to the LALS Advisor to make an academic plan for the major and/or review the 2024-25 Sample Academic Plan in the General Catalog.
Other Information:	In addition to courses offered at UCSC, students may fulfill elective requirements with appropriate courses taken while participating in a Global Learning study away program, such as the LALS Global Internship Program. It is also helpful to start thinking about Undergraduate Research early in the college career, and majors should plan to take the LALS research course and research lab, LALS 100A + LALS 100L, by the end of the second year. Many students with LALS majors are able to double major or add a minor to their LALS plan. Talk to the LALS advisor for more information.
Links to Review:	Department Website Program Description (Catalog)
Advisor Contact Information:	LALS Advising (831) 459-2119 or lalsadvising@ucsc.edu 32 Merrill Acad. Bld. Merrill College