Master of Arts

The objective of graduate study at The University of Texas at Austin is to expand intellectual breadth and provide specialized training necessary for a career in teaching, research, the arts, or the professions. Emphasis is placed on the knowledge, methods, and skills needed for scholarly teaching, original research and problem solving, intellectual leadership, creative expression, and other modes of achievement in the student's discipline.

The objective of the Master of Arts degree program in Mexican American Studies is to prepare students for professional careers in which advanced knowledge about the Mexican American experience is crucial. In addition, graduates are prepared to pursue doctoral work in a related discipline at UT Austin or in Mexican American Studies at other institutions.

Students in the Master of Arts degree program in Mexican American Studies come from such institutions as UT Austin, Texas Christian University, Texas Lutheran University, the University of Houston, and UCLA.

Course Requirements

Students pursuing the Master of Arts degree in Mexican American Studies choose one of two plans: MAS Plan A, which requires 33 semester hours of course work (including a thesis) or MAS Plan B, which requires 33 semester hours of course work (including two reports).

Download a checklist for MAS Plan A (PDF, 63K)
Download a checklist for MAS Plan B (PDF, 75K)

Students for both plans complete a foundational seminar in Mexican American Studies (MAS 390—Introduction to Mexican American Studies).

Students pursuing Plan A complete 15 hours of graduate course work in a major concentration and 9 hours of graduate course work in a minor concentration. They must also complete 6 hours in the thesis course (MAS 698A/B—Thesis).

Students pursuing Plan B must choose 3 concentrations and then complete at least 6 but no more than 12 hours of graduate course work in each concentration. They must also complete 6 hours in the report courses (MAS 398R—Master’s Report and MAS 397R—Secondary Report) and 6 additional hours in the concentrations in which they write the reports.

Course work for Plan A and Plan B may be chosen from a variety of fields of study but must have at least 25% content in Mexican American or Mexican Studies. Students should contact the Program Coordinator to find out about the graduate course offerings of CMAS faculty associates.

Students are required to meet with the Program Coordinator before the start of each semester to determine their course selections. Before the meeting, students should utilize the Graduate Degree Planner to determine the placement of courses in the concentrations they have chosen for either Plan A or Plan B.

An advising bar is placed on each student prior to registration and is removed after a student has met with the Program Coordinator.

Registration information and procedures are available through the Office of the Registrar.

Students should be aware of the following items when considering course options:

• Students can take no more than 6 graduate-level conference course hours (MAS 382—Conference Course) and apply them to either Plan A or Plan B.
• Students can take no more than 6 hours of graduate course work on a Credit/No Credit basis (except for thesis or report hours).
• Students can take no more than 6 hours of upper-division undergraduate course work. Students must have prior approval of the instructor to take an undergraduate course and they must inform the Program Coordinator of these arrangements. Upper-division undergraduate courses do NOT count toward the requirements for Plan A or Plan B.

Thesis Requirement for Plan A

Students register for MAS 698A in preparation for the thesis, and then MAS 698B during the semester the thesis is written.

The thesis is prepared under the direction of a supervisor, who is chair of the supervising committee, and includes a reader of the thesis. The supervisor must be a member of the Graduate Studies Committee in Mexican American Studies.

A thesis is based on original research conducted by the student and typically is 50 to 75 pages in length (pending the approval of the thesis supervisor). The thesis is subject to the approval of the committee and ultimately to the approval of the graduate dean.

A thesis is usually submitted at the end of the fourth long semester (i.e., second spring semester that a student is enrolled) or the end of the second summer session.

Report Requirements for Plan B

Students register for MAS 398R for the first report, and then MAS 397R for the second report.

Each report is prepared under the direction of a supervisor, who is chair of the supervising committee, and includes a reader of the report. The supervisor must be a member of the Graduate Studies Committee in Mexican American Studies.

Reports typically result from gathering special materials, from an internship or similar experience, or from seminar, and conference course papers. Each report is typically is 30 to 50 pages in length (pending the approval of the report supervisor). Each report is subject to the approval of the committee and ultimately to the approval of the graduate dean.

The first report is usually written before the end of the third long semester (i.e., second fall semester that a student is enrolled); the second report is usually written before the end of the fourth long semester (i.e., second spring semester that a student is enrolled).  Both reports must be submitted to the Graduate School as one document, with the first report as Part A and the second report as Part B.

Concentrations

Students organize the courses they take to satisfy either Plan A or B by designating specific concentrations.  The concentrations listed below reflect the intellectual breadth and depth of CMAS faculty associates through their research interests and the graduate courses offered in past semesters. 

• Communication and Culture
• Gender and Sexuality
• History and Identity
• Knowledge and Society
• Participation and Politics

Students are allowed, on a case-by-case basis, to develop their own concentrations that can satisfy the Plan A or Plan B requirements in consultation with the Graduate Adviser or Program Coordinator.

Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate competence in written and/or oral Spanish by means approved by the Graduate Studies Committee in Mexican American Studies in order to complete the degree program.

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