latam.ufl.edu

The site at latam.ufl.edu is the official web presence of the University of Florida's Center for Latin American Studies (UF-LAS), an academic center focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. It is aimed at prospective and current students, faculty, researchers, alumni, and the general public who want information about the Center's programs, people, and events. It is an informational and academic site, not a commercial one.

What the Center is

According to the site, the Center brings together over 190 experts on the region and is recognized as one of the top-ranked centers internationally. It has been continuously designated a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education since 1961. These two facts frame the site's purpose: it is a hub for regional expertise and federally supported academic programming.

What you can find on the site

The navigation and page content point to several main areas:

• Academics — graduate and undergraduate programs, LAS specializations, course listings, cross-listing policies, and study abroad, including the Florida-Brazil Linkage Institute (FBLI).
• People — center-based faculty, affiliate faculty, MALAS students, center staff, visiting and research scholars, and the faculty advisory council.
• Student funding and forms — academic and funding forms, plus library travel grants.
• Outreach — K-16 professional development, teacher resources, and virtual exchange.
• Program highlights — the Latin American and Caribbean Collection, the Latin American Business Environment (LABE) report, the International Ethnography Lab, the Master's in Development Practice, and Tropical Conservation & Development.
• News & events — a calendar of events, an event support request form, the annual conference, "Stories from the Center," and The Latinamericanist newsletter.
• Alumni — profiles, awards, an update form, and the alumni board.
• Giving — a donation page.

Who it serves

The site is organized around distinct audiences: prospective students, current students, and alumni each have their own entry points, alongside faculty and researchers. Outreach sections such as teacher resources and K-16 professional development extend it to educators beyond the university, and public-facing news and event listings make much of the content open to anyone interested in the region.

Practical notes

• The site is in English.
• It functions as a directory and information source; specific program requirements, deadlines, and funding details are handled through the linked academic and funding pages rather than the homepage.
• If you are looking for a particular program, start from the Academics section; for research or collaboration, the People and Program Highlights sections are the relevant entry points.

The UF Center for Latin American Studies runs public-facing outreach through four main channels: K-16 professional development and teacher resources, virtual exchange, cultural events, and an annual conference. It also publishes open resources such as the Latin American Business Environment (LABE) report and email newsletters. Most of these are listed on the center's site under Outreach, News & Events, and Program Highlights, so you can browse them directly rather than requesting access.

K-16 professional development and teacher resources

The center's Outreach section includes a dedicated K-16 Professional Development track and a Teacher Resources page. These are aimed at educators who want to bring Latin American content into their classrooms.

• K-16 Professional Development — programming for teachers at the K-16 level.
• Teacher Resources — materials educators can use directly.
• Virtual Exchange — listed alongside the outreach programs, connecting classrooms or groups across locations.

If you are a teacher, start with the Teacher Resources page, then check the calendar for upcoming professional development sessions. The site does not publish a fixed schedule of sessions, so the calendar is the place to confirm what is running.

Cultural events and the annual conference

The center hosts cultural events and an annual conference, both organized under News & Events.

The Calendar of Events is the single place to check dates, since the site presents events as a live calendar rather than a static list. If you are organizing something and want center support, the Event support request form is the entry point.

Public-facing reports and publications

Beyond events, the center publishes resources anyone can read:

• Latin American Business Environment (LABE) Report — the 2025-26 edition is published and described as offering analysis of the regional business environment.
• The Latinamericanist — the center's publication; the Spring 2026 edition features the Bacardi scholar, an Amazonian conservation conference, and the Charles Wood Thesis winner.
• Email newsletters — you can sign up through the site to receive center news.
• Stories from the Center — ongoing news and feature stories.

These are useful if you want research or regional context without attending an event.

How to decide where to start

• You're a teacher → Teacher Resources, then K-16 Professional Development, then the calendar.
• You want to attend something → Calendar of Events.
• You want to request support for your own event → Event support request form.
• You want publications or regional analysis → LABE Report, The Latinamericanist, and the newsletter signup.

One practical note: the site does not state fees, registration requirements, or eligibility rules for these programs in the material available, so confirm those details on the individual pages or by contacting the center before planning around a specific event.

The UF Center for Latin American Studies (UF-LAS) supports research through a library collection, travel grants, student funding, and several named research programs. The main entry points are the Latin American and Caribbean Collection, Library Travel Grants, the Student Funding and Academic & Funding Forms pages, and research programs such as the International Ethnography Lab and Tropical Conservation & Development (TCD). Most of these are organized under the site's Academics, Outreach, and Program Highlights sections, so you can reach them from the main navigation rather than searching page by page.

Library and collection resources

• Latin American and Caribbean Collection — listed under Program Highlights, this is the center's library resource for Latin American and Caribbean materials.
• Library Travel Grants — listed under Outreach, these grants support travel to use library collections. If your research depends on physical holdings, this is the funding route to check first.

Funding for students

• Student Funding — a dedicated page under Academics for funding opportunities aimed at students.
• Academic & Funding Forms — the page where the related academic and funding paperwork is collected, so applications and requests route through here.

The site does not publish award amounts, deadlines, or eligibility rules in the material available here, so confirm those details on the Student Funding and Library Travel Grants pages before planning an application.

Research programs and labs

• International Ethnography Lab — a program highlight for ethnographic research work.
• Tropical Conservation & Development (TCD) — a program highlight; TCD received an $890,000 grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for Amazonian research, funding workshops, specialized training clinics, and an Amazon Summit at UF.
• Latin American Business Environment (LABE) — publishes the annual LABE Report; the 2025-26 LABE Report is available.
• Master's in Development Practice — a graduate program listed under Program Highlights.

Faculty, visiting, and research scholar options

• Faculty Resources — support and information for center-based and affiliate faculty.
• Visiting & Research Scholars — the pathway for scholars coming to UF, listed under People.
• Center-Based Faculty and Affiliate Faculty — the two faculty categories the center maintains.
• Tinker Field Research Collaborative — the center was named to this collaborative, which is relevant if you are looking for field research connections.

For context on scale: the center has over 190 experts on the region and has been continuously designated a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education since 1961.

Where to start

If you are a prospective student, the Prospective Students page and Why LAS? section explain the academic side; current students and alumni have their own sections for ongoing funding and program news.

The UF Center for Latin American Studies site (latam.ufl.edu) is organized around a main menu that runs across the top of every page: About, People, Academics, Outreach, News & Events, and Alumni, plus a "Make a Gift!" link. If you know which of those buckets your question falls into, you can reach almost any page in one or two clicks. The sections below map each menu area to what it actually contains, so you can go straight to the right page.

Main menu sections and what they hold

Two entries sit alongside the main menu rather than inside it: Make a Gift! (the donation page) and Sign up for our email newsletters.

If you're a prospective student

Start with Academics → Why LAS? for the case for the program, then Graduate Programs or Undergraduate Programs depending on your level. Supporting pages you'll likely need next:

• LAS Specializations and LAS Courses — what you'd actually study
• Student Funding and Academic & Funding Forms — money and paperwork
• Study Abroad — overseas components
• Prospective Students — a dedicated landing page linked from the Academics area

The site also highlights a MALAS (Master of Arts in Latin American Studies) cohort, so if that's your target degree, the MALAS Students listing under People shows who's currently in the program.

If you're a current student or alum

• Current Students — the hub for enrolled students
• Alumni — profiles, awards, the Alumni Board, an update form, and a roll call
• Alumni update form — the way to tell the Center what you're doing now

Finding news, events, and publications

News & Events is where time-sensitive material lives: the Calendar of events, an Event support request form, the Annual conference, Stories from the Center, and The Latinamericanist (the Center's publication). Recent items surfaced on the homepage include a new MALAS cohort, an editorial assistant opening at LARR, and the 2026 Kislak Family Foundation Artist in Residence — all reachable through this section.

Research resources and funding

Research-facing material is split across two menu areas rather than gathered in one place:

• Outreach holds Library Travel Grants, Virtual Exchange, and Teacher Resources
• Academics holds Student Funding and Academic & Funding Forms
• The Latin American and Caribbean Collection and Latin American Business Environment (LABE) appear among the Center's program highlights

If you're looking specifically for grants or funding, check both Outreach and Academics — they don't overlap.

Using search and staying updated

A Search box with a UF Submit Search button sits in the header, which is the fastest route when you know a name or phrase but not its menu location. For recurring updates, use Sign up for our email newsletters rather than checking the site manually.

Donating

Make a Gift! is a standalone link in the header, separate from the Alumni section. Use it if you want to give; use Alumni → Alumni update form if you want to stay in touch instead.

The UF Center for Latin American Studies offers both graduate and undergraduate academic paths, with its graduate offerings centered on the Master of Arts in Latin American Studies (MALAS) and the Master's in Development Practice, alongside undergraduate programs and LAS specializations. Coursework can be cross-listed and covers Latin American topics. Program details live under the Academics section of the center's site. If you are looking for a specific degree, funding, or course list, the Academics pages are the place to start.

Graduate Programs

The center's graduate offerings include:

• MALAS (Master of Arts in Latin American Studies) — the center's flagship master's program, with a visible student cohort (the site highlights "Meet the new MALAS cohort" under student news).
• Master's in Development Practice — listed among the center's program highlights.

The site also points to Student Funding and Academic & Funding Forms for graduate students, so prospective and current students can look into financial support alongside admission.

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate study is organized through:

• Undergraduate Programs — the general undergraduate track in Latin American Studies.
• LAS Specializations — focused areas within the major.
• LAS Courses — the course catalog for the field.

Courses and Cross-Listing

Coursework covers Latin American topics, and the center maintains a Cross-Listing Policies page, meaning LAS courses may be cross-listed with other departments. If you are planning a schedule or checking whether a course counts toward your program, review the cross-listing policies before enrolling.

Related Program Highlights

Beyond the core degrees, the center lists several program highlights that connect to its academic mission:

• Latin American and Caribbean Collection (library resources)
• Latin American Business Environment (LABE)
• International Ethnography Lab
• Tropical Conservation & Development
• Study Abroad and the Florida-Brazil Linkage Institute (FBLI)
• Language & Careers

Where to Find Program Details

For authoritative program requirements, deadlines, and funding information, use the center's Academics section, which links to Graduate Programs, Undergraduate Programs, LAS Specializations, LAS Courses, Cross-Listing Policies, Student Funding, and Academic & Funding Forms. Prospective students can also use the Prospective Students and Directory pages to get oriented.

Why the Center

The center reports over 190 experts on the region and has been continuously designated a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education since 1961 — context that may matter if you are weighing the depth of faculty and resources behind these programs.