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Studies & Degrees in Caribbean Studies

Caribbean Studies is an interdisciplinary area-studies field. It looks at the islands and coastal territories of the Caribbean, and at their diasporas, through history, literature, languages, politics, anthropology, music and the arts. Recurring themes are colonialism and slavery, independence and migration, Creole languages and cultures, and the region's ties with Latin America, North America, Europe and Africa.

At most universities the Caribbean is not taught on its own. It is one half of a programme in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and that is how nearly all the schools in this directory teach it. Students combine courses from several departments and add one or more of the region's languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Haitian Creole or, less often, an Indigenous language.

Qualifications and levels

The subject is offered at several levels, and the smaller formats are the most common ones.

  • Minor or certificate: a set of courses taken next to a main degree. Duke University offers undergraduate and graduate certificates through its Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies; the undergraduate certificate requires courses from at least three different departments and a language of the region. Florida Atlantic University has a minor and a certificate in Caribbean and Latin American Studies; according to the university, the certificate is roughly the equivalent of a minor and is designed for students who are not seeking a degree. Miami University in Ohio also offers a minor.
  • Bachelor's major: Hofstra University has a BA major and a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The University of Washington offers a major and a minor and asks students for language training in at least two languages of the hemisphere. At McGill University in Montreal the programme, established in 1971, can be taken as a minor, a major, an honours or a joint honours concentration within the BA.
  • Master's degree: Florida International University (FIU) in Miami runs a Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison an interdisciplinary MA in Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies. Wisconsin also has a dual degree with its Law School that takes a minimum of seven semesters.
  • Doctoral level: the field is usually a secondary specialisation of a PhD in a discipline such as history or literature. At Wisconsin, PhD candidates from other departments can add a minor with a minimum of 12 graduate credits.
  • Short courses: FIU's Haitian Summer Institute is a six-week programme of Haitian Creole at beginning, intermediate and advanced level, with lectures on Haitian history and culture. FIU also has an undergraduate certificate in Haitian Studies, and its certificates can be followed on campus or fully online.

What students learn

Programmes usually combine an introductory course on the region, courses from several disciplines, language study and a final seminar, capstone or thesis. Duke lists Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mayan languages and Haitian Kreyol as the languages in which its certificate students develop their skills, and Wisconsin periodically offers Ecuadorian Quechua and Yucatec Maya next to Spanish and Portuguese.

Study abroad is a regular part of the degree. The University of Washington, for example, mentions programmes led by its own faculty in Mexico, Peru, Martinique and Dominica. McGill has a cooperation agreement that lets its honours students count part of their undergraduate coursework towards the MA in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 12 active schools for Caribbean Studies: 10 in the United States, one in Canada (McGill University, Montreal) and one in the Netherlands (Utrecht University). The US schools include FIU in Miami, Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Duke University in Durham, Hofstra University near New York, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Washington in Seattle. Florida Atlantic University describes South Florida as a gateway to Latin America, and FIU hosts the Digital Library of the Caribbean among its research resources.

Teaching is in English at all of these universities, with part of the coursework in the languages of the region.

Careers

Caribbean Studies does not lead to one regulated profession. FIU states that its programmes prepare students for doctoral studies or for careers in government, the non-profit sector, academia, media, the arts and the private sector. Hofstra names education, international business, law, government (including immigration, foreign affairs and diplomacy) and non-governmental organisations. In practice the value of the degree depends on what it is combined with: languages, a second major, or a professional qualification such as law or teaching.

Frequently asked questions

Can Caribbean Studies be studied as a degree on its own?

Rarely. At the schools listed here it is almost always part of a programme in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, taken as a minor, certificate, major or master's degree.

Which languages are needed for Caribbean Studies?

Teaching is in English, but programmes expect study of at least one language of the region. Spanish, French, Portuguese and Haitian Creole are the usual choices.

Is there a master's degree in Caribbean Studies?

Yes, as part of a wider regional programme. Examples are the Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Florida International University and the MA in Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Where can Haitian Creole be learned at university level?

Florida International University runs a six-week Haitian Summer Institute with Haitian Creole courses at three levels, and Duke University includes Haitian Kreyol among the languages of its certificate.