A degree in Latin American Studies affords students a wide range of career opportunities in the United States and abroad. The continuing importance of Latin America for the U.S. and the growing Latin population in the US have produced an increasing need for trained persons with a knowledge of the region to work in government, teaching, business and other fields. Opportunities abroad are available to graduates with a master's degree who are qualified to teach at the university level in Latin American educational institutions. The Bachelor of Arts degree includes courses in anthropology, geography, history, political science and Spanish and allows students to select additional courses from other fields including art, Latin American literature, music, philosophy, and economics. The Master of Arts degree program includes advanced work in these disciplines. Programs are tailored to meet individual students' interests and needs. Students complete the degree either by passing a comprehensive examination covering three fields or by writing a thesis.

The program emphasizes strong working relationships between instructors and students and encourages students to work on group projects. The Program draws upon the expertise of many faculty whose focus is on Latin America. Several are members of the editorial board of the prestigious journal, Latin American Perspectives. Cal State LA faculty participate in a wide number of professional organizations related to Latin American Studies and are published scholars of many works. There are three endowed scholarship funds specifically for Latin American Studies students.

Many graduates of the program continue their academic careers with further university study. Recent graduates have gone on to UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Berkeley, Univeristy of North Carolina, University of Indiana, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, and the Claremont Graduate School. One of these students now teaches History at the University of San Francisco and another is a member of the Department of History at Brown University, and others are at Cal State, San Francisco, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Dominguez Hills. Several graduates are also on the faculties of local community colleges.

The Latin American Society is an active student organization that sponsors, in conjunction with the Latin American Studies Program, many educational and cultural programs on campus. It also provides students with the opportunity to work and socialize with each other and the faculty. The Program is noted for its history of major conferences on topics related to Latin American issues that have brought distinguished authorities and regional leaders to discuss topics of current importance. Subjects have included Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the Southwest, Chilean literature in exile, a Latin American music festival, Central America, human rights, and the Quincentenial. A was held in May, 1999, on the Social and Political Responses to Globalization as part of the Hewlett Foundation grant. Latin American Studies majors may join the campus chapters of Golden Key or Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies which are open to qualified students in all academic disciplines.