Foreign language requirement: Students must demonstrate proficiency beyond the intermediate level in French, Portuguese or Spanish. They must achieve a competent command of either French, Spanish or Portuguese with limited errors in vocabulary and syntax.

Cultural awareness: Students should demonstrate a broad yet integrated knowledge of the cultural, economic, geographical, historical, political and social reality of Latin America and the Caribbean. They should also demonstrate an appreciation of the presence and impact of Latino and Caribbean cultures in the United States and abroad.

Critical and analytical thinking: Students should demonstrate a multidisciplinary understanding of the region through an effective research methodology which cogently integrates different points of view that reflect the complexity of Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes the ability to comprehend and synthesize different types of cultural phenomena; to develop a working thesis and defend it through proper use of evidence and argument; and to write a coherent, critical essay that properly documents both primary and secondary sources.