18
Credit Hour Minor
15
Credit Hour Certificate

Degree

  • Minor https://www.stmarytx.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/presidential-award-winner-sierra-salas.jpg
  • Undergraduate Certificate https://www.stmarytx.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/presidential-award-winner-sierra-salas.jpg

School

Department

Department Chair

Mexican American Studies at St. Mary’s

Mexican American Studies (MAS) at St. Mary’s University is an interdisciplinary program offering both undergraduate minor and certificate options.

Through MAS, students can investigate themes of identity, heritage, community, language, faith, belonging and struggle as they relate to Chicanx and Mexican American populations.

The MAS program affords students the opportunity to develop a basic understanding of histories of oppression and resistance, interactions between race, class, gender and sexuality and the impacts of local, national and international relations of power relevant to Chicanx and Mexican American peoples.

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Program of Study

Both the 18-credit hour minor and 15-credit hour certificate in MAS can be completed through electives and serve to complement any major offered at St. Mary’s.

The program cultivates a critical, cross-cultural knowledge base necessary for students’ future personal and professional lives. MAS courses are offered across a variety of departments, allowing students the ability to design a personalized course of study relevant to their unique interests and career paths.

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#1
Private University in San Antonio (U.S. News & World Report, 2027)
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94%
of faculty hold a Ph.D. or terminal degree.

In the News

Belinda Roman

“The certification in Mexican-American Studies is useful in professional development, especially with the increased emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion in the business world.”

Belinda Roman, Ph.D.

In October 2022, KSAT News spotlighted the Mexican American Studies program at St. Mary’s University. Read the full story to hear what faculty and students about their experience with the certificate.

Read the story

The Value of Mexican American Studies

St. Mary’s is a Catholic, federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution situated on the West Side of San Antonio, a city with a 65% Latin American population. The university, approximately 150 miles from the Mexican border, serves a predominantly Latin American student population, as it did when it was first founded.

Today, St. Mary’s is one of only two universities in San Antonio to offer a minor in Mexican American Studies. For these reasons alone, MAS is important for understanding one’s place in the St. Mary’s community and its history.

MAS is distinctly aligned with the University’s mission to foster the formation of people in faith and educate leaders for the common good. An education in MAS trains students in all of their engagements to be:

  • Historically informed
  • Creative
  • Politically engaged
  • Critically minded
  • Original
  • Cross-culturally competent
  • Thoughtful
Two students seated outside smile and talk.

These qualities make MAS students more competitive in the job market and more fulfilled in their personal lives.

Career Opportunities

  • Community development
  • Community advocacy
  • Health-related fields
  • Human resources
  • International relations
  • Law
  • Marketing
  • Policing
  • Public administration

Related Events and Programming

  • Mariachi performs during the Rattler Experience.

    Hispanic Heritage Month

    St. Mary’s is proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with informative and engaging events on campus.

    Event Calendar
  • Margaret Cantu Sanchez

    Mexican American Studies Symposium

    The Mexican American Studies Symposium advances Mexican American Studies in San Antonio and the United States.

    Mexican American Studies Symposium
  • Female student smiles proudly wearing her regalia.

    Center for Mexican American Studies

    The Center for Mexican American Studies serves as an academic home for learning, faculty and student scholarship and campus community.

    Center for Mexican American Studies

Faculty

Similar Programs

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We’re eager to hear from you and answer any questions you have! Feel free to reach out to learn more about St. Mary’s University.

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