2) three fields of political science (plus two graduate courses in a fourth field) and two minor fields or a com- posite minor. The Center for Latin American Studies is responsible for directing and coordinating graduate training, research, and other academic activities related to the Latin American area. Master of Arts Degree in Latin American Area Studies.-The interdisciplinary area degree offered through the Center can be pursued in two options. The first is a traditional program which emphasizes training and research focused on developing a greater apprecia- tion and understanding of Latin America's cultures, tra- ditions, and languages. Requirements for the major concentration are 14 credits consisting primarily of Latin American language or area courses in one department, which may be agricultural and extension education, anthropology, economics, food and resource economics, geography, history, political science, Romance languages (Spanish and Portuguese), or sociology. The second alternative clusters course work and research along a selected topical field, with the emphasis placed on training in interdisciplinary problem-solving methodologies and their application to contemporary Latin American problems. Under this option, and especially with regard to the training of students from Latin America, an individualized program of instruction is developed to build on prior professional or adminis- trative experiences and prepare the individual for technical and professional work in the home country. Requirements for the major are 14 credits in an inter- disciplinary, applied course of study focused on Latin America which may include such fields as rural or urban development, regional analysis, demography, social change, tropical agriculture, migration, natural resource management, health delivery, mass communications, or museum studies and conservation. Other requirements, common to both options, include 12 credits of Latin American language and/or area courses in at least two other departments. Included in this requirement are at least one semester of LAS 6938, a thesis on a Latin American topic for which up to six credits are given through registration in LAS 6971, and a reading, writing, and speaking knowledge of a Latin American language. The M.A. with a program in Latin American Area Studies is intended primarily as a terminal degree for persons who are not aiming at a teaching career in tradi- tional academic departments but who require either a broad knowledge of Latin American cultures and appropriate language competence or interdisciplinary, problem-related, area-focused training for their profes- sional career objectives. This program is so structured, however, that students may move directly from it into departmental Ph.D. programs without interrupting or slowing down their academic progress. Minimum requirements for admission to the program are (1) a grade average of B (3.00) for all upper-division undergraduate work; (2) a combined Verbal-Quantitative score of at least 1000 on the Graduate Record Examina- tion; (3) an adequate proficiency in reading, writing, aural comprehension, and speaking of either Spanish or Portu- guese. Students not meeting the required proficiency will be required to take an appropriate remedial course. Exceptions to the above requirements are made only. when these and other criteria, such as letters of recom- mendation, are reviewed by the Center, recommended by the Center, and approved by the Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. Master's Degree with a Certificate in Latin American SPECIAL FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS / 29 Studies.--Through agreement with departments of par- ticipating colleges (Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Journalism and Communica- tions, and Agriculture) students in master's programs requiring theses may earn a Certificate in Latin American Studies. The requirements are (a) at least 20 credits of work in the major department with a Latin American con- centration, (b) a six-credit minor with Latin American content in another department including one semester of LAS 6938, (c) a thesis on a Latin American topic for which up to six credits are given, and (d) a reading knowledge of a.Latin American language. Certificates in Latin American Studies may be awarded to students in nonthesis programs who (a) satisfy depart- mental requirements for the major and minor, (b) include in their courses of study at least 12 hours of Latin American content courses divided between at least two disciplines other than the major and including one semester of LAS 6938, (c) complete at least 36 credit hours of graduate course work, and (d) demonstrate a reading knowledge of a Latin American language. In choosing area courses, the student taking this option should work closely with the graduate coordinator of the Center for Latin American Studies. Only those courses specifically approved by the coordinator will be counted toward the required 12 hours of Latin American concentration. Doctoral Program with a Certificate in Latin American Studies.-The Center does not offer an interdisciplinary' Latin American Area Studies degree at the doctoral level. SHowever, it does provide a Certificate in Latin American Studies which is awarded in conjunction with doctoral degrees in the following areas: agriculture, anthropology, business administration, economics, education, food and resource economics, geography, history, political science, sociology, and Spanish. Requirements for the doctoral certificate are (a) Latin American concentration within the major department; (b) an area minor of at least 20 credits .consisting principally of Latin American language and area courses in two or more departments outside the major and including at least three credits of LAS 6938, Latin American Area Seminar; (c) a disserta- tion on a Latin American subject; (d) a reading, speak- ing, and, writing knowledge of one Latin American language and a reading knowledge of another; (e) residence in Latin America normally of at least six months' duration and devoted primarily to dissertation research. Graduate Fellowships and Assistantships.-In addition to University fellowships and assistantships available to students on a competitive basis in the programs described above, the Center for Latin American Studies administers financial assistance from outside sources, including Title VI fellowships. Research.-The Center supports or participates in a number of interdisciplinary research programs which, in addition to their primary objectives, provide oppor- tunities for training and financial support of graduate students. Library Resources.-The several libraries on the campus of the University of Florida, including the Latin American Collection of the main library, have Latin American holdings totaling over 170,000 volumes as well as important manuscript materials in the original, in transcription, and on microfilm. In terms of subject matter, holdings are strongest in history and the social sciences, but increasing attention is being given to the environmental sciences and to literature. In terms of region, they are strongest in the Caribbean and circum-