Background

The Mexican American Studies Department at San José State University was created in 1968 and is the oldest Graduate Program in Chicana/o Studies in the country. Today, MAS at San José State is still one of only three Graduate Programs in Chicana/o Studies in California and the only one north of Los Angeles.

Mexican American Studies at San José State offers an interdisciplinary course of study intended to provide students with a strong intellectual analysis of diverse Chicana/o and Latina/o experiences along with skills to address real-world issues in Chicana/o, Latina/o and other communities.

The curriculum is grounded in the interdisciplinary Chicana/o Studies tradition of pursuing carefully developed, culturally grounded solutions to community needs. The individual courses and programs are intended to bridge the worlds of theory, cultural analysis, and practice. Students build on a solid foundation of historical and cultural analyses and attempt to develop new approaches to long-standing social, economic, educational, political, and intellectual problems that face Chicana/o, Latina/o and other communities.

The department is committed to being a cutting edge Chicana/o Studies program in the 21st Century. We train students to become leaders in a number of professional fields, including: teaching, social services, health care, and community service. We also prepare students for doctoral study in Chicana/o Studies, Ethnic Studies and other academic fields. MAS graduates have gone on to success in government, college teaching, social services, and a number of other areas!

The coursework is organized to provide flexibility for students who come from a variety of backgrounds and are pursuing diverse interests. Most of our students are working and/or returning students. The department caters to their needs by offering courses at night and by helping students apply their work experiences to their studies.

In addition, our continuing efforts to address the changing needs of local Chicana/o and Latina/o communities allows us to prepare students to serve these communities. MAS maintains close ties to several community-based organizations and helps students find placements in areas appropriate to their interests.

The faculty in Mexican American Studies approach Chicana/o Studies work from a number of different orientations, including: humanities, social science, social work, and education.