Brazilian Studies  (Certificate)


Explore the complexities of Brazilian culture and history in courses that encourage rethinking Brazil beyond media images of samba and carnival. Acquire knowledge and critical thinking skills that will aid you in becoming a global leader committed to social justice and cross-cultural understanding through any career path you choose.



Program Description

The certificate program in Brazilian studies encourages students to create a plan of study focusing on current sociocultural influences that will allow them to compete more successfully in the global job market.

Students pursue coursework in important areas, including complementary courses in specific issues in Brazilian culture, the examination of major themes in Brazilian popular and urban culture with particular emphasis on Afro-Brazilian society, a grounding in the major texts of Brazilian literature, and proficiency in the Portuguese language at the intermediate level.


Career Opportunities

Students can advance their career options with an undergraduate certificate. The certificate in Brazilian studies helps students become more marketable to employers by adding this specialization to complement their major program of study.

Students who complete this undergraduate certificate along with their major often decide to pursue employment in education, political analysis, the military, tourism and hospitality or marketing.

Contact Information

School of International Letters and Cultures | LL 440
silcadvising@asu.edu | 480-965-6281


Certificate Map

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At a Glance: program details

  • Location: Tempe campus
  • Additional Program Fee: No
  • Second Language Requirement: No


Program Requirements

A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded prior to the award of an undergraduate degree. A student already holding an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.

Enrollment Requirements

The Brazilian Studies Certificate requires 18-20 credit hours of Portuguese language and elective culture content coursework, of which 12 credit hours must be upper-division. A grade of "C" (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) or better is required in all coursework. Students choose one two-course language sequence for a total of 6-8 credit hours of Portuguese language. Course substitutions may be permitted for heritage speakers of Portuguese based on their proficiency level as determined by a Portuguese placement test. The language course substitution for advanced speakers of Spanish language can be satisfied by the two-course POR 320 and POR 321 sequence.

Portuguese Language -- 6 credit hours

Choose one two-course sequence for 6-8 credit hours. The upper-division two-course language sequence is 6 credit hours total.

Upper-Division Electives -- 12 credit hours

*Other courses may be used with approval from the faculty coordinator and academic advisor in the School of International Letters and Cultures.

Depending on a student's undergraduate program of study, prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.







Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.