Specialization Coordinator: Karen Kainer, kkainer@ufl.edu
The Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) specialization provides opportunities and spaces for MALAS students to learn across disciplines and develop leadership skills critical to working in conservation and development. The specialization dovetails with the TCD Program, which serves to convene and support graduate students from diverse disciplines across campus and offers a graduate-level certificate at the University of Florida. By completing the TCD specialization, MALAS students are automatically eligible for the TCD Graduate Certificate, but they do need to apply.
Purpose of specializations in Latin American Studies
- To help graduate students and advisors to navigate the vast and constantly shifting curricular landscape supporting Latin American Studies at UF.
- To foster connection and collaboration around shared interests among current and prospective UF faculty and students.
REQUIREMENTS FOR TROPICAL CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIZATION
12 credits total, including courses from at least two academic programs.
Curriculum Requirements of the TCD specialization are distributed as follows:
- One TCD conceptual core course (LAS 6290 or equivalent)
- One TCD core skills course (LAS 6291 or equivalents)
- One tropical ecology course from a large menu of courses
- One social science course from a large menu of courses
Please see the TCD Program website to see courses offered in each category, and to learn more about the program, the associated student group, funding opportunities, and the many events (including the weekly Tropilunch) and diverse opportunities to participate.
Frequency of course offerings
Before each semester, the Center compiles and posts online a Guide to hundreds of LAS-related courses available the coming semester. Some courses contributing to specializations are offered every semester, others once every few years. The list of courses provided here is not intended to guarantee any curricular offerings, but rather to open horizons to topics that have been and may be offered in widely varied programs around UF.
The TCD Program also puts out a list of courses of interest prior to each semester that can be consulted to understand current and past offerings: http://uftcd.org/academics/offered-courses/. The list is organized so that students can see which courses fulfill which requirements. Courses of general interest to TCD students are also listed
Additional courses
Each specialization offers students the opportunity to craft personalized programs of study and to add their own contributions. Students may identify additional courses relevant for a specialization, including new and one-time offerings, and may seek approval from the Specialization Coordinator to count such courses toward specialization credits.
FACULTY AND STAFF ENGAGED WITH TROPICAL CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
See website for: