Latin American and Iberian Studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara examines the people and cultures of Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries throughout the world. Such study encompasses not only Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, but also Angola, Mozambique, the Philippines, Macao, and the Chicano and Puerto Rican populations in the U.S. However, most students center their studies on Latin America.

Latin American and Iberian Studies examines the whole culture or civilization, not only throughout the humanities and fine arts, but also throughout the social sciences and history. This allows students to explore a variety of topics – in addition to Spanish and Portuguese language and literature – such as Latin American anthropology, the history of Spain and Portugal, and the political life of Latino communities.