The Mexican Migration Field Research and Training Program was established in 2004 as a core activity of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California-San Diego, in collaboration with UCSD's Eleanor Roosevelt College. The program has three principal goals: 1) To train new generations of undergraduate students to become highly proficient and experienced field researchers in international migration studies; 2) to motivate and equip these students to pursue careers in law, NGOs, government, journalism, and academia that focus on international migration; 3) to generate new data that can be used to address key immigration-related issues that are of concern in both the United States and Mexico.

This program is a unique opportunity for students who want an in-depth, hands-on research experience focused on international migration. Students at any level of their UCSD careers, from any of the UCSD colleges, and majoring in any discipline are eligible to apply. Admission is competitive, based on the student’s academic record, level of fluency in Spanish, faculty recommendations, a writing sample, and an interview with the program directors.  Grants from several foundations and UCSD units enable us to offer scholarships to all accepted participants covering travel, lodging, and other costs of doing fieldwork in Mexico.

In recent years, students participating in this program have done field research in three migrant-sending communities located in the states of Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Yucatán. In 2008-09, students will study a small town in rural Yucatán and also interview migrants from this town who now live and work in southern California.  Students will co-author a book based on their field research data, to be published in late 2009.  

Students will receive a total of 20 units of academic credit for participating in the field research program.  They will enroll in Political Science 181A (Fall Quarter), 181B (Winter), and 181C (Spring). These courses constitute 7 out of the 9 courses required to declare the Minor in International Migration Studies.

Students who are interested in participating in this program during the 2008-09 academic year should:

·        Request an interview with one of the program directors, Professor Wayne Cornelius or Professor David Fitzgerald, by contacting Ana Minvielle at aminvielle@ucsd.edu or 858-822-4447.

·        Be proficient in conversational Spanish. Your level of proficiency will be assessed during your pre-enrollment interview.

For student comments on the 2007-08 Mexican Migration Field Research and Training Program, click here.

For news about graduates of the Mexican Migration Field Research and Training Program, click here.

For a student perspective on the 2007-08 field research program, click here.

Center for Comparative Immigration Studies
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, California 92093-0548
U.S.A.

Telephone: (858) 822-4447
Fax: (858) 822-4432
E-mail: ccis@ucsd.edu
URL: http://ccis.ucsd.edu