Program Overview

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Gender and Women's Studies, MA

The master's degree in Gender and Women's Studies provides advanced feminist training in gender analysis for students with a variety of academic backgrounds and career plans. The degree engages the multidisciplinary perspectives associated with gender studies and women's studies: queer studies, transgender studies, sexuality studies, race and ethnicity studies, disability studies, area and global studies, cultural studies, postcolonial and transnational studies.

Admissions

This master's program is offered for work leading to the PhD. Students may not apply directly for the master's. If you are interested in applying for the PhD program, please refer to the admissions information.

Funding

Graduate School Resources

The Bursars Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School.

Program Resources

We offer TA positions to new MA students, including tuition remission, stipend, and health insurance. We award new students at least two semesters of guaranteed funding and sometimes offer additional positions. Availability of positions may be different for international students; eligibility is determined at admission.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

Mode of Instruction

• Face to Face: Yes
• Evening/Weekend: No
• Online: No
• Hybrid: No
• Accelerated: No

Mode of Instruction Definitions

• Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.
• Evening/Weekend: Courses meet on the UWMadison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules. Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.
• Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.
• Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.
• Online: These programs are offered 100% online.

Curricular Requirements

• Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits
• Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 16 credits
• Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 21 credits must be graduate-level coursework.
• Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required.

Required Courses

• Departmental Courses: 15 credits
  • Students must complete at least 15 credits of courses in the department of Gender and Women's Studies.
  • Recommended courses:
    • GEN&WS 800: Research Methods in Gender & Women's Studies
    • GEN&WS 810: Gender and Women's Studies: The Emergence and Transformation of a Field
    • GEN&WS 830: Contemporary Theorizing in Gender and Women's Studies
• Thesis:
  • Students are recommended to complete the following course if they are writing a thesis to meet degree requirements.
  • GEN&WS 790: Research & Thesis: Master's and Professional Level
• Additional Coursework: 15 credits
  • Students must complete additional coursework to meet the minimum credit requirement.

Independent Study

Students will be allowed to take independent/directed-study credits that do not fulfill the degree minimum requirement, if they wish. Special circumstances or requests for additional independent/directed-study credits to fulfill minimum requirements must be approved in advance by the Director of Graduate Studies and the advisor.

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate Schools Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Probation

Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.

Advisor / Committee

Refer to the Graduate School: Advisor and Graduate School: Committees (Doctoral/Masters/MFA) policies.

Credits Per Term Allowed

Students in the MA program are expected to carry 6 credits per semester. They may carry up to 12 although we do not encourage more than 9.

Time Limits

Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.

Grievances and Appeals

Graduate students have the right to appeal an academic decision related to an L&S graduate program if the student believes that the decision is inconsistent with published policy.

Professional Development

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate the ability to read, understand, and critique the major concepts and theories related to feminism, women, and gender, and apply these critical perspectives across disciplines.
2. Understanding of historical and contemporary agency by people across a spectrum of gender and the ways this agency has shaped lives in various geographic settings.
3. Demonstrate the ability to analyze the intersections between gender and other socially meaningful categories, such as race, class, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, nation, religion, and sexuality, and to explain how gender functions as a social institution.
4. Demonstrate the ability to conduct interdisciplinary feminist analysis that (1) includes a critical literature review, (2) selects appropriate research methodologies, and (3) proposes an appropriate research design to collect, analyze, interpret, and present findings.
5. Develop and utilize strong cultural competencies (e.g., sensitivity to race/ethnicity/gender/disability/sexual orientation issues) to allow them to enter into various cultural, social, economic, civic, academic, and workplace settings.
6. Acknowledge and engage in ethical courses of action in research and collaborative practice.