Program Overview

Gender Studies Graduate Certificate

The Gender Studies Graduate Certificate is a program designed for students with Bachelor's or Master's degrees, as well as those enrolled in graduate degree programs. This certificate can be earned independently of a degree program.

Requirements for Admission

• Applicants must meet the general University of Missouri-St. Louis Graduate School admission requirements.
• Two letters of recommendation are required.

Certificate Requirements

To earn the Gender Studies Graduate Certificate, students must complete at least 18 hours of Gender Studies courses at the 4000, 5000, and/or 6000 level. The requirements include:

1. Graduate Feminist or Gender Theory Course: 3 hours, which may be GS 5100 Feminist Theory, GS 4600 Masculinities, or another theory course.
2. Graduate Internship or Practicum: 3 hours, which may be an independent study (GS 6452 Special Readings in Gender Studies), a substantial research and writing project for a GS graduate seminar (GS 6450 Seminar in Gender Studies), or another cross-listed, 5000 or 6000-level seminar.
3. 5000 Level or Above Courses: 9 hours must be at the 5000 level or above.
4. 4000-Level Courses: Up to 9 hours of 4000-level courses may be taken for graduate credit, provided the student completes graduate-level work for the course.
5. Directed or Independent Study Credit: No more than 6 hours may be taken as Directed or Independent Study credit.

Most Gender Studies courses are cross-listed with other departments and count toward a department's degree requirements as well as toward the certificate.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the certificate, earners will be able to:

Knowledge

• Contrast different theoretical approaches to understanding gender and their implications for advocacy and activism.
• Develop in-depth knowledge of one aspect of gendered experience examined through the lens of a time period, literary genre, a geographic region, or another focus on a narrowed topic.

Writing Research and Communications

• Apply feminist theories and methods to analyze, interpret, and discuss the role of gender in written, oral, visual, and/or multimedia texts.
• Apply feminist research methods to identify and investigate a problem relating to gender in order to design an original research project that contributes to the scholarship on a topic in the field of Gender Studies.

Professional

• Network with local and global leaders in the field of gender studies or fields appropriate to students' interests and career goals.
• Develop the skills and knowledge necessary to compete for and be successful in a wide range of fields, both local and global, including non-profit management, education, academia, social work, the sciences, business, law, and transnational feminist work.