What is the MA in Women's Studies?
Core Courses
Electives
Research Requirements
Options
Our MA Students
Financial Support
MA Sample Schedule
Contact

What is the MA in Women's Studies? (top)
The Master of Arts program in Women's Studies provides intensive academic training in feminist theory and women's and gender issues. The MA and
MA/JD programs culminate in an original research project supervised by
a faculty committee.
  
Core Courses (4 quarter-credit hours each): sample syllabi  (top)
Introduction to Graduate Women's Studies
(may be waived for students demonstrating Women’s Studies background)
Feminist Theory: Foundations

Two of the following three courses:
Feminist Theory: Race, Class, Nation
Feminist Theory: Global
Feminist Theory: Contemporary Issues

Beyond the required courses listed here, students must take two interdisciplinary graduate courses sponsored by the Department of Women's Studies. In addition, students take a teaching practicum in Women's Studies to prepare to teach undergraduate Introduction to Women's Studies and selected topics courses in their first and/or second years in the program.  

Electives (3-4 quarter-credit hours each): (top)
Students also choose both interdisciplinary and discipline-based electives from our list of approved Women's Studies graduate courses such as:

    · Queer Theory
    · Global Sexualities
    · Latina Feminisms
    · Gender and Development
    · American Women Writers: The Novel
    · Feminist Theory and Contemporary Art
    · Women and Politics in the Third World
    · Women's Human Rights
    · Education and Sex-Role Stereotyping
    · Black Women Writers
    · Women in India and China
    · African American Women's History
    · Gender, Geography and Science
    · Lesbian Literature and Psychology
    · Economic Anthropology
    · Masculinities Since 1850
    · Feminist Jurisprudence

Research Requirements (top)
Students must also complete a series of research credit hours to prepare their culminating research paper. Once it is submitted, students take an oral exam on their coursework in which they also defend their research paper.

Options (top)
MA students can fulfill some of their credit or course requirements through independent studies, internships and/or study abroad.

Women's Studies courses offered each quarter (mostly during the day, but some at night) appear in One Stop class offerings, and students should see the sample MA schedule and advisors to assist them with mapping out their program of study.

To apply to the MA program, see Application Information..

Our MA Students (top)
Ours is a selective program, accepting applicants whose GPA's and GRE's are most promising, in order to ensure a quality experience for all. Students come to the program from diverse academic backgrounds; in addition to Women's Studies, students have majored in such areas as:

    · Biology
    · English
    · Anthropology
    · Accounting
    · Theater
    · Sociology
    · Psychology
    · Political Science
    · African-American Studies
    · Art History

Most students have a minor or certificate in Women's Studies. Some come to the program with another advanced degree.

Students find the MA useful in a wide range of ways: About half of UC's graduates go on to doctoral work or to supplement their credentials with professional degrees in social work, law or business, while the other half enter the workforce in fields ranging from feminist service provision to politics, arts to advocacy. For more details, see our graduate student placement record.

Strong connections are also built among our students and with faculty, Friends of Women's Studies and alumni through seminars, retreats and programming as well as participation in the Women's Studies Graduate Student Organization and department committees.

Financial Support (top)
We offer tuition remission and graduate assistantships to most of our accepted applicants and numerous scholarships and grants are available. See our Graduate Assistantships, Friends of Women's Studies and
Financial Aid pages.

MA Sample Schedule (top)
First Year
Autumn Quarter
Proseminar: Intro to Graduate Studies in WS 1 credit
Introduction to Graduate Women's Studies 4 credits
(May be waived for students demonstrating strong WS background)
Feminist Theory: Foundations 4 credits
Women's Studies Teaching Practicum 4 credits
(Required for students planning to teach)

Winter Quarter
*Proseminar: Feminist Issues 1 credit
*Feminist Theory: Race/Class/Nation 4 credits
*Feminist Theory: Global 4 credits
One elective course 4 credits

Among the graduate electives taken while pursuing the MA, two courses must fulfill the Women's Studies interdisciplinary requirement.

Spring Quarter
Proseminar: Intro to the Research Projects in WS1 credit
*Feminist Theory: Contemporary Issues 4 credits
Two elective courses 8 credits

*Students may select any two of these three theory courses

Summer Quarter
Recommended: Internship
(Internships may also be taken for credit during the academic year as
elective coursework)

Second Year
Autumn Quarter
Feminist Research I 4 credits
Two elective courses 8 credits

Winter Quarter
Individual-Directed Research (with committee) 4 credits
Two elective courses 8 credits

Spring Quarter
Individual-Directed Research (with committee) 4 credits
Oral Exam Preparation 4 credits
Comprehensive Analysis 4 credits
One elective course 4 credits

For more Information, contact: (top)
Graduate Program, Department of Women's Studies