Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST)


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Objectives
This degree explores the conceptual, analytical and practical aspects of women and gender in a global context. The interdisciplinary nature of the women’s and gender studies program allows students, in consultation with the graduate advisor, to create tailored programs of study designed to meet their goals. The program draws upon a range of courses in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health and Human Services and Technology. This highly flexible program fosters scholarly debate and develops research skills for students seeking employment in the nonprofit sector, industry, government or business, and for those planning to pursue additional academic degrees. Persons already employed will find the program useful to their professional advancement.

Program Admission


Applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • Minimum Graduate School requirements
  • A bachelor’s degree in any field.
  • Prior completion of at least two courses with substantial content on women and/or gender and a grade of B or better.
  • A 2.75 undergraduate GPA overall, a 3.0 in the last half cumulative undergraduate GPA, or a minimum 3.0 in graduate coursework previously taken. Please comment on any grades that are not within this range.
  • The applicant must write and submit a 2-3 page (double-spaced) personal statement. The personal statement must be written in such a way as to demonstrate graduate-level writing proficiency and must include the following elements:
    • an explanation of your academic goals: specifically, areas of the field of WGST that you find particularly appealing; professors at EMU with whom you would like to work and why; research questions about the field of WGST and the role of women in society that you hope to pursue in the course of your graduate study;
    • an explanation of your professional goals and the ways in which your WGST graduate degree will help you attain these goals;
    • a discussion of any prior professional and/or community-based experience related to women and/or gender and how that informs your understanding of the field of women’s and gender studies; and
    • an explanation of how previous coursework related to women and/or gender shaped your desire to pursue further study. What particular courses and writers have influenced you?
  • Two letters of recommendation from former professors addressing the candidate’s preparation and ability to successfully complete graduate work.
  • For students whose first language is not English, demonstrated English Language proficiency as shown by official test scores on the International English Language Testing System.  For the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), students need a 90-91 on the IBT, a 233 on the CBT, or a 577 on the PBT, or they need a score of 80 on the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB).

Conditional Admission

Students not meeting regular admission requirements may be admitted on a conditional basis with the approval of the WGST admissions committee

Non-Degree Admissions

Students not meeting the GPA requirement may be granted non-degree admission with the permission of the WGST admissions committee and the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

Students will develop competencies through core requirements, restricted electives, and complementary concentrations.

Department Information


Women’s and Gender Studies, College of Arts & Sciences

Elizabeth Currans, Ph.D. | Department Head | 714A Pray-Harrold | 734.487.1177 | ecurrans@emich.edu

Advisor Information


Jacqueline Goodman, Ph.D. | Professor | 714Q Pray Harrold | 734.487.4864 | jgoodma9@emich.edu

Degree Requirements: 30 hours


Students should consult the advisor for other approved women’s and gender studies courses offered each semester. The Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies is distributed among core courses, restricted elective courses and complementary concentration courses as follows:

Core Courses: 15 hours


Practicum, Thesis, or Final Project: 6 hours


Choose six hours from one of the following three options

Restricted Elective Courses: 9 hours


Complementary Concentration Courses: 6 hours


Students must select one complementary concentration in consolation with the advisor. Possibilities include:

  • Activism
  • Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts
  • Counseling
  • Criminology
  • Critical Race/Ethnic Studies
  • Educational leadership
  • English Language & Literature
  • Environmental Studies
  • Gerontology/Aging Studies
  • Globalization
  • History
  • Justice Studies
  • Nonprofit Management
  • Performance Studies
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sexualities
  • Social Foundations of Education
  • Social Work
  • Sociology
  • Technology Studies

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