Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Women’s and Gender Studies [BA]


The Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies prepares students of all genders for a variety of careers in which they can help bring about social equality and justice.

Learn

The Women’s and Gender Studies major prepares a student to make a difference in the world by emphasizing both theory and practice. Students gain the skills to identify, critically analyze, and devise solutions to systemic, intersecting forms of discrimination and inequality that disadvantage groups on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, ability, age, class, religion, and nationality.

Opportunities

Women’s and Gender Studies students can take advantage of a number of learning opportunities outside of the traditional classroom, including our mentoring course that takes place in a local middle school, our courses in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, internships with community non-profit organizations, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Women’s and Gender Studies students succeed in a wide range of career fields because our major is interdisciplinary and includes courses in Africology and African American Studies, Biology, Business, Communication, Criminology, Economics, History, Legal Studies, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, and Technology. Upon graduation, Women’s and Gender Studies majors often go on to positions in the non-profit sector, working as advocates, organizers, research analysts, and program directors. Our graduates also frequently go on to graduate school and find positions in academia.

Many students double major in Women’s and Gender Studies and another discipline that prepares them for a specific career in which a critical understanding of gender and sexuality is necessary (for example, Social Work, Psychology, Education, and Criminology). At 30 credit hours, the Women’s and Gender Studies major is designed to be easily combined with another major.

Department Information


Women’s and Gender Studies Peter Higgins, Ph.D.Department Head | 701 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.1018, phiggin1@emich.edu

Advisor Information


Katie Kiacz, 714 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.1177, kkiacz@emich.edu

Francine Parker Advising Center, 120 Student Center, 734.487.4599

General Education Requirements:


For specific requirements, see General Education  or print a worksheet .  

Major Requirements: 30 hours


Students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of coursework at the 300 level or above.

Restricted Elective Courses: 12 hours


Three hours from each of the following four groups. Special Topics/Independent Study substitutions need to be approved by advisor. 

Elective Courses: 6 hours


Students may choose any “WGST” course for their elective requirements. Special Topics/Independent Study courses may satisfy this requirement if approved by a faculty advisor.

Minor Requirement:


This major requires a minor. Please see Programs  for a list of available minors or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
  • Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.