The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department at Penn State offers both a graduate minor, for students in any discipline, and dual-title Master’s or Doctoral degrees in WGSS and one of the disciplines listed below.
In order to be admitted to master’s or doctoral candidacy in the dual-title degree program, students must meet the candidacy requirements specified by the co-operating department.
- Art Education
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Comparative Literature
- Curriculum and Instruction
- English
- French and Francophone Studies
- Geography
- History
- Mass Communications
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Rural Sociology
Please note that the following programs do not offer stand-alone master’s degrees:
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Comparative Literature
- History
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
Dual-Degree doctoral students are required to take 18 credits of course work in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
REQUIRED COURSES
WMNST 502: Global Perspectives on Feminisms (3 credits)
WMNST 507: Feminist Theory (3 credits)
WMNST 508: Feminist Methodologies (3 credits) or WMNST 509: Feminist Pedagogies (3 credits)
Students also must complete 9 additional credits of WGSS course work (at least 6 of which should be at the 500 level) chosen in consultation with the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Graduate Program Director.
At least three of those credits must be offered by a department other than your disciplinary-major program.
Please note that any seminar not formally cross-listed with a WMNST course abbreviation must be approved by the WGSS Director of Graduate Studies to count toward your dual-title or minor.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DUAL-DEGREE PhD.:
- At least two Graduate Faculty of WGSS must be included in the doctoral committee. One of these two WGSS members must serve as either chair or co-chair of the doctoral committee.
- We encourage but do not require that one of the WGSS members of the committee be from outside the student partner discipline. This suggestion helps support interdisciplinary inquiry and training.
- Whenever possible, WGSS faculty members should participate in the qualifying exam process. Because dual-title students may require an additional semester to fulfill all requirements, the candidacy exam may be delayed one semester beyond the normal period allowable.
- All WGSS faculty members must participate fully in the comprehensive exam process, and the exam must include questions on feminist theory and methods.
- The student’s dissertation topic must be related to the interdisciplinary field of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
For more information please visit the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Dual-Degree Program on the University Bulletin or contact Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (jaw55@psu.edu).
See this program’s listing:
Dual-Degree master’s students are required to take 12 credits of course work in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
REQUIRED COURSES
WMNST 502: Global Perspectives on Feminisms (3 credits)
WMNST 507: Feminist Theory (3 credits)
WMNST 508: Feminist Methodologies (3 credits) or WMNST 509: Feminist Pedagogies (3 credits)
Students must also complete 3 (three) additional credits of WGSS coursework chosen in consultation with the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Graduate Program Director. Please note that any seminar not formally cross-listed with a WMNST course abbreviation must be approved by the WGSS Director of Graduate Studies to count toward your dual-title or minor.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DUAL-DEGREE MASTER’S
- One faculty member from WGSS should be included on the master’s committee.
- In addition, students should write a scholarly paper or thesis that reflects their inquiry in WGSS.
Please visit the WGSS Dual-Degree Program on the University Bulletin or contact Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (jaw55@psu.edu) for more information.
See this program’s listing:
An interdisciplinary graduate minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is available. A student seeking a minor does not have to pass through an admissions process, and a minor can be completed by any student who is simultaneously completing any graduate degree at Penn State.
Master’s Grad Minor Requirements
To earn a MA/MS minor, students are required to complete 9 credits of coursework in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This includes two required courses: WMNST 502: Global Perspectives on Feminism (3 credits) and WMNST 507: Feminist Theory (3 credits). The additional three credits must be chosen in consultation with and pre-approval from the Director of Graduate Studies in WGSS.
Doctoral Degree Minor Requirements
To earn a Ph.D. minor, students are required to complete 15 credits of coursework in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This includes three required courses: WMNST 502: Global Perspectives on Feminism (3 credits), WMNST 507: Feminist Theory (3 credits), and either WMNST 508: Feminist Methodologies (3 credits) or WMNST 509 Feminist Pedagogies (3 credits). Students must also complete six additional credits of WGSS coursework.
Doctoral students wishing to add a minor must submit an official request to Graduate Enrollment Services prior to establishing their doctoral committee or scheduling their comprehensive examination.
At least one Graduate Faculty member of WGSS must be included in the doctoral committee.
For more information about the Graduate Minor in WGSS, please contact Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor (jaw55@psu.edu).
See this program’s listing: