Skip to main content

Saint Louis University College of Arts and Sciences Header Logo Center

Saint Louis University College of Arts and Sciences Home

Menu Search & Directory

Saint Louis University College of Arts and Sciences Header Logo Left

  • Browse Degrees
  • Request Info
  • Visit Us
  • Apply
  • About
  • Academics
  • Student Resources
  • Faculty
  • Contact
  • Give to SLU
  • SLU.edu
  • Search & Directory
Close
Home » Arts and Sciences » Academics » Degrees » Graduate » Women's and Gender Studies

Women's and Gender Studies, M.A.

  • Overview
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Requirements
  • Roadmap

Saint Louis University's Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies provides an interdisciplinary education about contemporary social justice issues, preparing students for leadership and advocacy roles in community or academic settings.

While gender is the primary focus, each course and the discipline as a whole examine gender in light of race, ethnicity, class, sexual identity, ability, age and religion. The discipline teaches students to think critically and to engage in the world as responsible citizens.

Curriculum Overview

SLU's master’s degree in women’s and gender studies requires 30 credits. Students will take five core courses covering feminist theories, feminist epistemologies, research methods, current issues and debates, and complete a graduate-level internship.

Students can then choose five elective courses from dozens of choices in women's and gender studies; political science; African American studies; philosophy; English; history; languages, literatures and cultures; fine and performing arts; social work; and law, among others.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

Students are required to complete at least one graduate-level internship under the supervision of a faculty member. There may also be opportunities for students to collaborate with faculty members on their research, depending on students’ and faculty members’ research interests.

Careers

The SLU M.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies prepares students for:

  • Careers in community organizing, nonprofit organizations, government service, health care, business, the arts and policy research.
  • Doctoral work in women’s and gender studies and related fields.
  • Professional schools, including public health, law, social work and public policy.

Admission Requirements

A GPA of 3.30 or above is preferred. The M.A. program is interdisciplinary and welcomes applicants from all academic fields.

Application Requirements

  • Application form and fee
  • Transcript(s)
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • GRE or LSAT scores
  • Résumé
  • Statement of purpose
  • Writing sample (preferably related to women’s and gender studies)

Requirements for International Students

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

  • Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
  • Proof of financial support must include:
    • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the time at Saint Louis University
    • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of study at the University
  • Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aid

For priority consideration for graduate assistantships and tuition scholarships, applicants should complete their applications by the program admission deadlines listed.  Fellowships and assistantships provide a stipend and health insurance for the duration of the award. 

For more information, visit the student financial services office online at http://www.slu.edu/financial-aid.

  1. Graduates will be able to assess relevant literature or scholarly contributions in women's and gender studies.
  2. Graduates will be able to apply the major practices, theories, or research methodologies in women's and gender studies.
  3. Graduates will be able to use feminist perspectives to examine problems in transnational, national, and local contexts.
  4. Graduates will be able to articulate arguments or explanations to both a disciplinary or professional audience and to a general audience, in both oral and written forms.
  5. Graduates will be able to demonstrate scholarly and/or professional integrity in women's and gender studies.
  6. Graduates will be able to discuss the diversity of women's experiences and their roots in the intersection of social locations like gender, race, and class.
Course List
Code Title Credits
Required Courses
WGST 5010Feminist Theory3
WGST 5020Feminist Epistemologies3
WGST 5030Cultural Methods: Gender, Politics, & Power3
WGST 5040Current Issues & Debates3
WGST 5910Graduate Internship3
Elective Courses
Select five courses from the following sample list. Additional courses cross-listed with WGST may also count.15
WGST 5070
Studies in Francophone Culture
WGST 5150
Gender and American Politics
WGST 5210
Women's Movements in the U.S. and Beyond
WGST 5290
Women and Global Issues
WGST 5310
Women Writing Women: Latin American Women Playwrights
WGST 5360
Written by Herself: Latin American Women Writers
WGST 5690
Advanced Nursing Practice: Gynecological Issues
WGST 5710
Women and Writing in Early Modern France
WGST 5716
Diversity & Anti-Oppression Practice
WGST 5720
Citizenship and Social Difference
WGST 5771
Intimate Partner Violence
WGST 5780
Contemporary Spanish Women Writers
WGST 6200
Visual Culture Theory
WGST 6270
Middle English Literature
WGST 6300
Feminist Ethics
WGST 6350
17th Century Literature
WGST 6500
Romanticism
WGST 6590
19th Century English Lit.
WGST 6600
Studies in Modernism
WGST 6610
Twentieth-Century Fiction
WGST 6650
Twentieth Century Postcolonial Literature
WGST 6670
Topics in Liture of the 20th Century
WGST 6690
Irish Gothic
WGST 6700
American Political Thought
WGST 6710
19th Century American Literature
WGST 6780
Topics in 20th Century American Literature
WGST 6790
Feminist Approaches: Not for Women Only
WGST 6800
School of Law Seminars
WGST 6833
Employment Discrimination
WGST 6875
Family Law
Total Credits30

Non-Course Requirements

A capstone project and presentation based on either an internship or research developed through coursework is also required.

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester.  Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
FallCredits
Participation in First Year Grad Student Orientation and Department Events (e.g., speakers, brown bag seminars)  
WGST 5020 Feminist Epistemologies 3
Elective 1 3
Elective 1 3
 Credits9
Spring
Participation in Department Events (e.g., speakers, brown bag seminars)  
WGST 5010 Feminist Theory 3
WGST 5030
or WGST 5050
Cultural Methods: Gender, Politics, & Power
or Program Evaluation
3
 Credits6
Year Two
Fall
Participation in Department Events (e.g., speakers, brown bag seminars)  
WGST 5910 Graduate Internship 3
Elective 1 3
Elective 1 3
 Credits9
Spring
Completion of Capstone Project and Oral Defense  
WGST 5040 Current Issues & Debates 3
Elective 1 3
 Credits6
 Total Credits30
1

A minimum of 9 credits of electives must be courses that are cross-listed with WGS. If a graduate class is not already cross-listed as a Women’s and Gender Studies course, it is possible to request permission for it to count towards the elective requirement.

In this section
  • Centers and Affiliated Programs

Higher purpose. Greater good.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Current Students
  • Parents
  • Alumni & Donors
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Madrid Campus
  • Contact Us
  • mySLU
  • Work at SLU
  • Emergency Info
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Notice
Saint Louis University Footer Logo
© 1818 - 2018 Saint Louis University
©