Program Overview
Through core courses and electives in various disciplines, graduates develop critical thinking, advocacy skills, and prepare for leadership roles in community and academic settings, including doctoral work and professional schools. The program emphasizes intersectionality and feminist perspectives to examine contemporary issues and students complete an internship and capstone project.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
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.
Outline:
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, feminist research design or program evaluation, current feminist issues and 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; visual and performing arts; social work; and law, among others.
Assessment:
Graduates will be able to assess relevant literature or scholarly contributions in women's and gender studies. Graduates will be able to apply the major practices, theories or research methodologies in women's and gender studies. Graduates will be able to use feminist perspectives to examine problems in transnational, national and local contexts. 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. Graduates will be able to demonstrate scholarly and/or professional integrity in women's and gender studies.
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.
Other:
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. A capstone project and presentation based on either an internship or research developed through coursework is also required. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses. 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.
