WMS_BA - Women's Studies

About this Program

• College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Degree: Bachelor of Arts
• Specializations: General | Health Equity and Social Justice | International Perspectives on Gender | Race, Power, and Social Justice | Theories and Politics of Sexuality
• Credits for Degree: 120
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To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

Women’s Studies advances the understanding of people, culture, and society in context. It includes thinking critically about how people are shaped by and shape culture and society and how gender and sexuality connect with other factors such as ability, age, class, ethnicity, nation, and race. The program deepens students’ critical thinking, analytical skills, and practice.

Women’s Studies majors take courses taught by award-winning faculty in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, and may take approved courses offered in departments across the university as electives. They pursue fulfilling internships that serve communities in Florida and beyond. They participate in research teams, get funding for their research and professional development, including going to conferences. They build skills and networks that make them competitive for graduate study and meaningful careers in many fields. They are campus leaders who go on to diverse careers in industry, public service, policy, arts, education, health, law, technology, and more. Women’s Studies majors enjoy a strong post-graduation employment rate and graduate school acceptance rate.

Women’s Studies majors have the option to complete a general path, or choose a specialization in health, international perspectives, race, or sexuality.

Women’s Studies is also simple to add to another major. Up to 15 credits can count toward both majors. More information on double majoring is available here.

Minors are available in Women's Studies, Theories and Politics of Sexuality, and Health Disparities in Society.

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Requirements for the Major

The Women’s Studies major requires 30 credits of coursework in Women's Studies core and elective courses, at least 24 credits of which must be at the 3000/4000 level. All 30 credits must be completed with minimum grades of C. A minimum of 18 credits for the major must be taken at UF. Students have the option to take elective courses from a variety of departments in addition to those classes offered under the WST prefix designation.

Students are encouraged to fulfill some of the requirements with appropriate study-abroad courses and may petition the program to count courses outside of WST toward the major if they have significant (greater than 50 percent) gender, sexuality, and women’s studies content. Many courses offered in other departments are approved for Women's Studies credit and a semester-by-semester list of them is maintained on the program’s website.
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Required Major Coursework

A minimum of 18 credits for the major must be taken at UF. A minimum of 24 credits for the major must be at the 3000-level or above.

All students, regardless of concentration, take 15 credits of required coursework:

• WST 3015 draws on various materials and methodologies to explore the social construction of women and gender as they intersect with other forms of power; 3 credits.
• One course from each major core category: Category A (Race), Category B (Sexualities), and Category C (Transnational); 9 credits total.
• WST 4935 is taken in the final year and allows students to reflect on their experience in the major and carry their interests forward through structured independent research tied to their scholarly or career interests; 3 credits.

All students also take 15 credits of major electives. Students should check the specialization descriptions to see guidelines for selecting elective courses

¹

Prereq: WST 3015

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Other WST courses and approved electives from other departments.

Specializations

General

Students in the general specialization tailor their coursework for maximum exposure to the various issues covered by Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies scholarship.

Students will take:

1. 15 credits of core requirements comprising WST 3015, one Category A (Race) core course, one Category B (Sexualities) core course, one Category C (Transnational) core course, and WST 4935.
2. 15 credits from an approved list of electives available on the program’s website, updated each semester.

Note:

• Elective credits may include up to 6 credits of experiential learning such as internship, undergraduate research, independent study, or honors thesis
• Elective credits may come from courses with the WST prefix or approved courses from other programs
• At least 24 of the required 30 credits for the major must be at the 3000-level or higher
• If the student takes 6 credits at the 2000-level or lower, at least three of the credits must have a WST prefix

Health Equity and Social Justice | HESJ

This specialization emphasizes research andscholarly ways of theorizing how gender combines with other social factors to influence health and how addressing social inequalities can improve health and health care access across communities.

Students will take:

1. 15 credits of core requirements comprising WST 3015, one Category A (Race) core course, one Category B (Sexualities) core course, one Category C (Transnational) core course, and WST 4935.
2. 9 credits of approved HESJ electives from an approved list of electives available on the program’s website, updated each semester.
3. 6 additional credits of approved WST electives which may or may not carry the HESJ designation

Note:

• Elective credits may include up to 6 credits of experiential learning such as internship, undergraduate research, independent study, or honors thesis
• Elective credits may come from courses with the WST prefix or approved courses from other programs
• At least 24 of the required 30 credits for the major must be at the 3000-level or higher
• If the student takes 6 credits at the 2000-level or lower, at least three of the credits must have a WST prefix

International Perspectives on Gender | IPG

This specialization emphasizes research and scholarly ways of theorizing experiences of people around the globe, with transnational perspectives on gender, race, sexuality, and nation.

Students will take:

1. 15 credits of core requirements comprising WST 3015, one Category A (Race) core course, one Category B (Sexualities) core course, one Category C (Transnational) core course, and WST 4935.
2. 9 credits of approved IPG electives (3 of which can also fulfill Core Category C requirement) from an approved list of electives available on the program’s website, updated each semester.
3. 6 additional credits of approved WST electives which may or may not carry the IPG designation (OR 9 additional credits if one of the courses taken to fulfill #1 also fulfills #2 above); total credits for the major must add up to 30

Note:

• Elective credits may include up to 6 credits of experiential learning such as internship, undergraduate research, independent study, or honors thesis
• Elective credits may come from courses with the WST prefix or approved courses from other programs
• At least 24 of the required 30 credits for the major must be at the 3000-level or higher
• If the student takes 6 credits at the 2000-level or lower, at least three of the credits must have a WST prefix

Race, Power, and Social Justice | RPSJ

This specialization emphasizes research and scholarly ways of theorizing race in social organization and culture and its connections with gender and other social factors.

Students will take:

1. 15 credits of core requirements comprising WST 3015, one Category A (Race) core course, one Category B (Sexualities) core course, one Category C (Transnational) core course, and WST 4935.
2. 9 credits of approved RPSJ electives (3 of which can also fulfill Core Category A requirement) from an approved list of RPSJ electives available on the program’s website, updated each semester.
3. 6 additional credits of approved WST electives which may or may not carry the RPSJ designation (OR 9 additional credits if one of the courses taken to fulfill #1 also fulfills #2 above); total credits for the major must add up to 30

Note:

• Elective credits may include up to 6 credits of experiential learning such as internship, undergraduate research, independent study, or honors thesis
• Elective credits may come from courses with the WST prefix or approved courses from other programs
• At least 24 of the required 30 credits for the major must be at the 3000-level or higher
• If the student takes 6 credits at the 2000-level or lower, at least three of the credits must have a WST prefix

Theories and Politics of Sexuality | TPS

This specialization emphasizes research and scholarly ways of theorizing sex and sexualities in social organization and culture and their connections with other social factors.

Students will take:

1. 15 credits of core requirements comprising WST 3015, one Category A (Race) core course, one Category B (Sexualities) core course, one Category C (Transnational) core course, and WST 4935.
2. 9 credits of approved TPS electives (3 of which can also fulfill Core Category B requirement) from an approved list of electives available on the program’s website, updated each semester.
3. 6 additional credits of approved WST electives which may or may not carry the TPS designation (OR 9 additional credits if one of the courses taken to fulfill #1 also fulfills #2 above); total credits for the major must add up to 30

Note:

• Elective credits may include up to 6 credits of experiential learning such as internship, undergraduate research, independent study, or honors thesis
• Elective credits may come from courses with the WST prefix or approved courses from other programs
• At least 24 of the required 30 credits for the major must be at the 3000-level or higher
• If the student takes 6 credits at the 2000-level or lower, at least three of the credits must have a WST prefix

Combination Degree Programs

Women's Studies is a vibrant discipline that contributes to and is informed by multiple disciplines and fields of study. The undergraduate and masters level programs provide general training in critical thinking, written and oral communication, and specific training in analysis of gender and how it connects with other social systems such as race, class, and sexualities. The combination BA/MA degree offers a useful program for well-qualified students who may want to pursue further studies in a PhD program or pursue careers in a variety of fields such as social service, law, art, health, business, education, policy planning, government and nongovernment organizations, and international development. This accelerated program allows students to complete both the BA and the MA in 5 years, rather than the typical 6 years if done separately. The BA/MA program provides advanced training in research and analytic skills, which will be helpful for future employment and/or doctoral studies.
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