Women's and Gender Studies M.S.
Degree: Master of Science
https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/womengender/grad/womengender/
Program Director: Cindy Gissendanner
Phone: 410-704-5456
Email: cgissendanner@towson.edu
The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary graduate program in Women’s and Gender Studies provides students with a solid academic foundation to pursue their unique goals. As the only applied master’s program in Women’s and Gender Studies in Maryland and the only Women’s and Gender Studies master’s program in Baltimore, the program emphasizes applied research methods and skills, preparing students for careers in a variety of public and private organizations both national and international, for-profit and nonprofit. It also prepares students to enter doctoral programs in a variety of fields.
The master’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies is set in the liberal arts tradition and explores feminist paradigms and scholarship. Intended as either a capstone interdisciplinary experience or one which bridges undergraduate learning and a doctoral program, the M.S. in Women’s and Gender Studies captures a multi-faceted intellectual experience, including both theoretical and experiential content. Requiring 36 earned graduate units, the program requires a core component and offers three concentration options: 1) Women, Health and Sexuality, 2) Women in an International Context, and 3) Women, Leadership and Public Policy. The program includes a Culminating Experience with three options: a) a thesis, b) an internship or c) a two-course option with portfolio. The thesis option is recommended for students who intend to pursue a doctoral degree.
Please note that only one degree in Women's and Gender Studies can be awarded; students who complete more than one concentration in Women's and Gender Studies will not receive two different degrees.
Accelerated Bachelor’s-Master’s Program
Students may also earn the M.S. in Women's and Gender Studies through the accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program in Women’s Studies, which is designed to allow students to complete accelerated undergraduate and graduate degrees. This program is designed for the three existing tracks in Women’s Studies: Women, Leadership and Social Change; Women in International Context; and Women, Health and Sexuality. This accelerated degree program allows qualified undergraduate Women’s Studies majors to pursue an accelerated bachelor’s and master’s in Women’s Studies.
Students enrolled in the accelerated bachelor’s and master’s program in Women’s Studies may elect to follow one of three Culminating Experiences already in place: Thesis, Internship or Two-Course Option. The degree requirements are the same as those for the M.S. program in Women’s Studies with the following exception: the accelerated bachelor’s and master’s requires 3 fewer units of planned electives. All M.S. students in this program, regardless of their plan, are expected to demonstrate a proficiency in research and meet the requirements of all learning outcomes listed for both undergraduate and graduate programs.
Advising
During the student’s first term, the graduate program director acts as the student’s adviser. During that time, the student’s academic program is discussed, developed and drafted. At the end of the first term, the student is transferred to a permanent adviser.
Admission Requirements
Application deadlines and a full listing of materials required for admission can be found on the website.
Degree Requirements
The M.S. in Women’s and Gender Studies requires successful completion of 36 units with an average GPA of 3.00 or higher.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| WMST 601 | WOMEN AND GENDER IN THE WORKPLACE | 3 |
| WMST 603 | THE DIVERSITY OF WOMEN | 3 |
| WMST 605 | WOMEN IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT | 3 |
| WMST 607 | ADVANCED FEMINIST THEORY | 3 |
| WMST 609 | APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS AND SKILLS I | 3 |
| WMST 611 | WOMEN, PUBLIC POLICY AND SOCIAL CHANGE | 3 |
| WMST 613 | WOMEN AND HEALTH | 3 |
| WMST 670 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN WOMENS STUDIES (Performance of Leadership) | 3 |
| Additional Courses, One Offered Each Semester, Possible Courses Include: | 6 | |
| MASCULINITIES IN PERSPECTIVE | ||
| WOMEN'S SPIRITUAL PRACTICES | ||
| GENDER AND RELIGION IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN WOMENS STUDIES | ||
| Culminating Experience Coursework 1 | 6 | |
| Students will choose one of the two options listed for a total of 6 units: | ||
| 1. Thesis Option | ||
| WOMEN'S STUDIES THESIS | ||
or WMST 898 | WOMEN'S STUDIES THESIS | |
| 2. Internship Option | ||
| INTERNSHIP | ||
| Total Units | 36 | |
- 1
Additional information regarding the WMST Culminating Experience is detailed in the Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Student Handbook.
- Students can understand and can evaluate/critique feminist arguments and theories as demonstrated in a term paper that is clearly and knowledgeably written.
- Students can demonstrate ability to execute a research proposal that is clearly and knowledgeably written, incorporating a thesis statement, a literature review, operationalization of key concepts/variables, defense of selected method, and heuristic and potential research implication of the proposed research. Part of (these skills) includes the effective use of online research portals to search through academic journals databases for relevant articles.
- Students can demonstrate ability to identify and evaluate prevailing normative assumptions that underlie social practices and policies that hinder women’s agency.