Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies

Students who wish to pursue Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the graduate level at Northeastern will have an opportunity to engage these issues in depth from feminist and interdisciplinary perspectives by choosing to pursue a graduate certificate in WGSS or by taking courses at Northeastern or at the Graduate Consortium for Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality (GCWS).

The certificate aims to complement traditional disciplinary knowledges and provide students with a deep grounding in interdisciplinary feminist and queer studies. In particular, our graduate classes focus on the intersection of gender with sexuality, race, class, and other vectors of power and identity, seeking to broaden and enrich analytical skills.

Designed for students already enrolled in a graduate degree program at Northeastern University, the 12-credit hour graduate certificate in WGSS can be combined with either a master’s or a doctoral degree in another discipline. Coursework consists of one foundational interdisciplinary course (4 CH) and at least two elective courses (4 CH each) from a pre-approved list, one of which should be taken outside of the student’s home department. Students are not constricted to the pre-approved elective list: they may petition for special topics or other courses to count by contacting the program director and requesting a review of the syllabus/course content.

Students who wish to declare their intent to pursue the certificate may do so here. This form does not serve as a binding agreement to complete the certificate coursework, but it does signal your intention to add the certificate to your transcript and also allows the program to keep you up to date about news, courses, events, and more that may be useful to you in your pursuit of graduate studies in WGSS. Prospective certificate students are advised initially to consult with the WGSS program director and the adviser in their home department to develop a plan for completing the certificate.

Learn more about the certificate, graduate courses, the GCWS, and other opportunities by exploring our website.