Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies

This independent interdisciplinary program is designed to broaden and enrich disciplinary scholarship for students enrolled in a master’s or doctoral-degree-granting program. The purpose of the certificate is to enable students interested in feminist scholarship to pursue a coherent, integrated curriculum in the field and to credential them as knowledgeable in feminist studies, thus qualifying them for positions requiring such expertise. Students completing the certificate will have the opportunity to bring a feminist perspective to bear on the practices and ideas of their own discipline, thereby increasing the body of feminist theory and research. The curriculum is designed to ground students in the evolving tradition of feminist scholarship while supporting them as they utilize a feminist perspective within their own fields of study. The certificate emphasizes the development of feminist theory, research, and analytical skills from an integrative and intersectional perspective, prioritizing the interaction of race, class, gender, and sexuality in a national andor global perspective.

Many students apply to the certificate program having already begun coursework, but we strongly encourage applying early. A maximum of two courses completed prior to acceptance can be applied towards the certificate, including those taken in the spring of application. Because the application process occurs annually in the spring, it is highly recommended that interested students apply early in their coursework. This requirement is meant to engage them early in the intellectual life of the program. If there are extenuating circumstances that require a student to count more than two courses that were taken before acceptance into the program, please explain these and they will be taken into consideration. However, we cannot guarantee that all previous courses will be counted without compelling reasons.