B.A. in Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies
GWS fosters a commitment to gender equity and social justice, integrating learning and research with real-world change. The B.A. builds interdisciplinary critical thinking, research, writing and communication skills to understand how gender and sexuality operate and to address problems of equity and justice in national and transnational contexts.
Program Structure
The major requires 36 hours of coursework:
Three required introductory courses (9 hours): Sex, Gender, and Power; Global Women's Issues; Introduction to LGBT Studies
Feminist Theories, plus one additional intermediate course (6 hours)
One advanced course (3 hours)
A capstone course (3 hours)
GWS electives at the 3000 level or above (6 hours)
Major electives, including cross-listed courses in anthropology, English, history, philosophy, sociology and more (9 hours)
A minor is required alongside the B.A., since questions of gender and sexuality have broad relevance. Advisors help students choose a minor or second major that fits their interests. GWS offers three: the GWS minor, LGBT Studies minor and Girls' Studies minor.
See the 2026-27 Undergraduate Bulletin for the complete course list and requirements.
Curious what a GWS degree leads to? Visit Career Development to see the range of paths our graduates pursue.
Considering departmental honors? Visit Honors to learn more.