Women's Studies Degree Essentials
Students pursuing a 4-year Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies explore courses in many disciplines to learn through the lends of feminist theory how gender is relevant to topics such as violence, politics, education, art literature, and labor issues. Before earning in a women's studies degree students must have a high school diploma or the equivalent, standardized test scores, and prior college classes for the bachelor's degree program.
Bachelor's Degree in Women's Studies
B.A. and B.S. programs in this field are interdisciplinary. Although closely related a bachelors in gender studies is not the same as one in women's studies which a narrower focus. A degree in women's studies uses the basic focus on women to examine how women have contributed to disciplines like literature, anthropology, history, political science, art history and sociology. Additionally, students analyze how different cultures conceive of women.
Training in feminist research methods also might be included, and some programs require students to complete a capstone project in order to hone these skills in particular. Other skills typically refined include critical thinking and communication. Women's studies programs usually supplement core coursework in feminist theory with electives covering areas such as justice, politics, the humanities and behavioral science.
Women's Studies Courses
Core coursework usually incorporates topics in the theoretical analysis of gender, feminist theory and labor studies. Common courses include:
- Feminism and Social Change - feminist movements, the influence of feminism on social movements, and the changing role of women in society
- History of Women - the history of women in given time periods and places, both their involvement in historically significant events and everyday experience in various contexts
- Ecofeminism - women's relationship to nature as well as the connection between the subjugation of women and the natural world in patriarchal systems
- Education and gender- the prevalence of gender discrimination in education as well as the importance of educating about the role of gender in education
- Gender and violence -gender-based violence including domestic violence, sexual violence, and forced sterilization as well as connections to race, class, nationality, and existing power structures
- Global feminism - a global perspective of how feminist movements are shaped by and seek to address the effects of globalization on economies, societies, and politics.
- Legal issues and civil rights - the impact of gender on laws related to education, employment, property, and women's bodies as well as in the ways in which race and class interconnect with gender these areas
- Psychology of women - the influence of various critical theories on the understanding of the psychology of women as well as the concepts of gender identity and roles
Online Women's Studies Degree
Students interested in an online women's studies degree have many options to consider. Pennsylvania State University - World Campus offers a Bachelor's degree in Women's Studies, and indeed all of its programs, in a completely online format. Another fully online women's studies degree program is that of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, which is also offered as a degree completion program for students with some college courses already earned. Oregon State University has an online program to earn a Bachelor of Arts or Science in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. In addition to other online programs at the undergraduate level, there are dozens of universities and colleges which offer online master's degrees in women's studies for students wishing to pursue their degree at an even higher level.
Career Options with a Women's Studies Degree
Women's studies majors are suited to enter a variety of careers due to their interdisciplinary backgrounds. Graduates' main task is effectively marketing their abilities to employers. Degree-holders may enter fields such as:
- Non-profit management
- Journalism
- Publishing
- Marketing
- Public policy advocacy
Continuing Education Info
Individuals with bachelor's degrees can earn teaching certificates and work in schools up to the high school level. They also might pursue graduate education to further their knowledge and open additional career opportunities.
Master of Arts (M.A.) programs in Women's Studies are available; these programs may be combined with a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program to prepare students to effectively apply their expertise to a specific vocation. One might also earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Women and Gender Studies to enter a career in academia. A women's studies degree-holder could address sexual discrimination or women's health by pursuing additional schooling and a career in law, occupational therapy or nursing.
Women's studies students are exposed to a variety of feminist research methods and different disciplines such as literature, history, and sociology through a bachelor's program. After completing this program, students can look for careers in journalism, marketing, public policy advocacy, and more.
