Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate

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The Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program of study open to students currently admitted to a graduate program at the University of Memphis. The program is also available to graduate students enrolled at another institution and individuals already holding a graduate degree who wish to pursue further credentials at the University of Memphis.

The Women’s and Gender Studies certificate program draws on the expertise of faculty from different departments and colleges across our campus who specialize in topics and issues related to women, gender, sexuality, and/or the family. Students learn to employ feminist, womanist, and queer theories and methodologies as they explore their research interests within and outside of their home departments. The program further seeks to train students to deeply consider race, ethnicity, sexuality, and class, among other markers of identity, to build an intersectional understanding that will develop them both as nuanced thinkers and culturally competent professionals.

Students will craft an individualized program of study for the Women’s and Gender Studies certificate in consultation with the WGST Director.

Graduate Certificate

Admission to the Program

Students currently admitted to a graduate program at the University of Memphis or other university, as well as students already holding a graduate degree, may apply for admission to the Graduate Certificate Program in Women’s and Gender Studies.
For students enrolled in a graduate program, a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.8 is required for admission.
Students must apply to both the certificate program and the Graduate School. To apply, students submit:
1. Transcript of undergraduate degree program and transcripts of prior and current graduate study
2. A letter describing reasons why the student is interested in pursuing a graduate certificate in the area of Women’s and Gender Studies and how the program corresponds with prior experience and anticipated career plans
3. GRE scores are required and are an important factor in admission
4. A minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL and a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (for students whose native language is not English)

Program Requirements

The certificate program requires completion of twelve (12) semester credit hours.
Three (3) credit hours must be met by satisfactory completion of a Core course.
Nine (9) remaining hours will be selected in consultation with the Women’s and Gender Studies advisors prior to enrolling in the classes to ensure the selected courses include or treat material relevant to the Certificate students. Course content may vary depending on the instructor and will not always be pertinent to the study of women and gender.
Select at least one course from the humanities group and one course from the social science group (courses from graduate programs that incorporate women’s and gender issues, such as in the courses below, will be considered for inclusion as an approved elective).
The following additional restrictions apply:
- No more than two courses (6 hours) below the 7000 level are permissible.
- In order to remain in the program, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- No course can be counted twice for the certificate program. For example, if you take SOCI 7410/8410 to satisfy the Core requirement, you cannot also use that course to satisfy a Social Science Elective requirement.

Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate

Graduate Certificate

Admission to the Program

Program Requirements

Core (must take one course – 3 hours)

Humanities Courses (must take at least one course - 3 hours):

Social Science Courses (must take at least one course - 3 hours):