Women’s and Gender Studies Certificate

Vicky McLean, Program Director
(615) 898-5910
Vicky.Maclean@mtsu.edu

The certificate program in Women’s and Gender Studies seeks to provide students with knowledge of fundamental issues in sex and gender and how these are reflected in culture across time; how they shape institutions as well as personal experience; how they interact with issues such as ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic class; how new ways of thinking about gender challenge the processes by which knowledge about human beings and our behavior is acquired, interpreted, and transmitted; and how to do research within the field and apply this knowledge to one’s personal and professional life.

Please see undergraduate catalog for information regarding undergraduate programs.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the graduate certificate program requires

an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college;
an acceptable grade point average in all college work taken.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Applicant must

submit application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php);
submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
submit a current resume;
submit a letter of interest and goals;
successfully complete “Introduction to Women’s studies” or an equivalent course or have experience deemed acceptable by the admissions committee;
submit two letters of reference.

Certificate Requirements

Candidate must

complete 18 hours of graduate courses, with at least 12 hours at the 6000 level (see Curriculum section below for specifics);
maintain a cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.00 in courses leading to the certificate.

Curriculum: Women’s and Gender Studies

Candidate must complete 18 hours in the following course of study:

Required Courses (9 hours)

WGST 6000 - Feminist Theory 3 credit hours
WGST 6010 - Feminist Methods 3 credit hours
WGST 6020 - Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies 3 credit hours OR
WGST 6021 - Directed Reading and Research 3 credit hours

Electives (9 hours)

Approved courses must be taught by a WGST graduate faculty member to count towards the certificate.

5000-level Courses

CDFS 5140 - Violence in the Family 3 credit hours
HIST 5775 - U.S. Women’s History 3 credit hours
HIST 5810 - History of Women in the Third World 3 credit hours
MUHL 5810 - Women in Music 3 credit hours
PSY 5620 - Psychology of Women 3 credit hours
SOC 5140 - Violence in the Family 3 credit hours
SOC 5150 - Topics in Sociology 3 credit hours
SOC 5361 - Contemporary Issues in Women’s Health 3 credit hours

6000/7000-level Courses

BCED 6680 - Women and Minorities in Business 3 credit hours
ENGL 6455 - Special Topics in Women’s Literature 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
ENGL 6460 - Studies in Contemporary Drama 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
ENGL 6500 - Selected Topics in Literature and Language 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
ENGL 7455 - Special Topics in Women’s Literature 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
ENGL 7460 - Studies in Contemporary Drama 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
ENGL 7500 - Selected Topics in Literature and Language 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
HIST 6104 - Seminar: Topics in American History 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
HIST 6204 - Seminar: Topics in European History 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
HIST 7104 - Seminar: Topics in American History 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
HIST 7204 - Seminar: Topics in European History 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
PSY 6730 - Literature Review and Reading in Psychology: Personality 1 to 3 credit hours
SOC 6540 - Topics in Crime and Deviance 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
SOC 6545 - Topics in Gender 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
SOC 6650 - Contemporary Social Issues 3 credit hours (approved topics only)
WGST 6000 - Feminist Theory 3 credit hours
WGST 6010 - Feminist Methods 3 credit hours
WGST 6020 - Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies 3 credit hours
WGST 6021 - Directed Reading and Research 3 credit hours

Program Notes

Students may transfer up to six (6) credit hours of approved coursework into the certificate program. The time limit for use of credit toward the certificate is six years from the date of enrollment in the earliest course applied toward the certificate, including transferred courses.

Candidate must file a Notice of Intent to Graduate form in the College of Graduate Studies within the first two weeks of the semester in term in which candidate intends to graduate.