WGSS PhD Program Overview
The PhD program in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Stony Brook creates a space within the academy for critical thinking across disciplines about the explanatory categories of gender, race, nation, class, disability, and sexuality. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies examines how these categories emerge and operate across diverse cultures and historical periods, and how they influence social, political, economic, and institutional structures, as well as personal experiences in the world.
The program is particularly strong in the following areas:
- Black & Women of Color Feminisms
- Critical Disability Studies
- Feminist Media Studies
- Political Thought, Social Justice & Policy
- Race & Ethnic Studies
- Queer & Trans Studies
- Transnational Feminisms
Students benefit from mentorship by WGSS core faculty and an interdisciplinary network of affiliated faculty across the social sciences, humanities, and health sciences. Stony Brook WGSS PhD Graduates have gone on to accept positions at teaching-centered colleges and research universities, and others outside of the academy at UX research firms, policy institutes, and other community-based and non-governmental organizations.
Quicklinks
- WGSS PhD Admissions
- Requirements for the PhD degree
- Graduate Student Handbook 2025-2026
- Profiles of Faculty and Current Students
- PhD Alumni Spotlights
Suggested Timeline of Completion
Five Year Plan
Fall
- WST 601
- WST 680
- Elective
Spring
- WST 600
- WST 698
- Elective
Milestones
- Settle in to Grad School
- Identify Potential Advisor and Mentors
Fall
- Elective
- Elective
- Elective
Spring
- Elective
- Elective
- Elective or WST 690/696
Milestones
- Complete Seminars and coursework
- Select Primary Advisor
Comprehensive Exam Preparation
- Assemble Committee
- Compile Reading List
Fall
- WST 610
- WST 690/696
- WST 690/696
Spring
- WST 690/696
- WST 696
- WST 696
Milestones
- Fall: Study for Exam and Draft Prospectus
- Spring: Take Exam and "Defend" Prospectus
Fall
- WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)
Spring
- WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)
Milestones
- Dissertation Research and Writing
Fall
- WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)
Spring
- WST 699/700/701 (9 credits)
Milestones
- Defend Dissertation
Graduate Contacts
Angela Jones
- Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
- angela.n.jones@stonybrook.edu
Charles Edwards
- Academic Program Coordinator
- charles.j.edwards@stonybrook.edu