Advanced Graduate Certificate in
Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

Program Overview

The Advanced Graduate Certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) prepares students—whether in existing graduate degree–granting programs at Stony Brook or in the free-standing certificate program—to conduct interdisciplinary feminist research. Completing this certificate enables students to:

Trace the histories of feminist thought and social movements.

Apply feminist, queer, and trans theories to their writing and research.

Develop problem-based, interdisciplinary methods that can be applied inside and outside the university.

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies emerged to challenge disciplinary knowledge paradigms—investigating how we know what we know, who speaks for whom, and what counts as a legitimate field of inquiry. The WGSS Certificate program continues this legacy by questioning traditional methods and categories (“women,” “gender,” “sexuality”) and offering a self-reflexive engagement with knowledge production.

Certificate Requirements & Enrollment 

• 3 Core Courses

  WST 600: Feminist Interdisciplinary Histories and Methods (every Spring)

  WST 601: Feminist Theories (every Fall)

  WST 698: Practicing WGSS / Teaching Practicum (every Spring)

• 2 Elective Courses

  You have significant flexibility in choosing 2 electives:

  WST 610: Advanced Topics in WGSS

  New instructor/topics each semester.

  Possible to repeat with different content.

  WGSS-Themed Seminars with Associated Faculty

  Any 500- or 600-level course focused on gender/sexuality can count if taught by WGSS-associated faculty.

  Each semester, WGSS compiles a list of approved electives.

  If you spot another relevant course not on the list, contact the WGSS Graduate Program Director.

  WGSS-Themed Directed Reading

  If no formal course is available, you can arrange a directed reading with associated faculty (requires Graduate Program Director approval).

  Note: Only one elective (3 credits) can be a directed reading.

  Transferring Credits

  You may apply relevant graduate-level, gender-/sexuality-focused courses from your home department (or others) toward these electives—subject to WGSS Graduate Program Director approval.

  Check with your home program to see if these credits can also count toward your master’s or doctoral degree.

• Enrollment

  Who Is Eligible?

  Any full-time, fully matriculated graduate student in a Stony Brook degree–granting program may apply.

  We cannot accept non-matriculated students at this time.

  Important Credit Policy

  For advanced graduate certificates, the Graduate School allows a maximum of 9 credits from your primary program to be counted prior to acceptance into the certificate program.

  Apply as soon as possible to avoid exceeding that limit. (See the Graduate School policy for details.)

  How to Enroll

  Complete the WGSS Certificate Application

  Visit our Application for Admission to the Graduate Certificate webpage and fill out the brief Google Form to indicate your interest.

  Follow instructions to complete the Permission to Enroll in a Secondary Certificate Program form required by the Graduate School.

  Obtain Signatures

  Have your Graduate Program Director sign the form (and International Advisor if relevant).

  Submit the Form

  Email the signed form to the WGSS Graduate Program Coordinator, who will finalize the process.

  When to Enroll

  Enroll as early as possible.

  The Graduate School prohibits you from retroactively counting more than 6 credits (2 courses) for a certificate if taken before official acceptance. You must complete at least 3 courses (9 credits)after being formally admitted to the WGSS Certificate program.

  There is no additional cost to enroll, and no penalty if you decide not to finish later.

  Avoid complications by signing up sooner rather than later.

• Completing the Certificate

  Once you have taken your 5 required courses (15 credits):

  Contact the WGSS Graduate Program Coordinator to begin the graduation process for the certificate.

  You do not need to wait until you finish your main degree.

  Claim your WGSS Graduate Certificate and add it to your CV—you’ve earned it!

   

Interdisciplinary Advantages

The WGSS Department has 50+ associated faculty from 15+ programs spanning the arts, humanities, social sciences, and health sciences. This certificate is especially beneficial for students pursuing degrees in Art, Music, English, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, and related fields who wish to:

Build community with feminist researchers on campus.

Engage with cross-departmental expertise on gender and sexuality.

Gain an unusually rich interdisciplinary experience and strengthen research agendas across disciplines.

Have Questions?

Director of Graduate Studies

Ritch Calvin

Email: ritchie.calvin@stonybrook.edu 

Course approvals & substitutions,  program specific transfer credit evaluation,  clarification on course and program content, research, and similar academically related questions. 

Academic Program Coordinator

Charles Edwards  

Email: charles.j.edwards@stonybrook.edu

Enrollment, graduation, general administrative questions.