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MA

 M.A.
in Women's,  
Gender & Sexuality
Studies    

The graduate program in Women's and Gender Studies at Stony Brook creates a space within the academy for critical thinking across disciplines about the explanatory categories of gender, race, class, sexuality, nation, and disability. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies explores how these categories come into being and operate across different cultures and historical periods, and how they shape social, political, economic and institutional organizations as well as personal experience and perception.

The MA program was introduced in 2014 along with a PhD program. In its first three years of existence, all MA candidates successfully completed the requirements and graduated within two years. After finishing the program, Laura Abbasi-Lemmon (MA, 2016) began a PhD program in Women's Studies at the University of Maryland, while Emily Whearty (MA, 2017) continued her work in the non-profit sector as a precinct advocate at L.I. Against Domestic Violence.  Joie Meier (MA, 2018) was accepted into the PhD program in Gender Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. 

The program is particularly strong in four key areas: transnational social movements and globalization; the politices of representation and media analysis; gender and health; and the critical analysis of seuality.  Along with the core faculty in WGSS, the graduate program programs draw from an extensive network of Graduate Faculty from across Stony Brook University. Including in the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and health sciences. 


M.A. REQUIREMENTS

Below is an overview of the requirements for the M.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at Stony Brook. These requirements are in addition to the Graduate School’s minimum standards. For more detailed information, please consult the 2024–2025 WGSS Graduate Student Handbook.


At a Glance

Coursework

  1. Total Credits Required: 30 credits (10 graduate-level classes)
  2. Core Courses: 9 credits (3 classes)
  3. WGSS Electives: 6 credits (2 classes)
  4. Additional Electives: 15 credits (5 classes)

Additional Requirements

  1. Foreign Language Requirement: Optional
  2. Thesis Proposal
  3. Final Thesis Project

Requirements


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.