Women's and Gender Studies

 Graduate Certificate

 

The Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate offers students wishing to engage in graduate study a chance to expand both their educational and career opportunities.  The Certificate program features a 15 credit module of an introductory course on women's and gender studies along with interdisciplinary study that incorporates courses from dedicated faculty in anthropology, counseling, criminal justice, English, history, language studies, physical education, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, and management.  Within these disciplines students will discover a range of courses that emphasize the diversity of the experiences of gender including a focus on class, race, and sexuality.  Students with a bachelor's degree who wish to expand their knowledge of women's and gender studies beyond the undergraduate level are encouraged to apply.  The Women's and Gender Studies Certificate also serves as an excellent program to assist students in expanding their career opportunities.  The issue of gender is relevant to any career such as education, social work, health services, business, or criminal justice.  Participating in the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate will enable graduates of this program to understand the gender dynamics of the workplace and serve their community.  Students can pursue the certificate as an individual program or in addition to another graduate program.

 

Requirements for the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate

  • Total of 15 credits required (five, 3-credit courses)

  • Selecting no more than 2 courses from any one discipline. Before registering for such a course, students should seek approval of the Women's and Gender Studies coordinator and the course instructor

  • A scholarly paper of approximately 25 pages or a creative project linked to the student's coursework, accompanied by an explanation of its relevance to Women's and Gender Studies

For a list of Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate courses along with further details of program requirements, please consult the University Catalog.

 

Program Admissions

 

Students already admitted to a graduate program will be accepted to the Women's and Gender Studies Professional Diploma Program on the basis of a written, personal statement indicating their interests, plans and career objectives, and how these relate to the field of Women's and Gender Studies.

 

Students who are not enrolled in a Bridgewater State College graduate degree program who are applying for the freestanding certificate must submit:

  • A completed application form

  • An official transcript of all previous college work, showing a baccalaureate degree with an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0

  • Two letters of recommendation from an individual in an academic or employment position

  • A personal statement of approximately 500 words, indicating interests, plans and objectives within the field of Women's and Gender Studies, any work the student has completed in the field of Women's and Gender Studies and any undergraduate coursework

For further questions on graduate admissions, please contact the School of Graduate Studies.

Last Modified: February 7, 2011