Women's and Gender Studies

Department website: https://womensgenderstudies.wvu.edu/

Certificate Offered

• Women's and Gender Studies

Nature of the Program

The Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies is available to any student admitted to a graduate degree program at West Virginia University. The graduate certificate consists of fifteen hours of graduate-level work in women’s and gender studies, using courses approved as primary or component courses by the Women’s and Gender Studies Curriculum Committee.  The certificate offers students interdisciplinary perspectives on gender and its intersection with race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality. The breadth of the curriculum provides dynamic courses in theory and methods that help students understand the complex social, cultural, economic, political, and historical dimensions of men's and women's lives.    

In pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies, students make connections between their primary field of study and issues surrounding gender, race, class, culture, and sexuality. By applying multifaceted problem solving and critical thinking skills learned in women’s and gender studies courses to their primary field of study, students bring a broader base of experience and perspectives to their future careers.

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Faculty

Director

• Sharon Bird - Ph.D. (Washington State University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty

Assistant Director

• Kelly Watson - Ph.D. (Bowling Green State University)

Professors

• Lupe Davidson - Ph.D. (Duquesne University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Woodburn Professor of Women's and Gender Studies
• J. Kasi Jackson - Ph.D. (University of Kentucky)
  Regular Graduate Faculty

Associate Professor

• Cynthia Gorman - Ph.D. (Rutgers University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty

Assistant Professors

• Gloria Negrete-Lopez - Ph.D. (University of Arizona)
  Regular Graduate Faculty
• Kelly Watson - Ph.D. (Bowling Green State University)

Admissions for 2025-2026

Graduate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies

The Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) is available to any student admitted to a graduate degree program at West Virginia University. The certificate offers students interdisciplinary perspectives on gender and its intersection with race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality. The GRE is not required for admission to this program. 

List of Admission Requirements: 

• See the steps to apply for admissions and access the application here.
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume. 
• A one page (250 word) personal statement that describes the applicant’s interest in the certificate program. 

International Applicants:

• See the steps to apply for admissions and access the application here.
• International applicants should view additional requirements here and here.
• English language proficiency is required in order to hold a graduate teaching assistantship. See here.

Application Deadline:

• The WGST Certificate program admits students on a rolling basis.

For questions, please contact the Center for Women's and Gender Studies. 

Certain application requirements may be waived based on a preliminary review of an application by the program.

Major Code: CG30

Graduate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies

Certificate Code - CG30

Graduation Requirements: Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a minimum GPA of 2.75 in courses applied to the certificate.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
CORE COURSES		6
WGST 530	Feminist Theory
WGST 696	Graduate Seminar *
ELECTIVES **		9
Select from the following:
WGST 595	Independent Study
WGST 790	Teaching Practicum
WGST 795	Independent Study
Additional WGST courses at the 400 level or above
COMM 611	Intergroup Communication
C&I 689	Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
DISB 580	Disability and the Family
DISB 585	Disability and Society
DISB 682	Disability and the Community
ENGL 682	Recent Literary Criticism
GEOG 603	Qualitative Research in Geography
GEOG 612	Gender, Society and Space
GEOG 640	Geopolitical Perspectives
GERO 512	Public Policy of Aging
GERO 628	Aging Women & Cultural Issues
HIED 750	Diversity Issues in Higher Education
HIED 754	Women and Gender Issues in HIED
JRL 604	Mass Media and Society
PUBA 646	Public Policy Advocacy
PUBA 651	Social Equity in Public Service
PUBA 670	Health Systems
PUBA 712	Administrative Ethics
SOC 750	Systemic Inequalities
Total Hours		15

*

Students may repeat WGST 696. Additional attempts may count toward the electives.

**

Electives may use a maximum of 3 hours total and a maximum of one attempt each of 590/690/790; 495/595/695/795; 697/797; or internship courses. 

Certificate Learning Outcomes

Women's and Gender Studies

In completing a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, students will be able to:

• Use the lens of feminist and gender theory to analyze manifestations of human endeavor
• Integrate key terms and concepts related to women’s and gender studies in an interdisciplinary approach to their primary discipline
• Engage in discourse addressing how gender, class, race, ethnicity, age, sexualities and sexual identities shape experience and reflect societal constructs
• Analyze, dissect, and criticize arguments to demonstrate an understanding of the scholarship and theoretical underpinning of the field of women’s and gender studies