Department website: https://womensgenderstudies.wvu.edu/
Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
The Center for Women’s and Gender Studies offers a bachelor of arts degree in women’s and gender studies, as well as minors in women's and gender studies and LGBTQ+ studies. Many students in women’s and gender studies double major in other fields such as biology, psychology, communication studies, sociology, English, history, and other fields in the social sciences, humanities, and physical sciences.
Nature of the Program
The Center for Women's and Gender Studies at WVU advances interdisciplinary research and innovative teaching to inspire new generations of gender and sexuality scholars and leaders. The mission of WGST is to examine the complex interplay of power and difference across multiple intersecting categories--including gender, race, sexuality, class, age, ability, and nationality. Students in this program develop tools for addressing social inequities in everyday life. As an interdisciplinary field, WGST embraces humanities, arts, social science, and STEM fields. WGST students are challenged to investigate the meanings of categorization and difference on local and global levels.
Career Opportunities
Business, public administration, non-profit, health care, communications, law, teaching, social work, counseling, creative arts, government, and journalism are all fields in which a major or minor in women’s and gender studies may be a valuable professional credential. A background in this field is helpful to both women and men entering professions that have traditionally been restricted to one sex. These areas of study are especially useful for employment in fields such as family law, international development, child and family counseling, domestic violence, social services, and education.
Academic Opportunities in Women’s and Gender Studies
Women’s and Gender Studies courses are offered in a variety of academic disciplines throughout the University. Many of these courses fulfill General Education Curriculum requirements. In addition to the Women’s & Gender Studies courses listed in this catalog, many other courses are offered through other departments. Updated lists of these courses are available from the Center for Women’s & Gender Studies each semester.
Faculty
Director
- Sharon Bird - Ph.D. (Washington State University)
Sociological studies of equity in higher education and work organizations
Assistant Director
- Kelly Watson - Ph.D. (Bowling Green State University)
History of gender, sex, and sexuality; colonialism; indigenous studies
Professors
- Lupe Davidson - Ph.D. (Duquesne University)
Woodburn Professor of Women's and Gender Studies - Kasi Jackson - Ph.D. (University of Kentucky)
Associate professor
- Cynthia Gorman - Ph.D. (Rutgers University)
Assistant professor
- Gloria Negrete-Lopez - Ph.D. (University of Arizona)
Admissions for 2025-2026
- First-Time Freshmen are admitted directly into the major.
- Students transferring from another WVU major must have a 2.0 GPA.
- Students transferring from another institution must have a 2.0 GPA.
Major Code: 1404
Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.A. requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 hours. For complete details on these requirements, visit the B.A. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences pages.
Departmental Requirements
- Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course: WGST 484.
- Writing and Communication Skills Requirement: The Women’s and Gender Studies Bachelor of Arts is a SpeakWrite Certified ProgramTM. SpeakWrite Certified programs incorporate and develop students’ written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills across the curriculum.
- Calculation of Major GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all courses applied to major requirements with a minimum grade C- in WGST 170, WGST 200, WGST 330, WGST 360,and WGST 484. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
- Secondary Concentration: Students must complete a minor outside of Women's & Gender Studies or a second major.
-
Credit Limitations: Students may not count more than three hours of WGST 490 and six hours of any combination of WGST 490, WGST 491 or WGST 495 toward their major requirements.
- Benchmark Expectations: For details, go to the Women and Gender Studies admissions tab.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 66 | |
| ECAS B.A. Requirements | 6 | |
| Women's and Gender Studies Major Requirements | 48 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 | 21 | |
| WGST 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 44 | |
| Total Hours | 66 | |
ECAS Bachelor of Arts Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Arts Requirement | 3 | |
| Global Studies and Diversity Requirement | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
Women's and Gender Studies Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CORE COURSES: | 12 | |
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Feminist Histories and Practices | ||
| Feminist Theory | ||
| Queer Theories | ||
| ELECTIVES:* | 18 | |
Select a minimum of 6 WGST credits; at least 9 credits must be at the 300 or 400 level. | ||
| Women in Movies | ||
| African Women Writers | ||
| Medieval Women Mystics | ||
| Women in Appalachia | ||
| Women's Health and Fitness | ||
| Women in Science | ||
| Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies | ||
| Gender and Violence | ||
| Women in International Development | ||
| Sexuality in American Culture | ||
| Women's Movements Since 1960 | ||
| Sex and Science at the Movies | ||
| Men and Masculinities | ||
| Gender and Sport | ||
| Anthropology of Health and Illness | ||
| Women in Art | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Gender Communication | ||
| Disability and the Family | ||
| Disability and Society | ||
| Literature of Native America | ||
| Literature of Love, Sex, and Gender | ||
| Appalachian Fiction | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Multiethnic Literature | ||
| Images of Women in Literature | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Literature and Film | ||
| American Women Writers | ||
| British Women Writers | ||
| Topics in Women's Literature | ||
| Topics in Gay/Lesbian Studies | ||
| Arab Women Writers | ||
| Geography of Gender | ||
| Introduction to Gerontology | ||
| Public Policy of Aging | ||
| Aging, Women and Culture | ||
| Revolutionary Europe | ||
| Women, Gender, and Kinship in Premodern Europe | ||
| History of American Women | ||
| Current Moral Problems | ||
| Philosophy of Sex and Gender | ||
| Health Care Ethics | ||
| Interest Groups and Democracy | ||
| Sexuality, Law, and Politics | ||
| Gender/Politics and Policy | ||
| Sex Roles and Behavior | ||
| Families and Society | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Class, Status, and Power | ||
| Gender and the Research Process | ||
| Minor Requirement | 15 | |
Students must complete a minor (or a second major) | ||
| Capstone Experience | 3 | |
| Seminar:Capstone | ||
| Total Hours | 48 | |
- *
Students may petition to have other courses count as electives. For more information, email the faculty advising point of contact (as indicated in the catalog under the Faculty tab).
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| WGST 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| WGST 170 (ECAS Global Studies & Diversity Requirement; GEF 7) | 3 | WGST 200 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 3 | GEF 2 | 3 |
| GEF 3 | 3 | GEF 4 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 2 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECAS Fine Arts Requirement (GEF 6) | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| WGST Elective 1 | 3 | WGST Elective 2 | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | Minor Requirement 1* | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| WGST 330 | 3 | WGST 360 | 3 |
| WGST Elective 3 | 3 | WGST Elective 4 (Upper Division) | 3 |
| Minor Requirement 2 | 3 | Minor Requirement 3 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | Minor Requirement 4 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| WGST 484 | 3 | WGST Elective 6 (Upper Division) | 3 |
| WGST Elective 5 (Upper Division) | 3 | Minor Requirement 5 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
- *
Completion of the minor also fulfills F 8.
Degree Progress
- By the end of the second semester in the major, students should have completed WGST 170 with a minimum grade of C-.
- Students should review their progress in the major each semester with their WGST adviser.
- Students should maintain a GPA of 2.0 in courses that will count toward the major by their Junior year, with minimum grade of C- in WGST 330 and WGST 360.
Students who do not meet these benchmarks may be removed from their major.
Major Learning Outcomes
Women's and Gender Studies
Upon successful completion of the B.A. degree, Women’s and Gender Studies majors will demonstrate competency in the field as expressed in the following outcomes:
-
Demonstrate understanding of key concepts of the interdisciplinary field of Women's and Gender Studies, including how gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, ability, and legal status shape experiences of individuals and interlocking systems of power from local to global scales.
-
Use critical thinking skills and interdisciplinary feminist, gender, or queer approaches to research, revising and presenting knowledge.
-
Employ interdisciplinary feminist, gender or queer methodologies to problem solving evidenced through multiple modalities of communication.
- Apply feminist, gender, or queer theory, methods, and praxis to scholarship, activism, or public engagement in the classroom, social institutions, the community, or the workplace.