Women's Studies
The Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research administers the women's studies program, which offers students the opportunity to investigate how questions of gender and sexuality shape the human experience in the United States and abroad, from the past to the present.
About This Major
- College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Degree: Bachelor of Arts
- Hours for the Degree: 120
- Concentrations: General Concentration, International Perspectives on Gender, Theories and Politics of Sexuality
- Minor: Yes
- Combined-Degree Program: Yes
- Website: www.wst.ufl.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate.html
Overview
By taking a wide range of interdisciplinary courses, students in the major receive excellent preparation for graduate or professional schools, as well as for careers in education, human relations, communications and media, politics, law and social services.
Coursework for the Major
The major requires 30 credits of coursework in women's studies' core and elective courses, at least 27 hours of which must be at the 3000-4000 level. All 30 hours must be completed with grades of C or better. To ensure a good grasp of the content, theories and methods of women's studies scholarship, students will take courses from a variety of disciplines in addition to those offered under the WST prefix designation.
Students are encouraged to fulfill some of the requirements with appropriate study-abroad courses and may petition the program to count courses outside of WST toward the major if they have significant (greater than 50 percent) gender content. Because the major is so flexible, students should use the approved plan of study worksheets to plan and track their progress through the degree. Many courses offered in other departments are approved for women's studies credit. Students should refer to the CWSGR website and contact the women's studies undergraduate coordinator each semester for a more complete listing.
Required Coursework
- WST 3015 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women's Studies
- WST 3415 Transnational Feminisms
- WST 4935 Capstone Seminar in Women's Studies (Prereq: WST 3015)
- An additional 21 hours of approved women’s studies and gender-related courses
- A minimum of 18 hours for the major must be taken at UF.
Combined Degree Programs
Women's studies is an interdisciplinary field, and at the undergraduate and master's levels provides general training in critical thinking, written and oral communication, and specific training in gender analysis. It has proven a popular and useful program to prepare students for careers in social welfare, law, business, education, policy planning, government service, international development and organizational management. Some master's recipients also choose to pursue the Ph.D. in Women's Studies (not currently available at UF).
For those students interested in using the MA to develop job qualifications, this accelerated program provides quicker access to research and analytic skills. Students who have a Ph.D. as their goal will be able to abbreviate the length of time engaged in coursework. Undergraduates enrolled in graduate courses also will benefit from the more intense level of intellectual engagement involved in graduate training. More information.
Concentrations
- General Concentration: Students in the general concentration tailor their coursework for maximum exposure to the various issues covered by women's studies scholarship. In addition to the core requirements, they take nine credit hours of WST-electives focused on humanities, nine credit hours of WST-electives focused on social science and three credit hours of either a gender and science-focused course or an internship (WST 4940).
- International Perspectives on Gender: This concentration emphasizes the experiences of women and men around the globe, with an eye to achieving a cross-cultural perspective on gender, power, sexuality, and the way social and cultural changes impact gender relations. In addition to the core requirements, students must take at least 21 credit hours from an approved list of GIP electives in women’s studies.
- Theories and Politics of Sexuality: This concentration introduces students to new ways of theorizing sex, sexual identities and the significance of sexualities in social organization. In addition to taking the three core courses, students take a required three-credit sexualities course, either LIT 4844 Queer Theory or WST 3930 Sexualities Studies. The remaining 18 hours are drawn from an approved list of TPS electives in women's studies.
To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements. For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements — Structure of a CLAS Degree.
Critical Tracking and Recommended Semester Plan
Equivalent critical tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students
Women's studies is a flexible major without a specific gateway course or prerequisites for upper-division courses. In addition to maintaining a 2.0 UF GPA overall, students should take one women's studies class in the third and fourth semesters and two classes in the fifth semester, one of which must be WST 3015 or WST 3415 (three of the four should be at the 3000 level), and earn a 2.5 GPA in those classes.
Semester 1:
- 2.0 UF GPA required for semesters 1-5
Semester 2:
- Maintain 2.0 UF GPA
Semester 3:
- Maintain 2.0 UF GPA
- Complete one women's studies course
Semester 4:
- Complete 1 additional women's studies course at the 3000 level with a 2.5 GPA on all critical-tracking coursework
Semester 5:
- Complete 2 additional women's studies courses at the 3000 level, including WST 3015 or WST 3415, with a 2.5 GPA in all critical-tracking coursework (at least three of the four courses must have been at the 3000 level or above)
Recommended semester plan
Students are expected to complete the writing and math requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H or S).
| Semester 1 | Credits |
| Composition (GE-C, WR) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Foreign language | 4-5 |
| Mathematics (GE-M) | 3 |
| Total | 13-14 |
| Semester 2 | Credits |
| Electives | 6-3 |
| Foreign language | 3-5 |
| Biological Science (GE-B) | 3 |
| Physical or Biological Science laboratory (GE-P or GE-B) | 1 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S) or Humanities (GE-H) | 3 |
| Total | 16-15 |
| Semester 3 | Credits |
| WST approved course (2000 level or above) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective (or foreign language if 4-3-3 option) | 3 |
| Humanities (GE-H) | 3 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S) | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Semester 4 | Credits |
| WST approved course (3000 level or above) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Mathematics (GE-M) | 3 |
| Physical Science (GE-P) | 3 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S) | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Semester 5 | Credits |
| WST 3015 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women's Studies (GE-H, D or GE-S, D) or WST 3415 Transnational Feminisms (GE-N, S) | 3 |
| WST course (3000 level or above) | 3 |
| Biological Science (GE-B) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Humanities (GE-H) | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Semester 6 | Credits |
| WST 3015 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women's Studies (GE-H, D or GE-S,D) or WST 3415 Transnational Feminisms (GE-N, S) | 3 |
| WST course (3000 level or above) | 3 |
| Composition (GE-C, WR) | 3 |
| Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) | 3 |
| Physical Science (GE-P) | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Semester 7 | Credits |
| WST approved courses (two at 3000 level or above) | 6 |
| Electives | 4 |
| Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) | 6 |
| Total | 16 |
| Semester 8 | Credits |
| WST 4935 Capstone Seminar in Women's Studies | 3 |
| WST approved course (3000 level or above, not in major) | 3 |
| Electives (3000 level or above) | 9 |
| Total | 15 |