The Master of Arts Degree Program

Graduate Program Admission Requirements

• Admission to the TWU Graduate School
• Admission to Women's Studies
  • In addition to the Graduate School's admissions criteria, applicants must meet admission criteria of the Women's Studies Program.
• Financial Aid is available.
• Scholarships may be available.
• Teaching and research assistantships may be available.
• Information for international students is available at the TWU Office of International Education.

Women's Studies Program Admission Requirements

• An approved application
• An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Supporting coursework in the liberal arts and sciences or in interdisciplinary studies
• A 4 to 6 page written statement about your career goals and professional development as they relate to Women's Studies
• Two letters of recommendation (preferably from professors, if possible)
• Other supporting information that you deem relevant (optional)
• Please note: GRE scores are not required.

Degree Plan

Students pursuing the Master of Arts Degree will work with a faculty advisor and mentor in developing a personalized degree plan. The degree consists of a total of 36 graduate credit hours:

• Three Core Courses (9 credit hours)
  • WS 5463 U. S. Women of Colors
    • Histories, theories, cultures, consciousness, and lives of U.S. women of colors from a variety of perspectives; issues related to conflict, agency, survival, resistance, intervention, and transformation. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
  • WS 5843 Feminist Theories
    • Thoroughly explores feminist critical inquiry, focusing on particular theoretical issues, historical writings, and/or disciplinary contexts within the diverse body of scholarship of feminist theory. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
  • WS 5363 Feminist Epistemologies
    • Politics of knowledge production and cognitive authority to illustrate how knowledge systems are marked by gender, race, sexuality, and class; relevance to questions across the disciplines concerning canon formation, methodological practices, and understandings of human subjectivity. Prerequisite: WS 5463 and three additional graduate credit hours in women's studies or instructor's approval. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
• Three Courses (9 credit hours) of Women's Studies Electives
  • These hours will represent a concentrated area of interest individualized to student interest and career pathways.
• Recommended Courses (12-18 credit hours)
  • These hours will be drawn from courses designed to further develop student research, writing, and analytical abilities and may include an internship or work cooperative arrangement.
• Thesis (6 hours) OR Comprehensive Examination
  • Students may undertake original research and write a thesis on a topic that contributes to scholarship in the field of women's studies, or they may elect to take a comprehensive examination that tests their knowledge and writing skills in women's studies.