M.A. Degree Plan

Students pursuing the Master of Arts Degree will work with a faculty advisor and mentor in developing a personalized degree plan.  In order to graduate M.A. students are required to take a minimum of 30 to 36 credit hours depending on the option they select (thesis or comprehensive examination option).  At least 18 hours must be taken in Women's Studies. Grades of 'C' will not count toward the M.A. degree beginning with students accepted in Fall 2013.

More information can be found in the Women's Studies M.A. Student Handbook.

Options:

1)  Thesis:  Minimum of 30 hours, including 24 hours of coursework and 6 hours for thesis work and oral exam.  (Under the old degree plan, 36 hours including 6 hours for thesis were required.)  Note:  We anticipate that most thesis students will need to take more than 6 hours to complete their theses. 

2)  Comprehensive examination:  Minimum of 36 hours of course work and comprehensive examination. 

*Note:  Beginning in fall 2011, students may only select the thesis option if they have earned a minimum GPA of 3.75 in their previous graduate coursework toward their M.A.degree in Women’s Studies at TWU, and students will be required to complete their thesis in a maximum of three semesters.  Students who are unable to complete their thesis in a total of three semesters (WS 5983 and a maximum of two semesters of WS 5993) may complete the M.A. degree by pursuing the comprehensive examination option, which requires 36 graduate credit hours of courses and successfully completing the comprehensive examination.  Thesis hours do not count toward the degree unless the thesis is successfully completed and defended. 

During the first semester of thesis hours when students are enrolled in WS 5983, students are expected to complete and submit a thesis prospectus under the direction of their thesis advisor.  Students cannot enroll in more than one additional course while enrolled in thesis hours, and WS 5983 may not be taken during the summer.  Prior to the end of the semester in which students are enrolled in WS 5983, they must gain approval for their prospectus from their Graduate Committee in order to continue to pursue the thesis option.  Students are required to complete and successfully defend their thesis in a maximum of two subsequent semesters.  Students may enroll in a maximum of two semesters of WS 5993.

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Required Core Courses:    

WS 5023 Foundations for Scholarly Inquiry in Women's Studies 

Historical origins and development of women's studies within higher education, including critiques and contributions by women of color; relationships between theorizing and activism; the challenges of multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinarity; and emerging issues.  Emphasis on development of research, writing, and communication skills.  Three lecture hours a week.  Credit:  Three 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. 

For information about the Master of Arts degree, contact Dr. Agatha Beins, Coordinator of M.A. Admissions in Women's Studies, at (940) 898-2117 or abeins@twu.edu.