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Graduate Option in Gender and Women's Studies

The Graduate Option in Gender and Women's Studies (GWS) provides graduate students obtaining degrees in a variety of participating departments and faculties with a cross-disciplinary specialization in feminist, women's, and gender studies.

This Option is open to graduate students at McGill University enrolled in a program that has approved the Option. Prospective students interested in the Graduate Option should consult the admissions pages of the coordinating department for information on dates for guaranteed consideration, tuition and fees, and application materials. During the application process, prospective students will be allowed to specify their interest in the Graduate Option through uApply. There are no prerequisites to enter into the Option. However, previous coursework in gender and women's studies provides an ideal foundation for more in-depth study of and research in feminist scholarship.

Student supervision in the Option is undertaken by one's departmental supervisor who oversees student work, including choice of thesis, dissertation, or project topic. A student's PhD dissertation, MA thesis, or MA research project must be on a topic that significantly engages with issues of gender and/or women and/or feminism. In addition, the Supervision: Graduate and Postdoctoral Support page offers research- and evidence-based advice to graduate students and their supervisors on how to work together effectively and avoid common problems in supervision.

Students who pursue the option obtain a graduate degree in a chosen field offered by the coordinating department. Upon completion of all degree requirements in the coordinating department, as well as the courses listed below, the Graduate Option in Gender and Women's Studies (GWS) will appear on the student's transcript along with the designated graduate degree (MA or PhD).


Approved Graduate Programs

Faculty of Arts

Anthropology, M.A. (Thesis)
Art History, M.A. (Thesis); Ph.D.
Communication Studies, M.A.; Ph.D.
French Language and Literature, M.A. (Thesis); Ph.D.
Geography, M.A. (Thesis), PhD.
History, M.A. (Thesis, non-Thesis)
Islamic Studies, M.A.; Ph.D.
Philosophy, Ph.D.
Political Science, M.A. (non-Thesis); Ph.D.
Sociology, M.A. (Thesis, non-Thesis); Ph.D.

School of Social Work

Social Work, MSW (Thesis, non-Thesis)

Faculty of Education

Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE)
Second Language Education, M.A. (Thesis)
Education and Society, M.A. (Thesis, non-Thesis)
Educational Leadership, M.A. (Thesis, non-Thesis)
Educational Studies, Ph.D.

Schulich School of Music

Department of Music Research
Musicology, M.A. (Thesis)
Theory, M.A. (Thesis)
Music, Ph.D. (Thesis)

Faculty of Religious Studies

Religious Studies, M.A. (Thesis), Ph.D.

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