GWS Requirements | Approved Graduate Programs
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. Students in the Graduate Option may approach the Women's Studies Advisory Committee (WSAC) to help identify potential faculty supervision within the coordinating department. 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).
The Option was developed by the Women's Studies Program in response to needs expressed by the Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship (GGFS) and to the range of inquiries the Women's Studies Program regularly receives from prospective students interested in graduate-level work with a feminist focus at McGill University.
Approved Graduate Programs
Click here to see a list of the coordinating departments which offer the Graduate Option in Gender and Women's Studies (GWS)
NOTE: IGSF has put together a number of useful resources for graduate students enrolled in the Gender and Women's Studies option. Take a look at the Academic Resources page for more information about other graduate programs and a list of journals in gender, sexuality and feminist studies, which may be useful for research as well as a guide to potential sites for academic publication.