The combined Bachelor's + Master's degree programs allow students to complete 12 graduate credit hours while still undergraduates. These 12 graduate credit hours will count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
All current WGS undergraduate majors with junior status (at least 88.0 credits) with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 overall are invited to apply for the accelerated BA/MA Degree in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. In order to be considered for the accelerated program, a student must have completed WGS 100, WGS 200, and WGS 250 and at least three elective courses towards the WGS major. Additionally, students must demonstrate strong critical analytic research, writing, and communication skills. Interested students should contact the WGS graduate director.
In the senior year students complete:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| WGS 400 | FEMINIST THEORIES | 4 |
| WGS 415 | FEMINIST GENEALOGIES IN WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES | 4 |
| WGS 465 | GLOBALIZATION, TRANSNATIONALISM, AND GENDER | 4 |
Once the student has graduated with their undergraduate BA in Women’s and Gender Studies, they will matriculate into the MA Program. As MA Students, the students take the remaining 9 courses toward the MA degree – usually students will take 3 graduate courses per quarter in order to complete the MA in the one additional year. This will include two of the required graduate courses:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| WGS 473 | SEMINAR IN GRADUATE PROPOSAL WRITING | 4 |
| WGS 485 | WOMEN, GENDER, AGENCY, AND SOCIAL CHANGE | 4 |
Also:
- 6 WGS and WGS approved electives
- 1 course of WGS 493 (taken with Chair of MA Final Project Committee)
Elective courses will be chosen by the student in conjunction with a faculty advisor in order to tailor a coherent program of study to the individual student’s particular academic and/or professional objectives while ensuring that the student sustains strong interdisciplinary focus at the graduate level. Elective courses may be offered by Women’s and Gender Studies or approved courses offered by other departments/programs at DePaul. A list of courses approved by WGS are circulated prior to registration for each quarter.
Capstone/Final Project Requirements
All students must complete an MA Final Project, selecting one of the following options:
Thesis Project
The Thesis Option requires that the student plan, execute, and defend an independent and original analytical research project that makes a contribution to current scholarship in the field of women’s and gender studies and related subfields. The thesis should show accomplishment in methods of research, critical judgment, and, if appropriate, praxis that characterizes feminist research. Thesis research must be grounded in interdisciplinary scholarship as well as feminist and/or gender theories, and must reflect considerable engagement with relevant literature and methodology in the field. The thesis consists of approximately 50 pages of text with a substantial bibliography.
Students who select the Thesis option will complete, in addition to required Core Courses in the MA Program, a five-course elective focus, and one course, WGS 493 focused on researching and writing the thesis. You are required to present and defend the thesis to an MA Final Project Committee. The student is also required to present their final project to a public audience at a WGS Graduate Student Final Project Presentation event.
Practical Project
The Practical Project Option requires that the student plan, develop, and defend a practical project that is grounded in interdisciplinary scholarship, feminist and/or gender theories, and that has a direct and practical application to community service, advocacy, and/or education. Practical projects take a variety of forms; for instance, it could be a participatory action research project with an organization, or a curriculum to be taught in community-based or educational setting, or a public policy or human rights related educational or advocacy project, or any project created for implementation with a broader community. In general, the MA Practical Project in WGS consists of the project itself (e.g., the curriculum, the participatory action research report) and a Framing Paper (minimum 25 pages) in which you frame the mission, goals, methods, components, and expected outcomes of the project you have undertaken.
Students who select the Practical Project option will complete, in addition to required Core Courses in the MA Program, a five-course elective focus, plus an additional one course (total of 4 credit hours) of WGS 493. They will also be required to present and defend the Practical Project to an MA Final Project Committee. The student is also required to present their final project to a public audience at a WGS Graduate Student Final Project Presentation event.
Creative Project
The Creative Project Option requires students to create an artistic and/or literary project that gives voice to issues or questions in Women’s and Gender Studies. It should be informed by feminist theory and scholarship, and it should address a significant theme or question within the field. A Creative Project may be a play, an art exhibit, a memoir, a novel, a collection of short stories, a collection of non-fiction essays, a mixed-media work, a dance or musical performance, a film, a website—to name just a few of the multiple possibilities open to students choosing this option. In general, the MA Creative Project in WGS consists of the creative project itself and a Creative Project Framing Paper (minimum 25 pages) in which you describe and frame the creative project.
Students who select the Creative Project Option will complete, in addition to required Core Courses in the MA Program, a five-course elective focus, plus an additional one course of independent study and research as WGS 493.
Portfolio Project
The Portfolio Final Project Option requires that the student conduct a comprehensive analysis of their learning while a graduate student in WGS. The student must prepare and submit
- a collection of at least six seminar papers, practical or creative projects, and/or other research products that are the outcomes of core and elective courses; and
- a Portfolio Essay (minimum 25 pages) that offers a reflective and critical analysis of how the papers/projects reflect the students intellectual, creative, and analytical development over the course of their graduate studies.
Students who select the Portfolio Option will complete, in addition to required Core Courses in the MA Program, a six-course elective focus, plus an additional course WGS 493 during which they will write the Portfolio Essay. They will also be required to present and defend the portfolio project to the Chair of their Final Project and one additional faculty member, who must both be appointed in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at DePaul. The student is also required to present their final project to a public audience at a WGS Graduate Student Final Project Presentation event.
Application Process
In order to apply students must fill out an online application and submit all the application materials listed below by May 31st click here.
(1) A Statement of Purpose (500-750 words) explaining why the student is seeking admission to the program – including specific goals and interests.
(2) A copy of the undergraduate unofficial transcript.
(3) A research-based paper as a writing sample (e.g., a copy of a paper from a relevant undergraduate course) of approximately 2000 words.
(4) Two letters of recommendation from professors who can speak to your interest in and commitment to Women’s and Gender Studies. You must contact your referees and request the letters of recommendation through the application portal. Please ensure that they submit the letters by the application deadline (May 31).