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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies

FAQs

Below are some commonly asked questions about the Women’s Studies major. If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact the Department’s Undergraduate Coordinator.

  1. If WST is my 2nd major or my minor, how many courses can “double-count”– that is, count towards both my WST major/minor and my (other) major?
    Nine credits of your WST minor can also count towards your major in another department, and fifteen credits of your WST major can count towards another major– provided, of course, that you still fill all the relevant distribution requirements for WST core and elective courses.
  2. I’ve heard that I can petition to get a non-approved WST course count towards the major or the minor—how do I do that?
    Not every class that addresses questions of gender and/or sexuality has a title that reflects that fact.  If you find yourself enrolled in a class (or you remember being enrolled in a class) that didn’t advertise itself as being about gender, but talks a lot about it, you may be able to petition to count it towards the major—but a class must have at least 50% of its content devoted to gender in order for you to receive credit.  If you want to petition to have a class count towards the major—before you enroll, while you are enrolled, or retroactively—fill out the Petition to Receive Credit for a Non-WST-Approved Class Form (PDF) and submit it to the UGC with the Supporting Documents requested on the form.
  3. I’d like to graduate with Honors—how do I do that?
    To graduate with Honors you must have a GPA of 3.5 in all upper-division coursework. To graduate with High or Highest honors you must also complete an Honors Thesis while enrolled in WST4970. You cannot enroll in WST4970 yourself; the UGC in WST will enroll you when you have successfully completed your Application to Graduate With Honors (PDF). What constitutes an Honors Thesis, the timeline for completion and submission, and the criteria for the different levels of honors (high, highest) is spelled out in the “Guidelines for Graduating with Honors in Women’s Studies (PDF).”
  4. I volunteer at a local agency that deals with gender issues. Can I get internship credit for that?
    It is possible. First check to see if they are on our pre-approved list of internship sites. If not, check with the UGC to see if the site can be approved.