The graduate program in Women's and Gender Studies at Stony Brook creates a space within the academy for critical thinking across disciplines about the explanatory categories of gender, race, class, sexuality, nation, and disability. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies explores how these categories come into being and operate across different cultures and historical periods, and how they shape social, political, economic and institutional organizations as well as personal experience and perception.
The MA program was introduced in 2014 along with a PhD program. In its first three years of existence, all MA candidates successfully completed the requirements and graduated within two years. After finishing the program, Laura Abbasi-Lemmon (MA, 2016) began a PhD program in Women's Studies at the University of Maryland, while Emily Whearty (MA, 2017) continued her work in the non-profit sector as a precinct advocate at L.I. Against Domestic Violence. Joie Meier (MA, 2018) was accepted into the PhD program in Gender Studies at Indiana University Bloomington.
The program is particularly strong in four key areas: transnational social movements and globalization; the politices of representation and media analysis; gender and health; and the critical analysis of seuality. Along with the core faculty in WGSS, the graduate program programs draw from an extensive network of Graduate Faculty from across Stony Brook University. Including in the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and health sciences.
M.A. REQUIREMENTS
At-A-Glance
Graduate Coursework: 30 total credits (10 total classes)
- Core Courses: 9 credits (3 classes)
- WGSS Electives: 6 credits (2 classes)
- Additional Electives: 15 credits (5 classes)
Foreign Language Requirement (Optional)
Thesis Proposal
Final Thesis Project
Graduate Coursework
In addition to the minimum requirements of the Graduate School, WGSS MA students are
required to complete 30 credits of graduate coursework. At Stony Brook, this is the
equivalent of 10 classes. You must take three core classes (9 credits) and seven elective classes
(21 credits).
Core Courses
WST 600: Feminist Interdisciplinary Histories and Methods (offered every Spring)
WST 601: Feminist Theories (offered every Fall)
WST 698: Practicing WGSS/Teaching Practicum (offered every Spring)
All students seeking the MA must take the required courses listed above when they
are offered.
During your first year, you are encouraged to take WST 601 in the Fall and WST 600
and WST 698 in the Spring. These courses cannot be replaced by Independent Study or Directed
Reading credits, except in the most unusual circumstances and by petition to the Graduate
Program Director. This petition would need to be signed by the instructor overseeing the Independent
Study or Directed Reading and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.
Elective Coursework
You are also required to take seven elective graduate courses. Two of those courses
must be WGSS Elective Courses. You have a great deal of flexibility in terms of the remaining
nine elective courses.
WGSS Electives
WST 610. During most semesters, the WGSS department offers at least one section of
WST 610: Advanced Topics in WGSS. Different instructors teach the course each year, so
every iteration covers a new topic. You can take this course more than once.
WST 600 or 601. Alternatively, you may wish to fulfill one of your 600-level WGSS
Elective requirements by taking WST 600 or 601 again. Each year, a different instructor
teaches the Feminist Interdisciplinary Histories and Methods and Feminist Theories
seminars, which means the content varies greatly by year. As such, WST 600 and 601
can
serve as valuable electives for students.
WGSS-Approved 500-level & 600-level Electives. MA students can also count 500-level
or
600-level gender- or sexuality-themed classes offered by another department toward
their WGSS elective requirement. Students should contact the Graduate Program Director before
enrolling in the course to seek approval. The Graduate Studies Committee will review
any requests to substitute non-WST classes for the WGSS elective requirement.
Additional Electives
To fulfill the remaining Additional Electives requirement, you must take five other
500- or 600- level graduate courses. You are welcome to take these classes in any department at
Stony Brook. MA students can count one WGSS Independent Study (WST 599) toward the Additional Electives requirement. You may find it helpful to use the independent study as an
opportunity to start delving into your thesis topic and developing your thesis proposal MA students are also permitted to count 6 credits of WGSS Thesis Research (WST 598)
toward the Additional Electives requirement. You should enroll in these credits only after
you have completed most of your coursework and with the approval of your Primary Advisor.
For the requirements below, please visist the 2024-2025 WGSS Graduate Student Handbook
Foreign Language Requirement (Optional)
Thesis Proposal
Final Thesis Project