Curriculum
The WGS major is composed of 36 credits, with 21 required credits at the upper level, that are completed in the following way: 
Five Core Courses as follows:
- WGS 101: Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies
- WGS 201: Introduction to Feminist Theory
- WGS 312: Feminist Research Methods
- Course in Feminist Theory (WGS 302: Global Feminism; WGS 305: Contemporary Feminist Theory; WGS 306: Third Wave Feminism; WGS 307: Ecofeminism)
- WGS 499: Capstone Seminar
One course in each of the following concentration areas:
- Gender Studies
- Politics, Justice, and Policy
- Cross-Cultural Inquiry
- Arts and Letters
Two additional courses in one of the four concentration areas listed above.
One elective course in any of the concentrations or in feminist theory.
View our course descriptions
Current schedule of online courses
In addition, students will need to meet the overall College of Arts and Sciences and university degree requirements as follows:
- A total of 120 credits is required for the BA.
- A minimum GPA of 2.0 in all courses is required.
- A minimum GPA of 2.0 in all courses used to satisfy the Women's & Gender Studies Major requirements is required.
- 60 credits completed at UMass Dartmouth (45 if transferring from another 4-year institution)
- 30 credits in 300+ level courses taken at or under supervision of UMass Dartmouth
Additional online courses are available each semester to build your course load. Working with your WGS faculty advisor, you will receive your degree progress each semester to ensure degree completion in two years.
Objectives
WGS Core Major Objectives
- Understand the historical, social, and political contexts of women's movements and feminist thought
- Understand feminist theories and apply them in critiquing and transforming the world
- Connect women's movements and feminist theory to other social justice movements and theories WGS
Concentration Specific Objectives
Gender Studies
- Identify and evaluate the social construction of gender and the ways gender intersects with other forms of identity
Politics, Justice, and Policy
- Understand the gendering of our socioeconomic and political worlds and the individual and collective components of social change
Cross-Cultural Inquiry
- Identify, compare, and evaluate culturally and historically specific ideas of gender, sex, and sexuality
Arts and Letters
- Apply a critical feminist perspective to the study of literature and the arts
Program Highlights
- Students have an advisor from the time they start their studies until graduation.
- UMass Dartmouth Women's & Gender Studies faculty teach all courses, and can be reached by email, phone or in person. Students can complete the WGS degree completion program within two years.
- Students can also work with a UMass Dartmouth Women's & Gender Studies advisor to help earn their Bachelor of Arts degree at their own pace.
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