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The Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research administers the women’s studies program. The center is an interdisciplinary forum for the study of gender, its function in cultures and societies and its intersection with race and class. The program has a faculty of internationally recognized scholars in a variety of disciplines. It employs feminist and other theoretical approaches and methodologies.

The center cooperates with faculty groups concerned with women’s issues such as the Association for Academic Women and GEAP (Gender, Environment and Agriculture Program). It also has contact with student groups such as Campus NOW and the Women’s Leadership Council. The center houses archives, a library, an art gallery, offices and meeting spaces.

Career Opportunities: Women’s studies prepares students for a broad range of employment and graduate or professional study. It gives high priority to helping students make informed choices about careers. The Women’s Studies Graduate Certificate (12 credits), Gender and Development (GAD) Certificate, a master of women’s studies and a Ph.D. concentration are available for additional career preparation. Graduates find employment as counselors, therapists, social workers, attorneys, journalists, market-analysts, political analysts, college professors, television producers, union organizers for women workers and fundraisers for women’s organizations.

The Major: Majors must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in women’s studies core and elective courses. Of these, at least 24 hours must be at the 3000-4000 level. The three required courses for all majors are WST 3015, Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Women; WST 3xxx, Transnational Feminism; and WST 4935, Seminar in Feminist Studies. WST 3015 must be taken before admission to the major. WST 4935 should be taken in the senior year. Students are required to have a minimum 2.8 GPA in courses taken for credit in the major by the time of graduation.

Transfer students must take a minimum of 30 hours of women’s studies courses at the University of Florida, or petition the program for transfer credits.

To ensure a good grasp of the content, theories, and methods of women’s studies scholarship, students will take courses from a variety of disciplines in addition to those offered under the WST designator. The major has three concentrations. The "General Concentration" allows students to tailor their course work for maximum exposure to the various issues covered by women’s studies scholarship. A concentration in "Theories and Politics of Sexuality" emphasizes the history, politics, social structures, and biological explanations for sexualities. "Gender and International Development" emphasizes the history, politics, social structures, economic, and environmental aspects of women’s and men’s experience of international economic development and globalization. Students should consult the program’s undergraduate adviser if they have questions about these areas of concentration.

General Concentration: In addition to the core requirements, students in the general concentration must take at least nine credit hours in approved Humanities courses, nine credit hours in approved social science courses, and six credit hours in internship (WST 4940) and/or approved science courses.

Concentration in Theories and Politics of Sexuality: In addition to the core requirements, students take 15 credits of approved course work, including a 3-credit core course, either SYD/WST 4930 (Lesbian & Gay Studies) or LIT 4930 (Queer Theory and Cultural Politics), and the remaining nine hours drawn from an approved list of electives.

Concentration in Gender and International Development: In addition to the core requirements, students must take at least 21 credit hours in approved International/Diversity Focus (I-) courses.

Students are encouraged to fulfill some of the requirements for all three concentrations with appropriate study-abroad courses.

Community College Articulation: All community college students are encouraged to complete their Associate of Arts degree. Transfer students may incorporate at least nine credit hours in approved course work dealing with women’s issues in the humanities, social sciences, or sciences.

Overseas Study: The program is building courses for study abroad, which provides credits at the 3000 level, meets UF summer residency requirements, and applies to the writing and math requirement. The courses generally focus on gender and development in the host country.

Honors: To graduate cum laude, a student must have an overall junior-/senior-level grade point average of 3.5 or higher. To graduate magna cum laude or summa cum laude, students must apply in writing to Women’s Studies at least two semesters before graduation, then complete and successfully defend an honors thesis under the supervision of an honors thesis supervisor. The distinction between magna cum laude and summa cum laude is made from assessment of the senior thesis.

To remain "on track" for this major you must meet the following critical-tracking criteria.

• 2.0 UF GPA required for semesters 1-5

• Maintain 2.0 UF GPA

• Complete 1 women’s studies course

• Complete 1 additional women’s studies course with a 2.5 GPA on all critical-tracking course work

• Complete 2 additional women’s studies courses with a 2.5 GPA in all critical-tracking course work.

The Minor: For a general minor in women’s studies, students must complete 15 credit hours of approved course work, including the core course WST 3015 (3 credit hours). At least nine credit hours must be taken at the 3000 level or higher (no more than three credits of independent study). Students must earn a C or better in all courses. Courses applied to the minor do not count for both the major and the WST minor.

Minor in "Theories and Policies of Sexuality": This minor requires 15 hours of approved course work, including a three-hour core course (either "Lesbian & Gay Studies" {SYD/WST 4930} or "Queer Theory and Cultural Politics" {LIT 4930}) and the remaining 12 hours drawn from an approved list of electives. Please visit the department’s Web site for additional information.