Gender and Women’s Studies Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies is designed for English graduate students who wish to demonstrate a concentration In Gender and Women's Studies.

Students who complete this certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies will gain a competitive advantage in applying to PhD programs since there are very few institutions that offer this concentration at the MA level in spite of the fact that it is a rapidly growing area in PhDs and the academic profession. This certificate will prepare graduate students from diverse disciplines and interdisciplinary programs to contribute to academic interest in Gender and Women's Studies in disciplines like Anthropology, Art, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Spanish, Sociology, Latin American Studies and Mexican American Studies.

This certificate will also prepare students interested in professional school, the non-profit sector, and pursuing careers in education, public health, law, medicine, journalism, international development, business, or the non-profit sector, to demonstrate their ability to navigate the philosophical worldviews of gender and sexuality. This is a particularly valuable skill given recent Title Nine and other legal initiatives related to sexual harassment and equality in the workplace.

Students will need to complete a total of three courses for the nine credit hours necessary for the certificate.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the graduate certificate in gender and women studies, prospective candidates must meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley.

  1. Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field.
  2. Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours.

Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.

Program Requirements

Required Courses - 9 Hours

Choose from the following:
ANTH 6309Anthropology of Sex and Gender

3

ENGL 6308Studies in Mexican American Literature

3

ENGL 6310Studies in Ethnic Literature

3

ENGL 6311Studies in Gender and Literature

3

HIST 5370Readings in Women's History

3

MASC 6330Chicana/Latina Feminist Epistermology

3

MASC 6355Studies in Gloria Anzaldua

3

MUSI 6372Studies in Music & Gender

3

SOCI 6354Family and Society

3

SOCI 6364Gender & Society

3

SPAN 6325Women Writers in HispanicLiteratures

3

SPAN 6381US Latina/o Contemporary Writers

3

Total Credit Hours: 9

Any graduate course containing 50% or more of gender and women’s studies content may be substituted for one of the above courses with the approval of the Director.