Overview
Gender and sexuality affect the everyday aspects of our lives through culture, politics, and the economics of American and international societies. The way society approaches gender and sexuality is a contemporary issue affecting nearly every professional field and avenue of inquiry. As a student majoring or minoring in gender, women, and sexuality studies (GWSS), you’ll explore the nature and implications of gender and sexuality across disciplinary, chronological, and geographical barriers, and how gender and sexuality affect your own life and the world around you. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the history, culture, and systems of gender.
You’ll not only acquire knowledge about gender and sexuality issues, but you’ll be able to apply that knowledge through a personal lens. At the heart of the GWSS discipline is the strong interaction between intellectual endeavor and personal growth in relation to transforming the outside world.
GWSS pairs well with other areas of study, making you a competitive candidate in the workforce.
Degree Requirements
Student Learning Outcomes
By completing a degree in gender, women, and sexuality studies, you will be able to
- apply concepts from the study of gender and sexuality across a diverse range of contexts;
- apply a broad range of interdisciplinary theories and perspectives to current events; and
- analyze the impact of gender and sexuality in your own life and in the world around you, through diverse methodologies and critical paradigms.
General Education Requirements
The University of Minnesota and its faculty are committed to providing an education that invites you to investigate the world from new perspectives, learn new ways of thinking, and grow as an active citizen and lifelong learner. The University’s general education requirements are designed to be integrated throughout your four-year undergraduate experience. These courses provide you an opportunity to explore fields outside your major and complement your major curriculum with a multidisciplinary perspective.
Transferring Credit
Put your credits to work for you at UMN Morris, where you’ll earn a degree from a highly ranked public liberal arts university.
Careers & Graduate School
Whether you choose to enter the workplace after college or continue your academic work at the graduate level, a GWSS degree instills vital intellectual skills.
Careers
Past GWSS graduates have pursued careers in a variety of occupations:
- Attorney
- Communications specialist
- Community outreach coordinator
- Diversity and inclusion manager
- Human resources manager
- Marketer
- Social worker
- Therapist
- Teacher
Graduate School
UMN Morris GWSS alumni have been admitted to graduate programs in gender studies, feminist studies, and related academic areas at universities like:
- Arizona State University
- California Institute of Integral Studies
- Emory University
- Indiana University
- Ohio State University
- Oregon State University
- Pennsylvania State University
- University of Kansas
Costs & Aid
The University of Minnesota Morris is a national public liberal arts college committed to making a high-quality education available to students from across the country. Expenses for housing, meals, books and supplies, transportation, loan fees, and personal expenditures can vary.
Learn more about the cost of attendance
Use our net price calculator to estimate your cost of attendance
Research & Engagement
Research
As a UMN Morris student, you’ll have the opportunity to work with faculty and pursue research of interest to you in the area of gender and sexuality studies.
One feature of the GWSS program is the capstone project, a type of research project that includes an independent paper presented on campus. For GWSS, the capstone is more than a research project; it’s an opportunity for you to review the work you’ve done over the course of study, and to reflect on your experience. You’ll be able to consider how your work and study has changed you, and to think about what you see differently, and about the legacy you’re leaving.
Engagement
UMN Morris has a variety of organizations for you to further engage with the academic area of gender, women, and sexuality studies. Some of which include:
- Bad Movie Club
- Competitive Ethics Defense Team
- Mock-Trial and Pre-Law Society
- Morris Campus Student Association (MCSA)
- Morris Queer Student Initiative for Equality
- Office of Equity, Diversity, and Intercultural Programs
- Philosophical Society
You may also want to study abroad and view gender and sexuality through the lens of a different culture. Or make a difference with gender and sexuality issues right here in Morris by getting involved with UMN Morris’s Office of Community Engagement.
