Master of Arts in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
MISSION
In keeping with the mission of Florida Atlantic, our goal is to provide students with both academic and personal development, discovery, lifelong learning, and public engagement. Our program prepares students to think critically about the ways that gender and sexuality interact with politics, culture, ideologies, social structures, and economics—both historically and globally—to shape the lives all people regardless of gender. Our courses explore gender and sexuality through experiences and standpoints rooted in a multiplicity of interlocking factors, including class, race, ethnicity, nationality, ability, religion, and age.
The academic discipline of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) examines issues and topics that include sex and sexuality from a feminist viewpoint, although students are not expected or required to share this viewpoint. Students are expected to engage with all course material and become comfortable discussing course material respectfully across differences and disagreements. Class contributions should always engage with the course material, and every student’s views will be heard and respected.
BASICS
The M.A. degree program provides three options for students:
- completion of a thesis and 24 credit hours of coursework,
- completion of an internship and 24 credit hours of coursework,
- completion of a comprehensive exam and 27 credit hours of coursework, or
- completion of additional coursework in lieu of a thesis, internship, or exam totalling 30 credit hours of coursework.
The thesis is a formal written work that advances an original point of view through extensive, in-depth research under the guidance of the advisory committee. The internship involves an extensive apprenticeship at an approved organization, and this option is designed to integrate professional work experience with scholarly research. The comprehensive written exam is useful for students who are seeking a broad education in the field and enables them to demonstrate their areas of expertise within WGSS. The additional coursework track is ideal for students who want to expedite their graduation, such as by taking courses over the summer, and would prefer taking an extra elective outside WGSS.
Requirements for application
Please make sure you have included the following in your application.
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Personal Statement - a brief narrative of your academic life telling us where you've been, where you are, and where you'd like to be and why, approximately 2-3 double-spaced pages.
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Writing Sample - an exemplary sample of your academic writing of 10-15 double-spaced pages. While it would be best to include themes of women, gender, and sexuality studies, it is not absolutely required.
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Official Transcript(s) - your application will not be considered complete if you upload an unofficial transcript
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Three (3) Letters of Recommendation - at least two (2) of these letters must come from academic sources, and no letter should come from a personal reference (e.g., friend or family member)
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English Proficiency Test - this is only required for international students depending on your background. Please refer to https://www.fau.edu/admissions/international/how-to-apply/english-proficiency-tests/ for a list of the tests that Florida Atlantic accepts.
- Application Fee: $65
FUNDING
Full-time graduate students in good standing are eligible for Graduate Teaching Assistantships that offset the cost of graduate education through tuition remission and a stipend. Applicants have the option to indicate their interest in a Graduate Teaching Assistantship directly in the application when applying to the program.
PART-TIME STUDY
WGSS welcomes part-time graduate students to apply to the program. Like full-time students, part-time students receive individual advising to support successful degree completion.
Application deadlines
Please read below for important deadlines based on desired semester for enrollment.
Fall Enrollment
Rolling Deadline with priority deadline of February 15 to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA).
While we need at least six (6) months to process visas and onboarding for international students who are requesting to be considered for a GTA, we encourage everyone requesting consideration for a GTA to apply before or by the February deadline due to the limited number of GTAs we can provide.
Spring Enrollment
Domestic Students: October 1
International Students: July 15
We do not offer GTAs to international students who begin in Spring due to frequent visa complications. If you are an international student requesting funding, please apply for Fall enrollment and see above about our priority deadline.
We do not accept applications for Summer enrollment.