Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Students entering with a bachelor's degree are required to complete 27 credits of required courses and 27 credits of electives for a total of 54 credits. Students entering with a master's degree are required to complete 27 credits of required courses and 7 credits of electives.
Students in the program explore feminist and queer theories, methodologies, and genealogies through coursework within the department, then draw upon resources across UMD and the DC area to build an individualized course of study as they ready themselves for dissertation research. With the guidance of faculty, students work through our series of benchmarks in order to gain a strong grounding in our field and then develop their specific trajectory, pursuing the classes, networks, and training necessary for the projects they are building.
Advance to Candidacy: In addition to the course requirements below, students must pass all of the following: the General Examination, Interdisciplinary Paper, Portfolio Review, Major Field Exam, and Dissertation Prospectus. Students must also demonstrate reading competency in a language other than English, relevant to their course of study.
Post-Candidacy: Complete at least 12 credits of WMST899 Doctoral Dissertation Research and successfully defend and submit an original dissertation.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses: | ||
| WMST601 | Approaches to Women's Studies I | 3 |
| WMST602 | Approaches to Women's Studies II | 3 |
| WMST618 | Feminist Pedagogy | 3 |
| WMST621 | Feminist Theories and Women's Movements: Genealogies | 3 |
| WMST628 | Women's Studies Colloquium (1 credit per semester until candidacy) | 3 |
| Electives | 27 | |
| Dissertation Research Requirements | ||
| WMST899 | Doctoral Dissertation Research | 12 |
| Total Credits | 54 | |