Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Students are required to complete at least 36 credits of required courses and 18 credits of elective credit for a total of 54 credits. 

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 Portfolio Review,  Language Requirement, and Major Fields.
 

Post-Candidacy: Submit and defend Dissertation Prospectus within 6 months or one semester of advancement to candidacy (whichever is longer). Complete at least 12 credits of WGSS899 Doctoral Dissertation Research and successfully defend and submit an original dissertation.

Course Title Credits
Required courses:
WGSS601Theoretical Foundations in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies3
WGSS602Methodologies and Epistemologies in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies3
WGSS618Feminist Pedagogy3
WGSS628Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Colloquium 16
WGSS708Research Seminar in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies3
WGSS709Directed Independent Reading for Major Field Exam6
Electives18
Dissertation Research Requirements
WGSS899Doctoral Dissertation Research12
Total Credits54
1

Required in first year, must be taken for 6 total credits.