LGBTQ Studies Certificate

College of Arts and Humanities 
2101 Woods Hall
Phone: 301-405-6877 
wgss@umd.edu 
http://wgss.umd.edu

Department Chair: Neda Atanasoski, Ph.D

See Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department for faculty roster.

The LGBTQ Studies Certificate Program provides students an opportunity for interdisciplinary study of the lives, experiences, identities, and representations of LGBTQ people. Any student in good standing may enroll in the certificate program by declaring their intention to the Harriett Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

The LGBTQ Studies Certificate is a 21 credit program. For additional information, or to initiate the process of declaring the certificate, please contact the undergraduate advisor at wgss@umd.edu or 301-405-6827. Students are advised to meet with the department advisor to add the certificate by the time they have reached 75 credits, if not before. 

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will demonstrate familiarity with major concepts and vocabulary in the field of LGBTQ Studies.
    2.
  2. Students will understand and be able to critique key developments in LGBTQ thought as strategies of social change and production of knowledge about gender and sexuality in the context of social relations of difference and power.
    3.
  3. Students will demonstrate critical reasoning and research skills in the field of LGBTQ Studies.
Course Title Credits
Required Core Curriculum
Foundation Course3
LGBT200
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
Capstone Course (select one of the following)3
LGBT386
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Organization Internship
LGBT488
Seminar in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
Elective Courses 115
Total Credits21
1

Elective Courses: Students must take five elective courses, at least three of which must be upper division. Electives must cover at least  three of the following six thematic areas. Courses may be designated by the faculty who are teaching them as covering more than one of these areas. Students may also request that courses be counted as covering one or more areas. 

  1. Arts, Technology and Cultural Production
  2. Transnational Politics and Perspectives
  3. Institutions, Politics, and/or social Movements
  4. Race, Ethnicity, and Class
  5. Transgender Studies
  6. Queer and/or Feminist Theory

Consult the department for eligible courses in each area.

Other Program Requirements:

  • No course earned with a grade below "C-" will count toward the certificate in LGBTQ Studies.
  • An overall GPA of 2.0 in the certificate is required for graduation.
  • Students may use a maximum of nine credits (or three courses) to satisfy the requirements of both their major and the certificate in LGBTQ Studies.
  • No more than nine of the required credits may be taken at an institution other than the University of Maryland, College Park.