Graduate Certificate

The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at The University of Montana is at the forefront of interdisciplinary studies. The Program currently brings together graduate students and faculty from almost every discipline in the College of Humanities and Sciences who have an interest in studies relating to women and gender. The Graduate Certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies brings together faculty and courses from across the university into an integrated program with a focus on intersectionality. Students in the program explore links between their chosen field of study and an interdisciplinary approach that addresses questions of gender, race, and class.

The Graduate Certificate is designed for master’s and Ph.D. level students who would like to obtain credentials and interdisciplinary training in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. The Certificate will further the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program’s focus on interdisciplinarity and intersectionality at the graduate level. The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies certificate will educate and train graduate students for further research in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and/or will provide an important perspective for those pursuing careers in fields such as social work, psychology, law, advocacy, non-profit administration, and education.

Certificate Requirements

Students must be admitted to a graduate program at The University of Montana.  They must submit an application letter outlining their interest in the curriculum and their plans to complete the Graduate Certificate.

In addition, please fill out this WGSS graduate application, or pick up a hard copy in the WGSS office, Liberal Arts 138A, and return to the office when completed. The primary qualification for admission (i.e., admission to an existing UM graduate program) will ensure that applicants are already prepared for graduate study. Applicants’ interest letters will detail how the certificate program fits with their current educational plans.

The WGSS Curriculum Committee will review the applications for the certificate program and will make a recommendation for admission or not, depending on the merit of the application and fit between the program and the student’s academic goals.

At least 12 credits are required for the Graduate Certificate.

With the approval of their home department, students may apply credits both to their degree and to the Graduate Certificate. Students who meet the core requirement with one course (e.g., HSTA 594) may apply other courses listed under that core (e.g., COMX 480) to their total of 12 credits.

The core is designed to incorporate both humanities and social sciences perspectives. Because not all courses with WGS content at the graduate level are offered every year, the core consists of 1) a 3-credit course in the humanities and 2) a 3-credit course in the social sciences. Students can select from the available courses below:

Humanities Core (3 credits)

  • HSTA 594:  Seminar in U.S. Women’s History, 3 cr.
  • COMX 480: The Rhetorical Construction of  “Woman”,3 cr.
  • COMX 481: The Rhetoric of U.S. Women’s Activism, 3 cr.

Social Sciences Core (3 credits)

  • SOCI 545: Seminar in Inequality and Social Justice, 3 cr.
  • ANTY 427:  Anthropology of Gender, 3 cr.

Additional Courses

The following regularly offered courses may complete your requirements for the certificate.
Students will take at least two additional courses beyond the core for a total of 12 credits. At
least 6 of the 12 credits required for the certificate must be 500 level or higher.
The following courses are automatically approved for progress toward the certificate, as they
always contain requisite WGS content:

  • AAS 562:  Problems in African-American History 3 cr.
  • ENLT 521: Seminar in American Literature (Nineteenth-Century American Women's Novel) 3 cr.
  • LSH 421: Renaissance Debate on Women 3 cr.
  • PSYX 631: Interventions: LGBT Issues 3 cr.
  • SOCI 441: Inequality and Social Justice Capstone 3 cr.
  • SOCI 443: Sociology of Poverty
  • HSTA/WGSS 471: Writing Women's Lives
  • WGSS 595: Internship 3 cr.
  • WGSS 596: Independent Study 3 cr.

The courses below consist of variable topics, and the syllabus for each course would be reviewed
by the WGSS Executive Committee before the course would count toward the certificate:

  • ENLT 420: Critical Theory 3 cr.
  • ENLT 430: Studies in Comparative Literature 3 cr.
  • MCLG 522: Seminar in Comparative Literature 3 cr.

Students interested in an internship or independent study credits should contact the WGSS director in LA 138A or call 243-4100.