Degree Requirements

The Program in Women's & Gender Studies offers three levels of academic engagement: Concentration, Minor, and Major. Each is designed for students seeking an academic framework for the study of women, gender, and sexuality using the analytical tools and methodologies of a variety of disciplines in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

The Concentration and Minor are aimed at students who wish to balance the focus of their major program of study with a fuller understanding of how gender and other constructs have shaped our understanding of ourselves and of the communities and world in which we live.

For more information, see the specific requirements below, consult the degree chart in the MIT Bulletin, or find general information on a SHASS major.

SHASS resource page for Major Advisors.

  • The concentration in Women's & Gender Studies consists of at least three Women's & Gender Studies subjects, many of which are cross-listed with other departments:

    Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies (WGS.101) is required. This class is offered each semester and is a CI-H.

    Only one of the subjects taken towards the concentration may be counted towards the HASS-Distribution. Concentration proposal and completion forms are available online in Websis through the My Forms tab. The concentration should be selected before the third year.

    Students interested in a concentration in Women's & Gender Studies should consult with the Women's & Gender Studies Program Manager, (x3-8844) or wgs@mit.edu, and may also arrange a meeting with the faculty Director, Lerna Ekmekçioğlu.

  • The SHASS WGS minor consists of at least 6 Women's & Gender Studies subjects, many of which are cross-listed with other departments, arranged into three levels of study:

    Tier I

    Required: WGS.101 Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies (offered annually) [HASS-H, CI]

    Tier II

    Four subjects, at least one HASS-H class and at least one HASS-S class. [One of these four classes may be taken at Harvard, Wellesley or Cambridge with the permission of the Director.]

    Tier III

    Required: Advanced Seminar in Women's & Gender Studies: WGS.301J/17.007J Feminist Political Thought (offered annually).

    Students who minor in Women's & Gender Studies do not have to complete a separate concentration, but must still fill out concentration proposal and completion forms. The concentration should be selected before the third year.

    Of the six classes required for the HASS minor, at most five will count toward satisfaction of the eight-subject Institute HASS Requirement. Of these five, at most one will count toward the satisfaction of the HASS-Distribution.

    Students interested in a minor in Women's & Gender Studies should consult with the Women's & Gender Studies Program Manager, (x3-8844) or wgs@mit.edu, and then submit paperwork to the Program Manager and WGS Faculty Director, Lerna Ekmekçioğlu for review and signature.

The two options for pursuing a Major in Women's & Gender Studies are:

  • The full major in Humanities/Course XXI.

  • The joint major in Humanities and either Science/Course XXI-S or Engineering/Course XXI-E.

Students must declare their majors by the first semester of their junior year. Students interested in a major in Women's & Gender Studies should consult with the Women's & Gender Studies Program Manager, (x3-8844) or wgs@mit.edu, and then submit paperwork to the Program Manager and WGSaculty Director, Lerna Ekmekçioğlu for review and signature.

  • The full major in Women's & Gender Studies consists of nine courses (including WGS.101, Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies and one course from Tier III)), a pre-thesis tutorial, and a thesis (it is possible to have a two class substitution for the pre-thesis and thesis). Students must file a Major Departure proposal, including a list of intended courses, with the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science.

  • A joint major in Women's & Gender Studies and Science or Women's & Gender Studies and Engineering consists of seven subjects from the Women's & Gender Studies curriculum (including WGS.101, Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies and one course from Tier III), a pre-thesis tutorial, and a thesis. The Science/Engineering portion of the joint major consists of six elective subjects from the curriculum of any one science or engineering field, approved by a faculty member in the field. Students must file a Major Departure proposal, including a list of intended courses, with the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science.

    WGS on OpenCourseware