The PhD in Gender and Women's Studies provides advanced training in feminist gender analysis for students from a variety of academic backgrounds and career plans. The degree engages the multidisciplinary perspectives associated with gender studies and women's studies: queer studies, transgender studies, sexuality studies, race and ethnicity studies, disability studies, area and global studies, cultural studies, and postcolonial and transnational studies.
This interdisciplinary program is supported by the active engagement of 20 faculty members (and another dozen faculty affiliates). The program of study connects to "traditional" disciplinary study, and encourages students to:
- engage with wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary feminist theory and research;
- explore research on gender around the globe and how gender intersects with local and national identities, as well as how gender intersects with other social categories such as race/ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, class, caste, and religion;
- develop expertise in a disciplinary or interdisciplinary concentration outside Gender and Women’s Studies; and
- engage with a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods including, for example, fieldwork, ethnography, critical analysis, and archival, statistical, experimental, and meta-analytic methods.
The PhD curriculum in Gender and Women's Studies draws from the strengths of course offerings in the department, as well as from methods and course offerings in other fields and departments. Some courses investigate these topics at the global level whereas others focus on the local, regional or national levels. The curriculum ensures an overarching transnational and cross-cultural framework.
Admissions
Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.
Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.
| Fall Deadline | December 1 |
| Spring Deadline | The program does not admit in the spring. |
| Summer Deadline | The program does not admit in the summer. |
| GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) | Not required. |
| English Proficiency Test | Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241. |
| Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) | n/a |
| Letters of Recommendation Required | 3 |
Application Materials
The following materials are required to be submitted:
- One (1) copy of unofficial transcripts or academic records from each institution attended. International academic records must be in the original language and accompanied by an official English translation.
- International degree-seeking applicants must prove English proficiency.
- Three (3) letters of recommendation. At least two of the letters should come from academic sources. These letters must be submitted online. See the Graduate School’s web link for frequently asked questions.
- Statement of reasons why you wish to pursue the PhD Degree in Gender and Women’s Studies (2–3 pages). In their personal statements, applicants should explicitly articulate their academic interests and goals, describe how a PhD in Gender and Women's Studies complements those intellectual goals, and explain how the faculty and the program at UW–Madison are especially well matched with the applicant's interests.
- Curriculum vitae.
- Writing sample (10-20 pages, no more than 25 pages).
Funding
Graduate School Resources
The Bursar’s Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Program Resources
The Department of Gender and Women’s Studies guarantees five years of funding for
PhD students. This five-year funding timeline applies or is in effect whether funding
comes from GWS or another unit on campus. Each student accepted into the PhD
program in Gender & Women’s Studies will be given guaranteed funding (salary and
tuition remission) at the 50% level, conditional on the student remaining in good
standing. This guarantee refers to the 9-months of the academic year.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Major Requirements
Mode of Instruction
| Face to Face | Evening/Weekend | Online | Hybrid | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | No | No | No |
Mode of Instruction Definitions
Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.
Evening/Weekend: Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules. Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.
Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.
Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats. Contact the program for more specific information.
Online: These programs are offered 100% online. Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.
Curricular Requirements
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 51 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 42 credits |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | 26 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244. |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | 3.00 GPA required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203. |
| Other Grade Requirements | n/a |
| Assessments and Examinations | Doctoral students must successfully pass a written preliminary examination by the end of Fall semester of their fourth year in the program. Upon passing the preliminary exam, the student advances to dissertator status. Doctoral students must submit a written dissertation proposal and defend the proposal at a meeting of their four-person faculty dissertation committee by the end of Fall semester of their fifth year in the program. |
| Language Requirements | n/a |
| Graduate School Breadth Requirement | All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. Refer to the Graduate School: Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1200. |
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core GENWS Courses | ||
| GEN&WS 800 | Research Methods in Gender & Women's Studies | 3 |
| GEN&WS 810 | Gender and Women's Studies: The Emergence and Transformation of a Field | 3 |
| GEN&WS 830 | Contemporary Theorizing in Gender and Women's Studies | 3 |
| GEN&WS 840 | Pedagogy in Gender and Women's Studies | 3 |
| GEN&WS 860 | Proseminar in Gender and Women's Studies | 1 |
| Advanced Electives | ||
| Students must complete 3 elective courses. This requirement may be satisfied with the following courses. Other graduate-level seminars in or cross-listed with Gender and Women's Studies (GENWS) may also be applied. With advisor(s) and Director of Graduate Studies approval, other graduate-level seminars with a substantial focus on topics related to Gender and Women's Studies may be used to satisfy this requirement. | 9 | |
| Feminist Theory and Criticism | ||
| Sex/Gender-Related Issues in Curriculum and Instruction | ||
| Gender Issues in International Educational Policy | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Mass Communication | ||
| Sociological Perspectives on Gender | ||
| Seminar: Topics in Gender and Global Perspectives/Issues | ||
| Anthropology of Gender | ||
| Seminar: Topics in Feminist Theory | ||
| Psychology of Women and Gender | ||
| Feminist Political Theory | ||
| History of Sexuality | ||
| Seminar: Topics in Gender and Women's Studies | ||
GEN&WS 960 | ||
| Seminar: Topics in Gender and Disability | ||
| Research and Dissertation | ||
| Students must complete at least 6 credits of the following course: | 6 | |
| Research & Thesis | ||
| Additional Coursework | ||
| Students will complete this requirement in additional Gender and Women Studies (GENWS) or other approved coursework. | 8 | |
| Breadth Requirement/Concentration | ||
| Students are required to meet the Graduate School requirement for breadth, either through a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. GWS PhD students meet this requirement through our 15-credit concentration. Students must submit a written plan for their concentration and have it approved by their advisor and the Graduate Committee by the end of Fall semester of their second year in the program. No more than two advanced elective courses may be counted toward their concentration. At least 50% of the credits for the concentration must numbered 700 or above. | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 51 | |
Graduate School Policies
The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously. Note some policies redirect to entries in the official UW-Madison Policy Library. Programs may set more stringent policies than the Graduate School. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.
Major-Specific Policies
Prior Coursework
Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions
Students may transfer up to 9 credits earned at another institution. Transfer credits will be determined in consultation with the student's committee chair/faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), who will review relevant syllabi. Please note that not transfer credits will be used to satisfy core Gender and Women Studies (GEN&WS) courses. Credits earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree are not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison
No undergraduate credits earned at other institutions or UW-Madison are allowed to transfer.
Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)
Students may transfer professional credits completed at UW-Madison. Transfer credits will be determined in consultation with the student's committee chair/faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), who will review relevant syllabi. Please note that not transfer credits will be used to satisfy core Gender and Women Studies (GEN&WS) courses. Credits earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree are not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Credits Earned as a University Special student at UW–Madison
No credits earned as a University Special student at UW-Madison are allowed to transfer.
*Note: Based on approval, a total of 9 credits of prior coursework may transfer.
Probation
Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.
Advisor / Committee
The student will be paired with a faculty advisor when they enter the program, based on the area of interest they indicate in their application for admission. The student may later change their advisor. By the beginning of the second semester of their first year, the student must form a three-person faculty advisory committee consisting of the advisor and two other faculty members.
Refer to the Graduate School: Committees (Doctoral/Master’s/MFA) policy.
Credits Per Term Allowed
15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.
Time Limits
Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.
Grievances and Appeals
These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:
- Bias or Hate Reporting
- Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
- Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
- Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
- Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
- Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
- Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
- Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
- Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
- Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
- Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)
L&S Policy for Graduate Student Academic Appeals
Graduate students have the right to appeal an academic decision related to an L&S graduate program if the student believes that the decision is inconsistent with published policy.
Academic decisions that may be appealed include:
- Dismissal from the graduate program
- Failure to pass a qualifying or preliminary examination
- Failure to achieve satisfactory academic progress
- Academic disciplinary action related to failure to meet professional conduct standards
Issues such as the following cannot be appealed using this process:
- A faculty member declining to serve as a graduate student’s advisor.
- Decisions regarding the student’s disciplinary knowledge, evaluation of the quality of work, or similar judgements. These are the domain of the department faculty.
- Course grades. These can be appealed instead using the L&S Policy for Grade Appeal.
- Incidents of bias or hate, hostile and intimidating behavior, or discrimination (Title IX, Office of Compliance). Direct these to the linked campus offices appropriate for the incident(s).
Appeal Process for Graduate Students
A graduate student wishing to appeal an academic decision must follow the process in the order listed below. Note time limits within each step.
- The student should first seek informal resolution, if possible, by discussing the concern with their academic advisor, the department’s Director of Graduate Studies, and/or the department chair.
- If the program has an appeal policy listed in their graduate program handbook, the student should follow the policy as written, including adhering to any indicated deadlines. In the absence of a specific departmental process, the chair or designee will be the reviewer and decision maker, and the student should submit a written appeal to the chair within 15 business days of the academic decision. The chair or designee will notify the student in writing of their decision.
- If the departmental process upholds the original decision, the graduate student may next initiate an appeal to L&S. To do so, the student must submit a written appeal to the L&S Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Academic Affairs within 15 business days of notification of the department’s decision.
- To the fullest extent possible, the written appeal should include, in a single document: a clear and concise statement of the academic decision being appealed, any relevant background on what led to the decision, the specific policies involved, the relief sought, any relevant documentation related to the departmental appeal, and the names and titles of any individuals contributing to or involved in the decision.
- The Assistant Dean will work with the Academic Associate Dean of the appropriate division to consider the appeal. They may seek additional information and/or meetings related to the case.
- The Assistant Dean and Academic Associate Dean will provide a written decision within 20 business days.
- If L&S upholds the original decision, the graduate student may appeal to the Graduate School. More information can be found on their website: Grievances and Appeals (see: Graduate School Appeal Process).
Other
n/a
Professional Development
Graduate School Resources
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of major theories, methods, and scholarship in gender and women’s studies.
- Develop significant research questions that will advance the contributions of GWS scholarship to society; create individualized research programs that match their specific interests and goals, and that harness the tools from their concentration.
- Acquire the analytical tools to apply gender and women’s studies in a range of academic and non-academic careers.
- Demonstrate ethical and professional conduct in research and teaching and with colleagues.