This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2024-2025 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Student learning outcomes
Upon completion of this program:
- Students will demonstrate strong critical thinking skills that connect theory to action.
- Students will employ multiple theories informed by intersectionality.
- Students will demonstrate critical engagement with multiple epistemologies and methods of research.
- Students will articulate the ways diverse feminisms converge and diverge in the 21st century.
- Students will articulate contexts for intellectual, academic and artistic activism.
VCU Graduate Bulletin, VCU Graduate School and general academic policies and regulations for all graduate students in all graduate programs
The VCU Graduate Bulletin website documents the official admission and academic rules and regulations that govern graduate education for all graduate programs at the university. These policies are established by the graduate faculty of the university through their elected representatives to the University Graduate Council.
It is the responsibility of all graduate students, both on- and off-campus, to be familiar with the VCU Graduate Bulletin as well as the Graduate School website and academic regulations in individual school and department publications and on program websites. However, in all cases, the official policies and procedures of the University Graduate Council, as published on the VCU Graduate Bulletin and Graduate School websites, take precedence over individual program policies and guidelines.
Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on academic regulations for graduate students.
Graduation requirements
As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.
Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following graduation requirements as published in the Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.
Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on graduation requirements.
Admission requirements
| Degree: | Semester(s) of entry: | Deadline dates: | Test requirements: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Fall | Jul 30 | |
| Spring | Nov 30 |
Special requirements
- Fall semester entrance is required for students without prior course work in gender, sexuality or women’s studies (graduate or undergraduate).
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following requirements represent the minimum acceptable standards for admission: Students possessing a B.A. or B.S. degree are eligible for admission into this certificate program.
Degree requirements
In addition to the VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses.
- Credit hour requirements: Students in the Certificate in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies program are required to earn a minimum of 15 graduate-level credit hours beyond the baccalaureate.
- Grade requirements: An overall GPA of 3.0 is required for award of the certificate, and no more than three credit hours of C may be earned in the certificate program curriculum.
Curriculum requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses | ||
| GSWS 501 | Feminist Theory | 3 |
| GSWS 602 | Feminist Research Epistemology and Methods | 3 |
| GSWS 620 | Theorizing Sexuality | 3 |
| Recommended electives | ||
| Select two of the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Women and Public Policy | ||
| Gender and Cultural Production | ||
| Topics in Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies | ||
| Independent Study (hours variable) | ||
HIST (500- and 600-level) | ||
PSYC (500- and 600-level) | ||
SOCY (500- and 600-level) | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Courses outside departmental GSWS offerings required prior approval.
The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this certificate is 15.
Contact
Liz Canfield, Ph.D.
Associate chair, Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies
ercanfield@vcu.edu
Program website: gsws.vcu.edu