Master of Arts in Gender and Social Justice Studies (Women’s and Gender Studies)

Program requirements

The MA in Gender and Social Justice Studies can be completed as a thesis-based degree, or as a course-based degree.

Thesis-based MA

Students are required to complete a minimum of 18 units in coursework and a thesis

Coursework:

GSJ 501 (3 units) - Praxis Workshop, which includes a mandatory Community Service-Learning component and
GSJ 502 (3 units) - Research Workshop
Four 3-unit graduate-level courses
Additional coursework may be required
- Students who have not already taken a course in Feminist Research Methodologies (or the equivalent) will normally be required to audit WGS 302 in addition to their other courses.
- Students also may be required to take a theory course, if adequate coverage was not obtained in the student’s first degree.
Students must complete minimum of 12 units of courses in GSJ
Graduate courses offered by other departments may be taken with the consent of the Graduate Coordinator; thesis-based students may only take 6 units in courses outside of GSJ.

Thesis

Registration in 900-level THES

Course-based MA

The course based MA can be taken in Gender and Social Justice Studies or with a specialization in Digital Humanities.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 24 units in coursework, including a 3-unit capping project.

Coursework

GSJ 501 (3 units) - Praxis Workshop, which includes a mandatory Community Service-Learning component and
GSJ 502 (3 units) - Research Workshop
Five 3-unit graduate-level courses
Additional coursework may be required
- Students who have not already taken a course in Feminist Research Methodologies (or the equivalent) will normally be required to audit WGS 302 in addition to their other courses.
- Students also may be required to take a theory course, if adequate coverage was not obtained in the student’s first degree.
Students must complete minimum of 12 units of courses in GSJ
Graduate courses offered by other departments may be taken with the consent of the Graduate Coordinator; course-based students may only take 9 units in courses outside of GSJ.
Students admitted to the course-based MA with a specialization in Digital Humanities are required to complete 9 units in courses in DH.

Capping Project

GSJ 900 (3 units) – Directed Research Project. The required capping project is a portfolio – a synthesizing document that highlights students’ learning in the program and that will include a major research paper, a field statement, a creative project or a policy/program/legal analysis.

Ethics and Professional Development Requirements

All students must complete a mandatory ethics training requirement (see Academic Integrity and Ethics Training Requirement) and a mandatory Professional Development requirement.

Residence Requirement

There is no residence requirement.

Length of Program

The time required to complete the MA will vary with the program (thesis- or course-based) and the candidate. Full-time students in the course-based MA program will normally complete the program within 12 months, while those enrolled in the thesis-based program will normally complete within 24 months. However, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies recognizes that many of its students are non-traditional and that part-time registration may be their preferred option.

The maximum time to complete the thesis-based MA program as set by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies is four years.

The maximum time to complete the course-based MA program as set by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies is six years.