A master’s degree in Global Gender Studies prepares students with the theoretical and practical foundations for advanced graduate work and careers in diverse fields, including teaching, government, and community and non-governmental organizations.
The strength of our master's program lies in our commitment to an interdisciplinary curriculum that bridges multiple fields: literary studies, visual studies, history, sociology, political science and anthropology. Our program’s global dimension attracts students from across the United States as well as internationally.
All of our graduate programs' applications require a personal statement, which is both a life narrative and a statement of research interests. On our application, you will be asked to respond to this essay prompt:
Please tell us about yourself, your history, and your academic interests. Describe your motivations and preparation for pursuing this graduate degree. Outline the questions, areas of specialization, and/or methodologies that you intend to pursue. How would our department help you to achieve your goals?
Your statement should describe how your education (both inside and outside of the classroom) has prepared you to undertake this graduate degree, and the kinds of questions, subjects, and angles of approach you would like to focus on in your graduate studies. You should also give your reasons for applying to UB and to this department; what resources are here that would support your scholarly and professional goals?
This statement of your academic interests does not commit you to this specific project or specialization in any way; rather, it should give a sense of your intellectual trajectory--where you're coming from, and where you intend to go next. We want to see that you can articulate a field (or fields) of academic inquiry, and how you situate yourself within and among the different disciplinary methdologies that make up the diverse inter-discpline of feminist, gender, and sexuality studies.
The MA in Global Gender Studies degree is based on graduate coursework and original scholarship in the form of a master’s paper or creative project written under the supervision of at least two faculty.
Coursework
A total of 32 credits are required for the MA degree in Global Gender Studies, out of which at least 21 credits must be taken in the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Core Requirements
MA Thesis or Project
The Master’s Thesis or project is written under the direction of at minimum two faculty members: one serves as the committee chair (major professor) or first reader, the other serves as a committee member or second reader. If the student chooses the thesis option, the thesis should be based on original research and analysis. If the student chooses the project option, the project should be a new creative endeavor. Either has to be cogently defended to the satisfaction of the student’s MA committee.
Thesis/Project Defense
When completed, Master’s Theses/Projects is defended orally by the student at a forum open to the public. For further details, please see the graduate student handbook.
I got into the PhD program of my dreams after completing my MA, with much gratitude to the professors in the GGSs program who supported me through the application process.
With questions about the MA program, please contact: