Master of Women's & Gender Studies at Towson University

Degree: Master of Science
https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/womengender/grad/womengender/

Program Director: Cecilia Rio
Phone: 410-704-2859
Email: [email protected]

The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary graduate program in Women's and Gender Studies provides students with a solid academic foundation to pursue their unique goals. As the only applied master's program in Women's and Gender Studies in Maryland and the only Women's and Gender Studies master's program in Baltimore, the program emphasizes applied research methods and skills, preparing students for careers in a variety of public and private organizations both national and international, for-profit and nonprofit. It also prepares students to enter doctoral programs in a variety of fields.

The master's degree in Women's and Gender Studies is set in the liberal arts tradition and explores feminist paradigms and scholarship. Intended as either a capstone interdisciplinary experience or one which bridges undergraduate learning and a doctoral program, the M.S. in Women's and Gender Studies captures a multi-faceted intellectual experience, including both theoretical and experiential content. Requiring 36 earned graduate units, the program requires a core component and offers three concentration options: 1) Women, Health and Sexuality, 2) Women in an International Context, and 3) Women, Leadership and Public Policy. The program includes a Culminating Experience with three options: a) a thesis, b) an internship or c) a two-course option with portfolio. The thesis option is recommended for students who intend to pursue a doctoral degree.

Please note that only one degree in Women's and Gender Studies can be awarded; students who complete more than one concentration in Women's and Gender Studies will not receive two different degrees.

Accelerated Bachelor's-Master's Program

Advising

During the student's first term, the graduate program director acts as the student's adviser. During that time, the student's academic program is discussed, developed and drafted. At the end of the first term, the student is transferred to a permanent adviser.

1. Students can understand and can evaluate/critique feminist arguments and theories as demonstrated in a term paper that is clearly and knowledgeably written.
2.  Students can demonstrate ability to execute a research proposal that is clearly and knowledgeably written, incorporating a thesis statement, a literature review, operationalization of key concepts/variables, defense of selected method, and heuristic and potential research implication of the proposed research. Part of (these skills) includes the effective use of online research portals to search through academic journals databases for relevant articles.
3.  Students can demonstrate ability to identify and evaluate prevailing normative assumptions that underlie social practices and policies that hinder women's agency.