Certificate Program


The Certificate Program offered by Women's and Gender Studies allows students enrolled in other graduate degree programs at Rutgers University an additional specialization in Women’s & Gender Studies. Many students find the Certificate useful for expansion of career options and thesis preparation. It prepares students in any discipline to teach courses and conduct research in women’s studies, to develop courses with a focus on gender, and to expand the scope of their professional activity to include gender issues and debates.

The certificate program consists of nine credits. At least six credits must be taken in the Women's and Gender Studies core courses and colloquia. Three credits may be in cross-listed, or cognate, courses offered in other departments. Students from eighteen departments and schools are enrolled in the program. Students interested in the Certificate Program must be accepted in a disciplinary department other than Women's and Gender Studies. Women's and Gender Studies does not admit students for the graduate certificate alone.

Requirements:

To obtain a Graduate Certificate in Women's & Gender Studies, you must:

First, come to the Women's & Gender Studies office to fill out an application/registration form.

Second, take a total of three courses (nine credits).

• Two Women’s & Gender Studies (988) graduate courses. No exceptions.
• One approved graduate cognate course.
  
  
  • Of these three courses, one must be a feminist theory course. This theory course can be either of the theory courses offered by Women's and Gender Studies (988:555 Advanced Topics in Feminist Theory, 988:582 Feminist Genealogies, or 988:583 Contemporary Feminist Theories. 988:515 Feminism: Theory & Practice does not fill this requirement) or a course offered by another department, if it has been approved by the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Director. Obtain approval prior to enrolling in a course; no courses will be approved retroactively. If the theory course is from another department, then this course may satisfy the theory requirement and serve as the optional cognate course.

Third, notify the Women's & Gender Studies Department when you have registered to graduate from your degree program and have filed your diploma application. You will receive your Certificate at the time of graduation. You may also request the Certificate when you have completed your M.A. requirements on your way to a doctoral degree.