Women's and Gender Studies, B.A.

Saint Louis University's Department of Women’s and Gender Studies is open to people of all genders, with courses focusing on women, gender and sexuality across the curriculum of the humanities and social sciences, and with connections to fields such as nursing, public health, social work and law.

Women’s and gender studies is the study of the human experience that places women and gender at the center of the analysis. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws from knowledge and expertise in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. It examines how gender inequality is built into social institutions and practices, envisions more egalitarian alternatives and studies strategies of social change.

Women’s and gender studies looks at how gender norms vary across cultures and how they interact with other systems of inequality, such as those based on race and class. Courses range from Gender and Popular Culture to Violence Against Women; from Feminist Theory to Feminism in Action and from Feminisms in the U.S.: Intersectional Approaches to Global and Transnational Feminism.

Curriculum Overview

SLU's bachelor's program offers engaging courses that develop students’ multicultural awareness. The program enables individuals to become more reflective about their own lives and the lives of people of all genders everywhere. Courses encourage students to be active citizens of the world.

Students majoring in women’s and gender studies take courses that focus on women, gender, sexuality, ethics, families and communities. Women’s and gender studies students learn skills designed to help them build communities, develop policies and understand social relationships. Courses pay particular attention to the intersection of issues of ethnicity, class and sex, and explore how gender differences structure society. Many students double major in women's and gender studies and another discipline, introducing even more questions into both fields.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

All women’s and gender studies majors have a Praxis course requirement that can be satisfied by an internship. Faculty-supervised internships are possible with a wide range of agencies that focus on women, gender or sexuality.

All women’s and gender studies majors also have an inquiry/research experience course requirement. The capstone course allows students to complete an individual research project with oversight from both the instructor and another faculty member with expertise in the student’s area of interest. In a cross-listed core collaborative inquiry course, students may work together on a faculty-supervised research project. In both cases, there are opportunities for mentoring and professional development.

Careers

Students pursue careers in social service agencies, government, corporations and educational institutions. Some students go on to master’s or doctoral work in women’s and gender studies or pursue graduate work in a variety of fields, including social work and law.

Admission Requirements

Begin Your Application

Saint Louis University also accepts the Common Application.

Freshman

All applications are thoroughly reviewed with the highest degree of individual care and consideration to all credentials that are submitted. Solid academic performance in college preparatory coursework is a primary concern in reviewing a freshman applicant’s file.

To be considered for admission to any Saint Louis University undergraduate program, applicants must be graduating from an accredited high school, have an acceptable HiSET exam score or take the General Education Development (GED) test. 

Transfer

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the GED or HiSET.

Students who have attempted fewer than 24 semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit must follow the above freshmen admission requirements. Students who have completed 24 or more semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit must submit transcripts from all previously attended college(s).

In reviewing a transfer applicant’s file, the Office of Admission holistically examines the student’s academic performance in college-level coursework as an indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University. Where applicable, transfer students will be evaluated on any courses outlined in the continuation standards of their preferred major.

International Applicants

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• All academic records must include an English translation. An official course-by-course transcript evaluation may be required and accepted.

Tuition

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

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Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need.
• Financial Aid: Financial aid is provided through grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

Saint Louis University makes every effort to keep our education affordable. In fiscal year 2023, 99% of first-time freshmen and 92% of all students received financial aid and students received more than $459 million in aid University-wide.

For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, apply for admission by December 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

For more information on scholarships and financial aid, visit the Office of Student Financial Services.

1. Graduates will be able to use central concepts from women’s and gender studies to analyze how culture and social institutions shape possibilities for justice in everyday life.
2. Graduates will be able to demonstrate how contemporary feminist thought and movements can take different forms among diverse populations locally, nationally and globally.
3. Graduates will be able to identify and analyze intersections between matrices of power, privilege and oppression across cultures, space and/or time.
4. Graduates will be able to apply research skills and methodologies shaped by the discipline of women’s and gender studies in an original and substantial theoretical or empirical research project.
5. Graduates will be able to clearly explain how their activist, service, or reflection in action project addresses a current social justice issue pertaining to intersections of social inequality.

Women's and gender studies students must complete a minimum total of 30 credits for the major.

Courses may simultaneously count for multiple majors and minors, and for core requirements. No single course can count as both a required course and an elective for the WGS major/minor.

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a GPA of 2.00 or above in courses for the women’s and gender studies major.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 120 credits (excluding pre-college level courses numbered below 1000).
• Complete the University Undergraduate Core curriculum requirements.
• Complete major requirements: minimum of 30 credits required.
• Complete remaining credits with a second major, minor, certificate or electives to reach the minimum of 120 credits required for graduation.
• Achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, a 2.00 grade point average in the major(s), and a 2.00 grade point average in the minor/certificate or related elective credits.
• Complete department- and program-specific academic and performance requirements.
• Complete at least 50% of the coursework for the major and 75% for the minor/certificate through Saint Louis University or an approved study-abroad program.
• Complete 30 of the final 36 credits through Saint Louis University or an approved study-abroad program.
• Complete an online degree application by the required University deadline.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

For additional information about this program, please contact wstd@slu.edu or call 314-977-2057.