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Admissions Requirements

Ph.D. Program - Application Requirements
Students applying to The University of Arizona's Ph.D. in Gender and Women's Studies degree program should hold a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent by the date of entry into the program. An undergraduate major or minor in Women's Studies or a strong background in feminist theory within the undergraduate major is strongly recommended. To be competitive for admissions, applicants must achieve a GPA of at least 3.0.

1. Three Letters of Recommendation. The Department requires each applicant to have a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf.  The letters of recommendation should be written by faculty that can speak about your academic and research ability.

2. Statement of Purpose.  Please provide a statement of up to 1000 words outlining your purpose in undertaking graduate study in Gender & Women’s Studies, and at the UA in particular, including your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans. Include information that documents your preparation for advanced study in this field, such as research projects, internships, or other relevant experiences. If there are particular faculty member with whom you wish to study, please give their names and explain why you want to study with them. Please include your last name and page number in the header section of each page.

3. Personal Statement. Please write a statement of no more than 500 words that identifies the distinctive qualities, characteristics, and life experiences that contribute to your decision to pursue graduate education in Gender & Women’s Studies. You may wish to include examples that illustrate your motivation to succeed by setting high standards for accomplishing intellectual and other goals, overcoming obstacles to achievement, and/or your commitment to social transformation.  Please include your last name and page number in the header section of each page.

4. Writing Sample. This may be a term paper, a published article or essay, or a substantive research report. Your sample should demonstrate your ability to write clearly, develop a reasoned argument, and engage in innovative thinking. Please limit your writing sample to 25 pages.  Please include your last name and page number in the header section of each page.

5. Curriculum Vitae.  Upload your CV.  Please include your last name and page number in the header section of each page.

Your CV should include:

• Education (degrees you have received or anticipate);
• Academic employment (such as teaching or research positions), whether paid or unpaid;
• Non-academic employment (including internships);
• Honors, prizes, awards, scholarships, and memberships in honor societies and professional organizations.
• Published articles, papers presented at professional meetings, screenings or other public presentations of your creative work;
• Any other activities or accomplishments that you feel are relevant to this application (e.g. extra-curricular activities during college or graduate school or substantial engagement with a non-profit or activist organizations not already listed under employment).

6. Transcript.  All transcripts uploaded into your application are considered unofficial.  If recommended for admission, then sealed, official paper transcripts or official electronic versions sent from your university or clearing house are acceptable.  Degree certificates, diplomas, and transcripts for international documents will require official English translations.

If you are recommended for admission to our program and you accept, the Graduate College Admissions Office will then and only then require you to submit official transcripts. If you fail to submit those official transcripts or if the official transcripts reveal negative information not previously disclosed to us, we reserve the right to revoke the recommendation for admission and any funding that may have been offered.

7. Official GRE Scores (Recommended). The GWS department does not require applicants to submit GRE scores in order to be considered for admission. However, we recommend that you complete the GRE (even though it will not be a factor in our consideration of your application) since it required for certain fellowships and grants for which you may be eligible. 

The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832.

8. English Proficiency is one of the conditions for admission for all applicants whose native language is not English. Acceptable English Proficiency credentials: 

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - minimum score of 79 iBT (or 60 on the revised PBT with no section score lower than 15).  Individual MyBest scores must also be dated within 2 years of the enrollment term to be considered valid.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - minimum composite score of 7, with no subject area below a 6
• Pearson PTE Academic - minimum score of 60
• Graduate English Language Endorsement from the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL)
• CEPT Full Academic test - offered by our Center for English as a Second Language (CESL), minimum Total score of 110.

  Please visit the Graduate College website for more information regarding English Proficieny.

 

Standardized Tests

Official GRE Scores (Recommended). The GWS department does not require applicants to submit GRE scores in order to be considered for admission. However, we recommend that you complete the GRE (even though it will not be a factor in our consideration of your application) since it required for certain fellowships and grants for which you may be eligible. 

The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832.

8. English Proficiency (Required) is one of the conditions for admission for all applicants whose native language is not English. Acceptable English Proficiency credentials: 

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - minimum score of 79 iBT (or 60 on the revised PBT with no section score lower than 15).  Individual MyBest scores must also be dated within 2 years of the enrollment term to be considered valid.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - minimum composite score of 7, with no subject area below a 6
• Pearson PTE Academic - minimum score of 60
• Graduate English Language Endorsement from the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL)
• CEPT Full Academic test - offered by our Center for English as a Second Language (CESL), minimum Total score of 110.

  Please visit the Graduate College website for more information regarding English Proficieny.

 

Funding Opportunities

Gender and Women's Studies offers highly competitive funding packages, which include healthcare and tuition waivers.  We will fund students in good academic standing for at least four years.   There are many forms of funding available to graduate students in our program. The department is able to provide some fellowship funding, especially to incoming students, with monies from the Graduate College and the Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy Endowment (which funds both the Women’s Plaza of Honor Fellowship and the Kennedy Endowed Fellowship). In addition, during their first four years, students are eligible for Teaching and Research Assistantships. Students can earn additional money by teaching online courses in summer and winter sessions. Students at the dissertation stage should apply for grants and fellowships offered by departmental, university and national sources relevant to their research topic (information on these opportunities can be researched through SBSRI). Students at all stages of the program are encouraged to apply for small one-time grants for research and for travel to conferences from SBSRI, WOSAC, the GPSC and other sources.

The University of Arizona Department of Gender & Women's Studies is a member of the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP).

 

Admissions Deadlines

December 15 

 

International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information

The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

66 

Core Coursework Requirements

9 UNITS of required courses.
•    GWS 539A Feminist Theories I  (Semester I) (3 units)
•    GWS 539B Feminist Theories II  (Semester II) (3 units)
•    GWS 639 History/Social Movements (should be taken at first opportunity) (3 units)

27 ADDITIONAL UNITS in Major field.

These may be classes in and outside of the department. They should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor. See list of electives below

12 UNITS in Minor field

18 DISSERTATION UNITS

TOTAL MINIMUM UNITS:  66

Students may repeat GWS539A and GWS539B one time each for credit that is applicable to a GWS PhD major, PhD minor, MA, or Concentration, on the condition that the syllabus for the course is substantially different from the earlier offering. Course eligibility will be determined by the Director of Graduate Studies or, if a conflict of interest, the Department Head.  Repeat enrollment will be treated as a normal GWS elective course.

 

Elective Coursework

In consultation with your advisor, please select electives.  Here is a list of some electives. 

GWS 500 – Special Topics in Women’s Studies (3.00 units)

GWS 502 – Gender and Language in Japan (3.00 units)

GWS 503 – Latina Feminisms in the Americas (3.00 units)

GWS 511 – Human Sexuality in World History (3.00 units)

GWS 515 – Chicana/o Literary & Historical Recovery Projects (3.00 units)

GWS 525 – Gender, Culture and Capitalism (3.00 units)

GWS 530 – Queer Cinema (3.00 units)

GWS 532 – Social Justice Movement Media: History, Functions, And Theory (3.00 units)

GWS 538A – Women’s Health in Global Perspective (3.00 units)

GWS 539A – Feminist Theories I (3.00 units)

GWS 539B – Feminist Theories II (3.00 units)

GWS 545 – Women in Islamic History (3.00 units)

GWS 546 – Health and the Global Economy (3.00 units)

GWS 549 – Women in Ancient Israel (3.00 units)

GWS 551 – Gender and Violence in the Middle East (3.00 units)

GWS 552 – Israeli Women (3.00 units)

GWS 560 – Film and Feminism in Latin America (3.00 units)

GWS 563 – Gender Issues and Women’s Literature in the Middle East (3.00 units)

GWS 569 – Gender and Sexuality in Latin American History (3.00 units)

GWS 570 – The Feminization of Migration: Global Perspectives (3.00 units)

GWS 571 – Iranian Cinema, Gender Issues, and Social Change (3.00 units)

GWS 585 – Mexican/ Chicana Women’s History (3.00 units)

GWS 586 – Transnational Feminisms (3.00 units)

GWS 587 – Feminist Interpretations of Health (3.00 units)

GWS 591 – Preceptorship (1.00 – 4.00 units)

GWS 593 – Internship (1.00 – 6.00 units)

GWS 596C – The Literature of Identity in the Modern Middle East (3.00 units)

GWS 596P – Women’s Life Writing: Autobiography, Diary, Oral History, Biography… (3.00 units)

GWS 596S – Technology and Social Theory (3.00 units)

GWS 596T – Queer—Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender—Histories of North America (3.00 units)

GWS 599 – Independent Study (1.00 – 6.00 units)

GWS 605 – Moral Politics (3.00 units)

GWS 645 – Psychoanalysis and Cultural Theory (3.00 units)

GWS 684 – Feminist Knowledge Production (3.00 units)

GWS 691 – Preceptorship (1.00 – 3.00 units)

GWS 695B – Gender and the Law (1.00 – 3.00 units)

GWS 695E – Advanced Studies in the History of Women (3.00 units)

GWS 696A – Latina/o Literary and Cultural Studies (3.00 units)

GWS 696G – Queer Theories (3.00 units)

GWS 696H – Science and Social Theory (3.00 units)

GWS 696J – Sexuality and Aesthetics (3.00 units)

GWS 696N – Comparative Women’s History (3.00 units)

GWS 699 – Independent Study (1.00 – 6.00 units)

GWS 799 – Independent Study (1.00 – 6.00 units)

 

Additional Requirements

Critical Race/Ethnic Studies Course Requirement
Our faculty are committed to critical race and ethnic studies for feminist training and research.  Doctoral students must complete one 3-unit course in critical race or ethnic studies, either in the major or minor.  GWS 539A, 539B, and 639 may not be used to fulfill this requirement.  Consult with your adviser or the DGS to select a course that meets this requirement.

Transfer Coursework
Graduate credit earned at approved institutions, if accepted by the Gender and Women’s Studies Department and the Graduate College, may be counted toward the requirements. Click here to view complete details.

For students with an MA in gender and women’s studies or a related field, a total of fifteen units may be fulfilled through approved transferred credit.

For students without an MA in gender and women’s studies or a related field, a total of twelve units may be fulfilled through approved transferred credit.  
 

 

 

Minor Requirements for Doctoral Students in this Program

GWS PhD students may fulfill the Minor requirement in two ways.

1. Undertake a Minor in a department (e.g. History or Anthropology).  Consult with departmental graduate advisors for clarification of extra-departmental minors.
2. Creating an individualized minor within GWS composed of a coherent set of courses in an area or field (e.g. social theory or Chicana/Latina studies) in consultation with the faculty advisor and Director of Graduate Studies. It is the student's responsibility to keep track of their minor requirements.

 

Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate	6.98%
Med. Time-to-degree (years)	6.50
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male	40%
Enrollment Percent Female	60%
Enrollment Percent International	6.67%
Enrollment Percent URM	26.67%

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