The master of liberal studies in Women’s and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary degree which promotes a multicultural and feminist understanding of women and gender in contemporary society.

A graduate degree in women’s studies qualifies you for a wide range of careers or further graduate study. Career possibilities include:

• political advocacy on behalf of women’s issues
• consultant work on behalf of equity in the workplace
• editorships or writing for a variety of humanistic enterprises
• entry-level research in many legal or public policy institutes
• supervisory and volunteer work in the health, counseling, and social work professions
• academic preparation for those desiring to teach at the secondary school or community college level
• human relations and management opportunities in business, industry, academia, and government at the local, state, and federal levels

The graduate degree in Women’s and Gender Studies is a valuable step toward further graduate study in any professional or liberal arts field that is significantly influenced by women’s contributions to the field, or that recognizes gender roles as a fundamental part of its knowledge base. Such graduate disciplines include:

• psychology
• social work and counseling
• law
• education administration
• labor relations and management
• journalism
• health occupations
• public policy
• interdisciplinary technology
• nearly all graduate fields which are part of the liberal arts tradition

1. A baccalaureate degree (or earned equivalent of a 4-year U.S. bachelor’s degree) in any field from an accredited college or university
2. Prior completion of at least 2 courses with substantial content on women and/or gender and a grade of B or better.
3. A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale, with 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program, or a minimum 3.00 in graduate course work previously taken. If there are grades in your past academic record that you wish to comment on, please do so.
4. A written statement of 2-3 pages, (double-spaced), that demonstrates graduate-level writing proficiency and includes:
   • an explanation of your academic goals --specifically areas in the field of WGST that you find particularly appealing, professors at EMU with whom you would like to work and why, and research questions about the field of WGST and the role of women in society that you hope to pursue in the course of your graduate study
   • an explanation of your professional goals and the ways in which your WGST graduate degree will help you to attain those goals
   • a discussion of any prior professional and/or community-based experience related to women and/or gender, and how that informs your understanding of the field of women’s and gender studies
   • an explanation of how previous course work related to women and/or gender shaped your desire to pursue further study. What particular courses and writers have influenced you?
5. Two letters of recommendation from former professors addressing your academic preparation and ability to successfully complete graduate work.
6. For students whose first language is not English, demonstrated English language proficiency as shown by official test scores of 7 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) a 91 on iBT, or 233 on the CBT, or 577 on the PBT; 80 on the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB).

For Graduate Admission information, see: http://www.emich.edu/admissions/graduatestudents/

For a virtual tour of the campus, see: http://www.emich.edu/admissions/tour/