Officially the MA in Gender, Feminist & Women's Studies is a one-year program, spread across 3 semesters. However, both full-time and part-time students have up to 4 years, which is the equivalent of 12 terms, to complete the degree. Full-time students who take more than two years must change to part-time for a third and fourth year. Students can choose to do their MA with a Major Research Paper (MRP) or with a thesis. The MRP involves either an original piece of research or analysis or a substantial review of research on a topic which is usually 50-75 pages long. For the thesis option, the student is required to write 100-150 pages of original work, to demonstrate independence, originality, and understanding of the area of investigation, followed by an oral examination.
For students who choose the MRP option, three full-courses and 6 half courses (or equivalent) -- including GFWS 6002 3.0: Feminist Theory, GFWS 6007 3.0: Feminist Research Colloquium, GFWS 6907 3.0: MA Seminar in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies and one half-course chosen from the Program -based core courses, and 6.0 credits of the student’s choice in consultation with the faculty advisor -- are required for degree completion. Full time students typically complete all the coursework in 2 terms.
For students who choose the Thesis option, two full-courses and 4 half courses (or equivalent) -- including GFWS 6002 3.0: Feminist Theory, GFWS 6007 3.0: Feminist Research Colloquium, GFWS 6907 3.0: MA Seminar in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies and one half-course chosen from the Program -based core courses -- are required for degree completion.