205
Graduate Programs
205.77
Women’s and Gender Studies
205.77 Women’s and Gender Studies
Department of Women’s and Gender Studies
1-17 Assiniboia Hall
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E7
205.77.1 General Information
The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies offers a program in Gender and Social Justice Studies (GSJ) leading to the degree of Master of Arts. The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies is a well-established, interdisciplinary unit housed in the Faculty of Arts. It draws from a strong, broad-based community of feminist and gender studies scholars in one of Canada’s top research universities. Core faculty conduct research in the areas of feminist legal studies, gendered violence, gender and development, gender and immigration, sexuality and queer studies, feminist theory, feminist visual culture, feminist cultural studies, feminist philosophy, feminist history, religious studies and trauma and cultural memory studies.
The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies encourages applicants to submit their applications January 15 to be considered for admission, awards and graduate assistantship funding.
Application forms are available at www.gradstudies.ualberta.ca. Detailed graduate program information is available on the Department’s homepage at www.womensstudies.ualberta.ca.
Entrance Requirements
Normally a four-year BA in Women’s Studies or a related discipline with a minimum grade point average of 3.3 (or B+) in the last two years of full-time undergraduate work (or graduate work) at the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification from a recognized institution, and, where applicable (see §203.2.4), a minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based) or 92 (internet-based). Potential applicants, including non-traditional students, are encouraged to contact the Chair of the department to discuss their qualifications.
Financial assistance
Financial assistance in the form of graduate assistantships (normally teaching assistantships) for full-time MA students may be available. For further information about awards, scholarships, and financial assistance, please contact the Chair of the department and consult www.gradstudies.ualberta.ca/.
205.77.2 MA in Gender and Social Justice Studies
Length of program
There are two options for completing the MA in Gender and Social Justice Studies: 1) as a thesis-based degree, or 2) as a course-based degree. For the thesis-based MA, normally 
18 of graduate-level courses and a thesis are required. The course-based MA requires 21 of graduate-level courses and a capping project (GSJ 900). The required capping project is a portfolio – a synthesizing document that highlights students’ learning in the program and that will include a major research paper, a field statement, a creative project or a policy/program/legal analysis. All students (both course-based and thesis-based) are required to take GSJ 501 (Praxis Workshop), which includes a mandatory Community Service-Learning component and GSJ 502 (Research Workshop). All students must complete a mandatory ethics training requirement (see §203.9). Those who have not already taken a course in Feminist Research Methodologies (or the equivalent) will normally be required to take WGS 302 in addition to their other courses. A student also may be required to take a theory course, if adequate coverage was not obtained in the student’s first degree. All students must complete minimum of 12 courses in GSJ [including the required courses, 501 (Praxis Workshop) and 502 (Research Workshop)]. There is no residence requirement.
Program Requirements
The time required to complete the MA will vary with the program (thesis- or course-based) and the candidate. Full-time students in the course-based MA program will normally complete the program within 12 months, while those enrolled in the thesis-based program will normally complete within 24 months. However, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies recognizes that many of its students are non-traditional and that part-time registration may be their preferred option. The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research stipulates that thesis-based students must complete all degree requirements within four years of registering for the program; course-based students must complete all degree requirements within six years of registering.
Note that graduate students are registered concurrently in their graduate program of study.
205.77.3 Graduate Courses
Graduate courses can be found in §231, under the subject heading Gender and Social Justice Studies (GSJ). Graduate courses offered by other departments may be taken with the consent of the student's supervisor.
