Information for Prospective Students

Thank you for your interest in our graduate programs. The Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at the University of Cincinnati (UC) is one of the oldest such programs in the country and offers a 2-year interdisciplinary MA; a 4-year MA/JD joint degree program in WGSS and Law (the first in the nation); dual MA programs between WGSS and German and French; MA/PhD double degree programs with English, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology; and a double degree with WGSS MA and MPH (Master's in Public Health). We also offer a Graduate Certificate (GC) in WGSS for students in other graduate degree programs or non-degree graduate students. Additionally, through our 4+1 program, UC WGSS undergraduate majors have the unique opportunity to complete a fast-track MA in one year after completing their BA.

Our department has twelve core faculty (eight full and four joint appointments) and nearly 100 affiliated faculty members from a wide spectrum of academic disciplines and intellectual backgrounds. Our substantial endowment, raised by our long-established Friends of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, provides additional scholarship, internship, and graduate assistant funds for our students. Our department is also a member of the prestigious Charles Phelps Taft Research Center at UC, which offers graduate travel and graduate enrichment grants for which our students can apply and provides additional graduate assistantship and public lecture funding to its member departments.

WGSS Graduate Assistantships (GAships) are available for our top applicants entering the 2-year MA and 4-year MA/JD programs. MA/JD students, however, can only receive GAships for the first year they are in the MA program. Students accepted into our MA/PhD dual degree programs will typically receive their GAships from their PhD-granting department. 4+1, GC, and part-time students are ineligible for WGSS GAships.

WGSS GAships come with full or partial stipends (currently $13,000/year for a full stipend) that cover all or part of a student's tuition and fees. Most of our GAships involve teaching assistant duties for large introductory courses, and others involve key administrative and research duties for the department. Our students may alternatively qualify for GAships offered by staff offices at UC. These also typically come with tuition remission (a Graduate Assistant Scholarship) and involve administrative or other service duties. Additionally, the university-wide Yates program grants fellowships and GAS funding to a select number of incoming underrepresented graduate students. We have other scholarship funds available that can help defray tuition for students without GAships or with only a partial GAS. Financial support while completing MA coursework cannot be given to all those accepted into the program and therefore is awarded on a competitive basis. While academic excellence is not the only criterion used to determine the award of financial support in WGSS, it remains a key factor for the attribution of GAships. Some students who enter our program without financial aid may later be offered a WGSS GAship or find positions elsewhere on campus after they arrive.

Admission to our WGSS graduate programs is open to students who demonstrate a personal and intellectual commitment to WGSS and an ability to succeed in a research-oriented graduate program. Applicants for all our graduate programs must have completed a Baccalaureate at an accredited college, with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0. An English language competency test score (e.g.TOEFL, IELTS, etc) is also required for all international applicants whose first language is not English. 4+1 applicants must additionally hold a major in WGSS from UC, and there may be different requirements for students applying separately for the JD or PhD programs with which we have joint or dual-degree arrangements. Those eligible for and seeking financial aid for their MA must submit their application by the annual deadline of January 15. Those ineligible for or not seeking financial aid may submit their applications for admission into the MA (including the 4+1 program) during the year prior to the start of the Fall semester in which they will begin their MA studies. Prospective 4+1 students must apply by the beginning of their senior year at UC, and prospective GC students may submit their GC applications (which are different from the MA application) at any time (and start their GC at any time). All students should submit applications for the MA or GC before accruing more than 9 WGSS semester graduate credits either at UC or another institution as only 9 such credits can transfer into our programs once a student is accepted into them.

All applications for the MA in any form and the GC must be submitted online through the UC Graduate School (click on "Apply," and follow the instructions for the appropriate program). See Instructions for Applying to WGSS Graduate Programs on our web site. All required application materials are submitted online with the exception of official transcripts that must be mailed to the department.

Online and mailed application materials must reach the department by January 15 for those seeking financial aid.

Prospective MA/JD students must additionally apply to the College of Law. Contact the College of Law Office of Admissions (513-556-6805) or visit the College of Law admissions website here for JD admission requirement information, including the LSAT. Prospective MA/PhD dual-degree students must contact the PhD-granting department, to which they submit a separate application through the UC Graduate School, for their admissions requirements, financial aid opportunities, and application deadlines.

Basic materials about our programs are enclosed in this folder. Please do not hesitate to call or email if you have additional questions. The department can organize a campus visit as well as put you in touch with current students if it will help in your decision-making. Finally, visit our web site, which will give you ample information on the department, our faculty, Friends, the Taft Research Center, and our curricular offerings.

Sincerely,

Ashley Currier, Ph.D.
Department Head
513-556-1774
ashley.currier@uc.edu

Valerie Weinstein, Ph.D.
Graduate Program Director
513-556-6656
valerie.weinstein@uc.edu