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Spring 2026 Graduate Catalog
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, PhD
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Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Department Website
The Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, offers the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, as well as an advanced graduate certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Graduate Handbook
Please refer to the department’s Graduate Handbook for the most up-to-date information regarding the MA and PhD programs.
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Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission to graduate studies in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, all applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a suitable overall grade point average and with a high average in a major field appropriate for study in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. For more detailed information on the WGSS PhD admissions requirements, please visit Graduate Admissions. Degree Requirements
In addition to the minimum requirements of the Graduate School, WGSS PhD students are required to complete 48 credits of graduate coursework. At Stony Brook, this is equivalent to 16 classes. You must take four core classes (12 credits) and twelve elective classes (36 credits). Notes:
Aminimum of 48 credits of graduate work is required for the PhD Students who hold an MA in Women’s and Gender Studies or a related discipline can request that their transcripts be evaluated by the graduate studies committee and may receive a maximum of 30 credits toward their Ph.D. All students seeking the PhD must take the required courses listed above, unless the graduate program committee accepts comparable courses taken previously. All PhD . students must acquire a minimum of one semester of formal teaching experience (even if they are unsupported or are on a fellowship requiring no teaching duties) and must concurrently take the formal teaching practicum (WST 698). The Women’s and Gender Studies Teaching Practicum prepares students to teach an introductory course in Women’s and Gender Studies by engaging with recent developments in feminist pedagogy. Students will observe introductory and upper-level classes in WGSS, and write asyllabus for Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (WST 102 or WST 103), as well as a syllabus rationale and teaching philosophy. At the same time, we will consider broader questions about the university as an institution in the current moment, and the place of Women’s and Gender Studies within the contemporary university. Along with a consideration of the changing practices and objects of feminist knowledge production,we will also discuss the changing politics and economics of academia, and the impact of the wider academic milieu on what and how knowledge is produced. Students must take the required courses when they are offered, and cannot replace them by Independent Study courses, except in the most unusual circumstances and by petition to the director of graduate studies at the beginning of the term the course is offered. The petition has to be signed by the person directing the Independent Study and must be approved by the graduate studies committee. Students taking any . Under exceptional circumstances, the director of graduate studies may approve Independent Study under another department’s designator. A maximum of six credits of Independent Study courses is applicable to the degree requirements for the Ph.D. All such courses must be approved by the director of graduate studies before the end of the add/drop period of the semester during which they are to betaken. All students taking Independent Study or Directed Reading courses must file a detailed description, for which forms are available in the Department office. Failure to have these courses approved in a timely fashion will result in de-registration or in denial of credit for the courses First-Year Evaluation
In the middle of the student’s second semester of graduate work, the director of graduate studies requests a report on progress from the student that asks them to comment on their progress through the degree program (seminars taken, TA assignments given, conferences attended, papers submitted for publication etc). A file for the student’s first-year evaluation. will be collated and will include 1) the student’s grades, 2) and, if the student is a teaching assistant, a letter of evaluation from appropriate faculty, 3) student evaluations, and 4) the progress report. Students may submit any other relevant material such as a seminar paper or original essay. The graduate studies committee will meet to discuss the progress of the student, evaluate the dossier, and decide whether the student should be encouraged to continue in the program. In May of the second year,and each year following, the student will complete a report on progress in the program, including specific progress towards degree (coursework,qualifying exams, dissertation proposal, and dissertation) and other achievements (funding, research, presentations, and publications). They will then meet with the director of graduate studies or dissertation advisor to discuss their progress in the program. The graduate studies committee will evaluate the report and decide whether the student should be encouraged to continue in the program. C. Satisfactory Progress toward the Ph.D. In addition to requirements above, Ph.D. students must fulfill the following requirements: - Maintain at least a 3.5 average, with no course below B-, in each semester of graduate study. There is a one-year maximum limit on incomplete. A student may accumulate no more than two incomplete grades in any one semester or he/she will no longer be considered a Student in Good Standing, a prerequisite to continue in the program. As a result, the student will lose his or her T.A. line as well as face likely dismissal from the program;
- Receive a satisfactory first-year evaluation in the spring semester of the first year of study, and satisfactory progress report each following May;
- Satisfy the language requirement before the comprehensive examination;
- Complete all core courses in the first two years of full-time study and all 48 credits for the Ph.D. in three years;
- Take the comprehensive examination no later than one year after completion of coursework;
- Submit and defend a dissertation proposal in the semester following satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examination, no later than one year after completion of coursework.
By rules of the Graduate School, students must satisfy all requirements for the Ph.D. within seven years after completing 24 credits of graduate work in the Stony Brook department in which they are registered. In rare instances, the Graduate School will entertain a petition to extend this time limit, provided it bears the endorsement of the department. The program may require evidence that the student is still properly prepared for completion of the degree. In particular, the student may be required to pass the comprehensive examination again in order to be permitted to continue work. Foreign Language Requirements
Entering graduate students are expected to have a good command of at least one foreign language. All language requirements must be met before students sit for their comprehensive examination. All students are also required to demonstrate full command of written and spoken English, the language of instruction in most Women’s, Gender,and Sexuality Studies courses. Whenever possible, language exams for students will be given by core or associate faculty in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Each exam will be read by a faculty member. Competence in a foreign language can be demonstrated in one of the following ways: -
By earning a grade of B or better in a graduate translation course taught by one of the foreign language departments at Stony Brook. Credits fora graduate translation course do not count toward the total credits required for the M.A. or the Ph.D. degree in Women’s and Gender Studies. -
By passing an examination consisting of two parts, each one hour long, to be taken with a dictionary: a) a short theoretical, critical, or scholarly article that the student is required to summarize and discuss in English; b) a translation of a short scholarly article or passage of medium difficulty. -
By passing an hour-long oral examination. This option is encouraged for students intending to do interviewing or field research for their dissertation. Comprehensive Examination
One of the most significant milestones in the WGSS PhD program is the Comprehensive Exam. The Comprehensive Exam is designed for you to show that you have the historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations needed to undertake doctoral research. The exam process is intricately connected to your dissertation project and serves as a launching pad for the dissertation. You must demonstrate the breadth of your knowledge and your familiarity with feminist, queer, and/or trans theories, and interdisciplinary methods, and are also required to prove the depth of your knowledge when it comes to your specific area of research as it relates to one of the department’s seven areas of specialization in WGSS. PhD students typically take their comprehensive examination no more than one year after completing their coursework. To stay on track with their degree progress, students should advance to candidacy before the end of their third year. If you have not taken your exams by the end of the third year, this will be discussed during your Annual Review and may result in your advisor and/or the Graduate Studies Committee developing a plan of action to get you back on track. Alternatively, the Graduate Studies Committee, along with your advisor, may suggest leaving the Ph.D program, and applying to change your Degree Program and acquire a terminal Master’s degree, if you do not have one. Advancement to Candidacy
Advancement to candidacy is granted by the Graduate School upon recommendation of the director of graduate studies after a successful comprehensive examination. Again, all other requirements must have been met before the student sits for the comprehensive examination.Students who have passed their Ph.D. comprehensive exam will be deemed to have passed the equivalent of the master’s exam and be granted aM. Phil. degree unless they already have a master’s degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from another institution. The student must file appropriate papers with the department and graduate school to obtain the M.A. degree. Dissertation
The dissertation represents the culmination of the student’s degree program and should be a serious contribution to scholarship. Within three months of passing the comprehensive examination, the student must be prepared to schedule the Dissertation Proposal Review(Prospectus). This must be scheduled at a date no later than one year after completion of coursework. Teaching Assistantships
For Ph.D. students awarded teaching assistantships, four years of full support is the department’s norm. Awards are renewable annually, provided the student maintains satisfactory academic progress towards the degree and performs teaching duties appropriately. Students (other than Graduate Council fellows and Turner fellows) should not count on assistantship resources beyond the fourth year of study. Advisor and Mentor
Upon admission to the PhD or MA program, your default advisor is the Graduate Program Director. You will meet with the Graduate Program Director shortly before your first semester begins to discuss your coursework plans for the year, to talk about your larger goals for graduate study, and to start filling out your Degree Progress Form (to be saved in your digital student file, which you can access whenever you’d like). As you get started in the program, you should come to the Graduate Program Director with any questions you have about degree requirements, research projects, teaching activities, or professional development. At a minimum, you should meet with the Graduate Program Director at least once more during the fall and on an ongoing basis during the spring. In sum, the Graduate Program Director will guide you through your first year in the program and will oversee your Annual Review at the end of the spring semester. Residence Requirement
The University requires that students receiving a Ph.D. must take at least two consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study. For those entering without prior graduate study or with fewer than 24 graduate credits, this usually means 12 credits per semester; for those entering with more than 24 graduate credits or with advanced standing provided by prior graduate work, this would mean 9 credits per semester. |
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