Apr 08, 2026  
Fall 2026 Graduate Catalog 
    
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Fall 2026 Graduate Catalog

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, MA
Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Master of Arts in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
 
Chairperson: Victoria Hesford, victoria.hesford@stonybrook.edu
Graduate Program Director: Angela Jones, angela.n.jones@stonybrook.edu
Department Administrator: Jacqueline Donnelly, jacqueline.m.donnelly@stonybrook.edu
Academic Program Coordinator: Charles Edwards, charles.j.edwards@stonybrook.edu
 
 

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.

Admission Requirements

Application Website

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 MA admissions requirements, please visit Graduate Admissions.

Degree Requirements

WGSS MA students are required to complete 30 credits of graduate coursework. At Stony Brook, this is the equivalent of  10 classes. You must take three core classes (9 credits) and seven elective classes (21 credits).

Course Requirements

The minimum course requirement for the M.A. degree is 30 graduate credit hours. An M.A. candidate is expected to take:

  • 3 credits
  • 3 credits
  • 3 credits

  •  

  • You are also required to take seven elective graduate courses. Two of those courses must be WGSS Elective Courses. You have a great deal of flexibility in terms of the remaining five elective courses.

  •  

  • During your first year, you are encouraged to take WST 601 in the Fall and WST 600 and WST 698 in the Spring. These courses cannot be replaced by Independent Study or Directed Reading credits, except in the most unusual circumstances and by petition to the Graduate Program Director. This petition would need to be signed by the instructor overseeing the Independent  Study or Directed Reading and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. 

Advisor and Mentor

The Graduate School requires all students to have an advisor. The director of graduate studies serves as advisor to all entering students during their first year and helps them plan their programs. Before the end of the first academic year, full-time students should choose an official graduate advisor from the WGSS core faculty. Advisor and student meet regularly to discuss the student’s progress and program. Students are encouraged to consult with all members of the faculty.

Residence Requirements

The University requires that students receiving an M.A. must take at least two consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study, which usually means 12 credits per semester.