Texas Tech University

Information for Undergraduate Students

students on campus

Overview - What is Women's & Gender Studies?

The university offers a minor in WGS. Goals of the minor include helping students reinterpret concepts of gender and gendered identities in different social, cultural, and political contexts.  Additionally, some women's studies courses fulfill the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Individual or Group Behavioral Sciences, and the Core Language, Philosophy & Culture (aka Humanities) requirements.

Application Process

To pursue a minor in WGS, you should first contact your academic advisor. Both your academic advisor and the WGS advisor will work with you to complete the process necessary to declare your minor.

Courses

How to declare WGS?

  • WGS as a Concentration (Online Students) - Students interested in pursuing a degree in University Studies with an area of concentration in WGS must complete all of the degree requirements for the chosen degree. You must complete a minimum of 18 hours from the list of WS courses. The required courses for WS minor are WS: 2300, 4310, and 4399. The remaining 9 hours can be selected from the approved WS minor cross-list. Please see the academic advisor for WS, Dr. Sarah Schwintz, email: Sarah.schwintz@ttu.edu.
  • WGS as a Minor - Students in other degree programs may seek a minor in WGS by taking 18 hours WS courses approved by the WS Advisor. The required courses for WS minor are WS: 2300, 4310, and 4399. The remaining 9 hours can be selected from the approved WS minor cross-list. Please see the academic advisor for WS, Dr. Sarah Schwintz, email: Sarah.schwintz@ttu.edu.

What can I do with an education in WGS?

Whether students are choosing to go into fields of study such as Business Administration, Medicine, Law or Public Relations, courses in women's studies provide critical professional development. Having experience in women's studies will give you the following skills to help in a number of possible careers.

  • Teaching
    • To teach about women and men in non-sexist ways is one of the biggest challenges faced by teachers and professors at all levels of education.
  • Policy
    • To understand public policy questions which revolve around assumptions about what women and men do, assumptions that are rapidly changing as men and women push for equality at home and at work.
  • Journalism
    • To write about women's issues – from analysis of the gender gap in wages to media images of women– requires a thorough grounding in women's history, experience, and modes of expression.
  • Marketing
    • Understanding that market research and advertising may be based on sexist interpretations that are "bad for business" is useful in product development.
  • Business
    • Knowing that product design may reflect views of gender behavior no longer appropriate to vast segments of the market is essential for good business.
  • Management
    • Being a good manager involves understanding workers lives to be a major factor in productivity, as lives often based in work-family arrangements.
  • Global
    • Realizing that many facets of international business rely on women as industrial workers and as agricultural laborers, especially in the global south is crucial for future policy development.