This is not an uncommon question for all students when they begin to choose their major/minor for their degree. Although, for students that choose to minor in Women's & Gender Studiess the question seems to be more persistently asked.

It is difficlut to get a picture of women's studies as a field due to the number of graduates out in the workforce and the kinds of career paths being chosen. Women's Studies prepares graduates to work in various careers that may or may not be specific to a particular expectation such as other fields of study that may train for a specific career path.

Women's Studies offers a student a unique set of skills learned through women's studies programs: empowerment, self-confidence, critical thinking, building community, and understanding differences and intersections among racism, homophobia, sexism, classism, ableism, anti-Semitism and other types of oppression.

Below is a list of resources to review to further answer this question.

• WSP Career Guide - TTU Women's & Gender Studies
• Connecting Majors/Minors with careers - TTU Career Center
• Mapping Women's and Gender Studies Data Collection - NWSA report
• "The Evolution of American Women's Studies" - Inside Higher Ed
• What can I do with a Women's Studies degree? - Ms. Magazine
• National Women's Studies Association - Defining Women's & Gender Studies

Future Career

The program emphasizes critical thinking across disciplines, which is vital to success in any career you choose. You will learn how to critically evaluate practices, beliefs and standards about gender that shape the opportunities that women and men face in their daily lives. You can use these skills in a variety of careers in order to be a more successful leader and a better colleague who will know how to be effective in diverse work settings.

Personal Life

Many women studies students report that their courses have had a profound impact on their lives by providing them with a means of understanding their experiences as men and women. Women's studies not only focus on experiences such as domestic violence, discrimination in the workplace, and gender differences in the division of labor at home, but give a foundation for understanding the root cause of these experiences, which is the next step to gain the awareness needed to have a more empowered life.

Building Communities

Women's Studies students often use their skills to benefit their local communities. Insights from the knowledge gained, the ability to use critical thinking and the sensitivity toward the influence of gender is often used by students who volunteer in their communities. Many women's studies students make a commitment to making the lives of women, men and children better, such as counseling victims of domestic violence, working on rape crisis hotlines, and other service projects.

Historical Resources

• Big 12 Conference WGS
• Evolution of WGS
• Texas Tech
• Tech Pioneer Women

Career Guide

Links of interest

• Big 12 Diversity & Equity
• National Equity Reports
• Salary Negotiation Websites

WGS Advisory Board/Council

The purpose of the WGS Council is to advise the Director of the program and enable all members of the University community to participate in and be informed about the Women's Studies Program.

• Strategic Plan
• Mission
• Vision