Public Policy- Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Overview

Students in this program learn to critically analyze contemporary policy issues concerning gender and sexuality, and to apply a gender lens to a broad range of policy questions. 

The Public Policy- Women's, Gender and  Sexuality Studies program at George Washington University leverages its Washington, D.C., location and robust professional network to provide an unmatched learning environment for students interested in combining women’s, gender, and sexuality studies with public policy.  As of June, 2016, the degree name officially changed to MA in Public Policy with a concentration in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies to reflect the full range of interests already represented in the curriculum and in faculty and student work.

Program Details

Along with courses grounded in feminist theory and empirical knowledge about the condition of women in the United States and around the world, students in this 36-hour program take at least four policy courses in the GW Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. Through the program’s interdisciplinary curriculum, students learn to analyze structures of power, particularly as they are grounded in gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity and nationality, and develop theories and methods for challenging inequity and imagining social justice.

Graduates typically find jobs in policy or advocacy oriented nonprofit organizations and public agencies. Some students choose to apply coursework for this degree to a PhD in public policy and public administration at GW.

The WGSS Program also offers an MA in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Both of the WGS MA degrees are options for the JD-MA and LLM-MA joint degrees offered by the GW Law School. In addition, a graduate certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is available to interested students.