B.A. and B.S. in Women's Studies
In Fall of 1995, Old Dominion University became the first state-assisted school in Virginia to offer a major as well as a minor in Women's Studies. The B.A. or B.S. in Women's Studies requires 33 credit hours of Women's Studies and cross-listed course work-- perfect to stand on its own as an interesting and challenging course of study, or useful as a second major. This degree will help prepare you for graduate school or for occupational opportunities in law, criminal justice, teaching, public relations, journalism, counseling, government, social work, business and the military.
Our courses are stimulating and engaging, with lots of class discussion and clear applicability to the world around you. We also cross-list courses on women from many different departments each semester. Even if you choose not to major or minor in Women's Studies, you can still find many individual Women's Studies courses that help you meet general education requirements and give you a rewarding educational experience in the process.
Women's Studies Courses
Double Your Major
Women's Studies plus Communication, International Studies, Sociology, Criminal Justice, English, or any other major.
A double major will give you a solid knowledge base in two fields rather than one, and increase the range of employment oportunities for which you will be an attractive candidate. You can do this with only a modest number of additional courses by counting up to three (and for English majors, more) of your courses toward both majors. For example, Women's Studies cross-lists a number of Sociology courses, such as Soc 303 (Introduction to Marriage and the Family), Soc 320 (Women and Crime), Soc 340 (Sociology of Women), Soc 343 (Sociology of Sexuality), and Soc 427 (Violence against Women). Each of these courses can be counted as credits toward your Women's Studies degree and your Sociology degree. A major in Women's Studies is 33 credit hours. By double counting three courses from Sociology, you would only need 24 additional hours in Women's Studies, just 9 more hours than the 15 required for a minor.
Women's Studies Minor
A minor in Women's Studies will increase students' career opportunities in law, criminal justice, teaching, public relations, journalism, counseling, government, social work, the military and many other fields, and/or it will prepare students for new and exciting research opportunities in graduate school. Students may pursue a minor in Women's Studies as a complement to any major, thereby fulfilling upper division general education requirements.
Requirements
Students must complete a total of 15 credits in the Women's Studies curriculum. All credits must be on the 300-400 level. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in the 15 credits taken. The credits should be distributed as follows:
Required Courses:
(9 Credits) WMST 302W All American Women: A Multicultural Approach and two or more of the following 3 credit courses:
WMST 390T Women & Technology Worldwide: From Cookstoves to Computers(also fulfills Technology requirement)
WMST 401W Women: A Global Perspective
WMST 460W Feminist Thought
Additional Courses:
(6 Credits) Two other WMST courses, eg. WMST 368 (Internship), WMST 470 (Women's Ways of Knowing/Ways of Knowing Women),WMST 495 (Women and Social Change in Africa), WMST 497 (Independent Study), and/or courses cross-listed with Women's Studies from History, Philosophy, Communication, English, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Political Science, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Art, etc. No more than 3 credits in independent study may be counted.
NOTE: NO COURSE COUNTED TOWARDS A MAJOR MAY BE USED TO FULFILL A MINOR PROGRAM REQUIREMENT.
Minor Application
The Accelerated Master of Arts in Humanities with a Concentration in Women's Studies
The accelerated MA Program in Humanities allows exceptional majors in Women's Studies to count up to 12 hours of graduate courses toward both an undergraduate and graduate degree. This degree program makes it possible for students with a demonstrated record of academic excellence to earn both a B.A. or B.S. in Women's Studies and a M.A. in Humanities in five years.
Accelerated Course Requirements
