UMass Boston

Apply for Admission

Please review the first-year and transfer apply pages for important information about application requirements, deadlines, and application status check.

Apply as a First-Year Student

Apply as a Transfer Student

Early action deadline: November 1; Regular Decision Deadline: June 15

Financing Your Education

Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process 

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

For additional information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s Office or send an email to Bursar@umb.edu.

Electives (30 Credits)

Complete 10 courses from the list below. At least one course must be taken from each of the six course groups below.

Introductory Courses

• WGS 100 - Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexualities in the United States 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 110 - Gender in Global Context 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 150 - Women, Culture and Identity 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 201 - Introduction to Sexuality Studies 3 Credit(s)

Multicultural Awareness Courses

• WGS 110 - Gender in Global Context 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 225L - Latinas in the United States 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 229L - Latinx Sexualities 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 263G - Transgender Studies: Scholarly and Community Perspectives 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 268 - Global Bodies: Sex, Families, and Reproductive Rights in Transnational Perspective 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 270 - Native American Women in North America 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 260 - Gender, Sexuality, and Health: Feminist Perspectives 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 295L - Introduction to Human Rights 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 300L - Women in African Cultures 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 320 - Sexuality Education in the United States 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 345L - Gender, Religion, and Politics in South Asia 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 350 - Introduction to Queer and Transgender Studies 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 355L - Gender, Development, & Globalization 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 357L - Women in South Asian Religions: Gender Ideology and Practice in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 360 - Gender, Culture, and Power 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 373 - Sex and the City: The Politics of Race, Sexuality, and Mobility 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 376L - Women of Color 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 401 - Advanced Topics in Human Rights 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 411 - Transnational Feminisms: Contexts, Conflicts, and Solidarity 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 412L - Gender, Human Rights, and Global Cinema 3 Credit(s)
• AFRSTY 230 - African-American Women’s History 3 Credit(s)
• AMST 228L - Asian Women in the United States 3 Credit(s)
• ASAMST 226 - Becoming South Asians 3 Credit(s)
• ENGL 357 - African-American Women Writers 3 Credit(s)

Historical Perspectives Courses

• WGS 290 - The Legal Rights of Women 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 325L - Sexual Identities in American Culture 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 343L - The Cultural Politics of HIV/AIDS 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 345L - Gender, Religion, and Politics in South Asia 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 350 - Introduction to Queer and Transgender Studies 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 359L - Women in Modern China 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 394L - Radical Voices of Resistance: Gender, Race and US Social Movements 3 Credit(s)
• AFRSTY 230 - African-American Women's History 3 Credit(s)
• HIST 346 - Women & Gender in African History 3 Credit(s)

Feminist Thought Courses

• WGS 356L - Faiths & Feminisms: Women, Gender, Sexuality & Religion in the U.S. 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 360 - Gender, Culture, and Power 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 376L - Women of Color 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 347 - Feminisms, Intersectionality and Social Justice: Histories, Debates, Futures 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 411 - Transnational Feminisms: Contexts, Conflicts, and Solidarity 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 420 - Queer of Color Critique 3 Credit(s)
• PHIL 230 - Philosophy and Feminism 3 Credit(s)

Interdisciplinary Research Courses

• WGS 311L - American Oral History 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 370 - Feminist Research Seminar 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 498 - Honors Research Tutorial 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 597- Special Topics in Women's Studies/Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies 3 Credit(s)(see graduate catalog)

Internship/Field Experience Courses

• WGS 490 - Internship in Women's Studies 3 Credit(s)
• WGS 491 - Internship Placement 3 Credit(s)
• SOCIOL 460 - Internship: Sociology in the City 6 Credit(s)

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to: 

• demonstrate fluency in a critical gender and feminist vocabulary;
• show awareness of an be able to question normative assumptions and conceptual frameworks;
• [for feminist theory-based outcomes assessment] produce a written product that effectively synthesizes secondary sources (i.e., literature review) and write a clear, coherent evidence-based argument;
• [for internship-based outcomes assessment] assess a social change activity or organization as well as their individual participation in such an activity/organization; or develop a self-assessment of - or reflection on - the research and writing process

Degree Requirements

If this is the student's only or primary major, the degree requirements below must be completed for graduation. See graduation requirements for more information.

University Requirements

College of Liberal Arts Requirements for Bachelor of Arts

Major Requirements

Complete at least 30 credits from ten courses.

Residency: At least six courses for the major must be taken through the Women's and Gender Studies Department. At least five courses for the major must be completed at UMass Boston.

Course level: At least fifteen credits for the major must be at the 300-level or higher.

Course limits: No more than two independent study courses may be applied toward the major.

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor

Students who choose this minor will develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which gender shapes our experiences, institutions, and social realities.