Women's and Gender Studies (Minor)
Minor: Women’s and Gender Studies
Program Code: M705
About This Minor. . .
The Women’s and Gender Studies Minor recognizes the centrality of gender to a variety of disciplines, professions, and personal experiences and world views. Students will take coursework in at least three academic disciplines with an aim toward developing an interdisciplinary understanding of issues related to women and gender in both contemporary and historical contexts.
By augmenting students’ chosen majors, the Women’s and Gender Studies minor prepares students looking for strong interdisciplinary perspectives along their path to careers and/or further studies in social work, counseling, law, education, business, and the arts, among others.
Each section below contains details about the requirements for this program. Select a header to expand the information/requirements for that particular section of the program's requirements.
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Institutional Minor Requirements
The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU minors. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.
- A minor consists of 15-24 semester hours. There may be prerequisites required for the minor which will increase the total number of credit hours for a student who has not already taken those prerequisites.
- Courses taken to satisfy Essential Learning, major requirements, or electives can be counted toward the minor if applicable.
- At least 33 percent of the credit hours required for the minor must be in courses numbered 300 or above.
- At least 25 percent of the classes must be taken at CMU.
- 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher for the courses used for the minor.
- A minor is not a degree by itself and must be earned at the same time as a baccalaureate degree.
- A minor must be outside the major field of study.
- A student may earn up to five minors with any baccalaureate degree at CMU.
- The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and degree requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements sheet you should follow.
- See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.
Program Specific Minor Requirements
(15 semester hours)
- Students must take courses in at least three disciplines within the minor.
- Note that upper-division courses have prerequisites, which can be completed as a part of your Essential Learning courses; prerequisites may be waived solely at the instructor’s discretion. Some upper-division courses are offered in alternate years; students are advised to plan accordingly.
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SOCI 102 | Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | 3 |
| Select four additional courses of the following: 1 | 12 | |
| Intimate Partner Violence | ||
| Women and Crime | ||
| Women in World Thought and Literature | ||
| Early United States Women's History | ||
| 20th Century United States Women's History | ||
| History of Sexuality | ||
| Global Politics of Women and Gender | ||
| Psychology of Women | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Introduction to Marriage and Family Counseling | ||
| Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies-GTSS3 | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Sociology of Sexuality | ||
| 21st Century Families | ||
Or special course offerings such as Topics and Major Authors courses with the approval of minor advisor and Department Head | ||
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
- 1
Students must take courses in at least three disciplines within the minor.
Advising Process and DegreeWorks
Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a minor. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and developing a suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for her/his intended minor.
DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a minor. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head for the minor. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.
Graduation Process
A minor cannot be awarded by itself. It must be combined with a baccalaureate degree outside the major field of study. Students should follow the graduation process outlined for the baccalaureate degree and list their majors and minors on the “Intent to Graduate” form.
If a student’s petition for graduation is denied, it will be her/his responsibility to consult the Registrar’s Office regarding next steps.