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Ph.D. Program

The Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Graduate Program at The Ohio State University offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree that prepares students for careers in research, teaching, government agencies, political and educational organizations, and foundations.

The Department is committed to remaining a national leader in the development of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies as an academic field. Ph.D. students are expected to demonstrate a strong theoretical background in women's, gender and sexuality studies, pass a candidacy examination covering a primary and secondary specialization, and successfully prepare and defend a dissertation.

Central to this mission is an emphasis on interdisciplinary research and scholarship. The program is organized not around disciplines but around feminist lines of inquiry that cut across disciplines and traditional categories of knowledge. Students choose one major and at least one minor area of concentration from four fields of specialization:

  • Global and Transnational Feminisms
  • Race, Sexualities, and Social Justice
  • Narrative, Culture, and Representation
  • Power, Institutions, and Economies

Ph.D. Degree Requirements  


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