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Many students begin with one of our foundational courses -- WGS 1200 or WGS 1210 -- or with a Freshman Seminar related to gender and sexuality studies. Students can also begin with any General Education courses taught by WGS faculty. (Freshman Seminars and Gen Ed courses that count for WGS concentration credit are listed on our pre-approved courses page, which is updated every year.)
See also: Undergraduate students
Yes, approximately half of our undergraduate students complete a joint concentration in WGS and another department.
All students who wish to joint concentration must apply to and be accepted into the thesis track in both departments. More information about the application process is available on our Thesis Track page.
See also: Undergraduate students
Yes. Students who wish to write a thesis must apply to the WGS thesis track during the first semester of junior year. Interested students must submit an application form.
More information is available on the Thesis Track page.
See also: Undergraduate students
Yes. For more information about the WGS secondary field, including requirements, please visit WGS's secondary field page in the Handbook for Students.
See also: Undergraduate students
For more information about undergraduate advising in WGS, please visit our Advising page. For additional questions, please contact:
Caroline Light
Director of Undergraduate Studies
clight@fas.harvard.edu
Linda Schlossberg
Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
schloss@fas.harvard.edu
See also: Undergraduate students
Each year we pre-approve a number of non-WGS courses to count for WGS concentration credit. The full list can be found on our pre-approved courses page.
Students may also petition to have us count a course that does not appear on this list, please submit the Concentration Credit Petition form along with the course syllabus and a written explanation (approximately 1-2 paragraphs) to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please note that certain petitions may need to be brought before the WGS faculty for a vote.
Students must choose courses for concentration credit at the beginning of the semester in which the course is taught. After the end of the semester, courses cannot be added or deleted from the concentration record, except by petition. Upon entering WGS, new concentrators, with the approval of their adviser, will identify which non-WGS courses already taken may be counted for concentration credit.
See also: Undergraduate students
WGS concentrators have gone on to successful careers in a variety of fields, including academia, business, law, science, and medicine. You can see a sampling of some of the work pursued by our graduates on our Alumni page.
See also: Undergraduate students
WGS is an excellent choice for students who want to concentrate outside of the sciences but wish to stay connected to medicine. Appropriate areas of study would be women and medicine, the healthcare industry, historic changes in the treatment and diagnoses of women, etc.
See also: Undergraduate students
Yes, WGS concentrators have spent semesters taking courses in countries such as Kenya, Australia, Spain, and France. With good planning, a semester abroad or out of residence can be a very meaningful educational experience.
The Handbook for Students provides more information on how to prepare for a semester abroad.
See also: Undergraduate students
WGS only offers the graduate secondary field certificate (essentially a graduate minor). We are not able to admit graduate students directly, nor do we offer any graduate degree programs.
Students who wish to pursue the WGS graduate secondary field must be admitted to a doctoral program in one of Harvard's degree-granting departments first. For information on applying to Harvard doctoral programs, please contact the admissions office for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or one of Harvard's other graduate or professional schools.
See also: Graduate students