Intercampus Programs: Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies — The Program

UMass Boston is a member of the Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (GCWS), an association dedicated to advancing teaching and research in interdisciplinary Women’s Studies at the graduate level. The GCWS brings together feminist scholars, teachers, and students at eight Boston-area institutions of higher education (Boston College, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston). Students currently enrolled in graduate programs at participating institutions are eligible to apply for admission to GCWS courses.

All GCWS courses are multidisciplinary, team-taught, and designed to break new intellectual ground and advance the field. One to three courses are offered each semester, with each course designed and team-taught by two or three professors from at least two different member institutions. Courses meet once a week and may be offered at the campus of any of the member institutions. Designed primarily for doctoral students, GCWS courses are also open to master’s degree students or seniors writing honors theses in Women’s Studies, with the consent of the admissions committee and instructors.

Future course listings are available from the campus representative to GCWS, through the UMass Boston Women’s Studies Program. Any UMass Boston graduate student who would like to apply for admission to a particular GCWS course should first contact her/his own UMass Boston graduate program director to determine whether the proposed course may count toward elective credit in that program. Application is then made to the Consortium’s Admissions Committee, through the campus representative to the GCWS. Once the student is admitted to a course, the UMass Boston Office of Graduate Studies will facilitate the process of registering the student for UMass Boston course credit.