Gender studies is a field of social sciences that studies gender identity, whether it be male, female, or LGBT. It is an interdisciplinary field that tackles gender and sex concerning other societal factors like ethnicity, class, age, and more. It is a very qualitative discipline that requires a lot of research—the discipline examines not only the historical aspects of gender identity but also its role in contemporary society and the ways it continues to change.
Gender studies are very important as people in minority groups continue to be discriminated against based on their sex, gender, and sexual preferences. One of the goals of gender studies is to eliminate this said discrimination, and more and more universities have started offering gender studies in their curriculums.
Is Women’s Studies the Same as Gender Studies?
Women’s studies and Gender studies are two different disciplines. Gender studies concerns itself with how gender defines people’s roles in society whereas women’s studies delves into how these roles affect women. Despite being different, the two disciplines intersect and are often mistaken for one another. For those who are interested in studying both, a discipline that encompasses knowledge from both fields of study is Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Unfortunately, there are no open courses we can recommend for either discipline. Still, you can check our Open Courses page for related subjects or courses open right now for international students coming from your country.
What Are the Career Prospects for Gender Studies Graduates?
If you are considering enrolling in a Gender Studies program and you’re wondering if there is a future for you in today’s job market, then the answer is: absolutely! Gender Studies graduates have many career options. For the most part, they graduate to land jobs in human resources departments in a variety of companies, regardless of the nature of their business. They can also pursue jobs in administrative departments in any educational institution if they are not keen on being part of a corporate commercial company. Many gender studies graduates choose to pursue teaching. Many students are passionate about this field of study and want to share that passion with people who are new to the field.
Top Gender Studies Schools in the World
1. University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (UMich) is a top school for gender studies across the globe that is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. It has the distinction of being Michigan’s oldest university, one of the top universities nationwide, and one of the largest universities in terms of research output.
The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at UMich is home to the Women’s and Gender Studies program. It is an intersectional discipline that takes ideas from humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to understand how sex and gender affect our worldviews, mass media, and cultural environment.
UMich offers three joint Ph.D. gender studies degrees: English, History, and Psychology. However, students can start on their gender studies path as early as their undergraduate years. They have the option of majoring or minoring in gender studies for their bachelor’s and master’s degrees before enrolling in any of the Ph.D. programs.
2. University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is the top university in Canada and one of the top gender studies universities in the world. It offers over 700 undergraduate programs and 200 postgraduate programs in a wide range of fields. The university, in particular, has achieved much academic excellence in the sciences and social sciences.
The Women & Gender Studies Institute of the University of Toronto offers partially- or fully-funded master’s and Ph.D.’s in gender studies. They are known for their focus on transnational feminist studies—they examine how issues of sex and gender are affected by other factors like race, citizenship, colonialism, and more. Students will see intersectionality at play and learn how different narratives and histories shape and reshape ideas on sex and gender.
In addition to its postgraduate programs, the institute also offers major and minor programs for undergraduate students. There is no admission process for this program—any student enrolled at the University of Toronto can specialize in gender studies as long as they take all prerequisite courses.
3. University of California – Los Angeles
The University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public research university and a leading school for gender studies in the world that is located in Los Angeles, California, United States. With its world-class reputation and quality of education, as well as its wide range of available courses and degrees, UCLA is the country’s most applied-to university.
UCLA offers a gender studies Ph.D. degree. According to the school’s website, the department only accepts three to five students per year, so admission to this program is incredibly competitive. This is because the curriculum was designed to be highly rigorous—it trains its students to be good at gender studies research work and teaching.
Additionally, like the previous schools, UCLA also offers a gender studies concentration for all levels of study. Any student enrolled in the College of Letters and Science can choose to major or minor in gender studies as long as they take up the relevant coursework beforehand.
4. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is one of the oldest universities and a recognized institution for gender studies in the world. According to the Complete University Guide which ranks all universities in the UK, Oxford (and Cambridge) were the only schools to have achieved top 10 rankings in all available courses.
The University of Oxford offers a Master of Studies (MSt) in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This is a nine-month course that studies feminist theory, women’s identities, and the role of women in the everyday life. It is interdisciplinary and assigns professors from different faculties (i.e., English Language and Literature, History, Classics, Philosophy, and Medieval and Modern languages) to teach its core courses, seminars, and additional classes.
See Also: 5 Best Gender Studies Schools in Europe
5. Columbia University
Columbia University is a private research university located in New York City, United States. It is a member of the prestigious Ivy League and ranks among the top universities for gender studies in the world. Founded in 1754, Columbia has since produced multiple notable alumni including former US president Barack Obama, former Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and investor Warren Buffett.
Columbia’s undergraduate degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is taught in collaboration with Barnard College. Together, they provide students with a holistic view of feminist and queer discourse that is culturally, historically, and theoretically diverse. Students will also develop critical research skills that are needed to analyze gender studies at personal, national, and/or international levels.
6. Ohio State University
Ohio State University is the flagship university of the state of Ohio in the United States. It is considered a Public Ivy, or a public school that is just as good as Ivy League schools. It is one of the best schools in the country and ranks highly on worldwide rankings, particularly in the fields of political science, sociology, public affairs, and plenty others.
Ohio State University is an excellent school for gender studies in the world that offers a major and minor in gender studies for undergraduate students and masters and Ph.D. degrees for graduate students. Here, students can analyze how gender and sexual inequality are created and maintained by different aspects of society such as race, class, institutions, and more. They also seek ways to bring about societal change. Majors and minors can be taken with just about any offered course, and anyone can apply to the school’s masters and Ph.D. program as long as they have a passion for gender studies.
7. University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is one of the top three universities in Canada. Established in 1908, UBC is the oldest university in the province and has two campuses in Vancouver and Okanagan. The UBC is well-known for being a top institution for gender studies across the globe and for its student-centered programs and research-oriented courses.
The Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at UBC is a very flexible masters and Ph.D. program. Because the program is taught by faculty members from many different departments and programs, students have a wide selection of courses to choose from. They may choose to specialize in gender in literature, transgender studies, gender issues in health, gender and cultural studies, and many more.
8. University of Cambridge
Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in Europe and the world. The school has a reputation for academic excellence and ranks amongst the top universities in the world. Cambridge University is regarded as a global university and offers learning in some of the most prestigious and sought-after courses.
The university offers a 9-month Master of Philosophy and a Ph.D. course in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies. This is one of the leading gender studies schools in the world. The course is a research-oriented course with mandatory and elective courses for students. Some of the courses contained in the module are Theory, Controversy and Methodology, Gender and Methods, Multi-disciplinary Text Seminars, Gender Research Seminar, and an accompanying research dissertation students are expected to write.
9. University of York
Undoubtedly one of the best in the research courses it offers, the University of York is located in the city of York, England. The school was founded in 1963 and is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the UK. It offers a variety of courses, one of which is the Masters in Women Studies, which lasts one year and is extendable to two years for part-time students. The Masters in Women Studies is within the Centre for Women’s Studies, founded in 1984.
Here, the study of gender is approached from the intersection of feminist thoughts and theories. The Master’s program provides students within the discipline the opportunity to study and debate critical issues within women’s studies.
Check out: 5 Best Countries to Study Gender Studies
10. University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh is a public research university situated in Scotland. The school d;l[ates back to the 1500s and has been one of the oldest schools in Europe. The school has consistently ranked in the world’s top 50 schools and ranked 15th in the 2023 QS World University ranking.
Available in their School of Literatures, Languages, and Cultures is the prestigious Master’s degree program in Gender and Culture. The program allows both part-time and full-time students to take the course in the institution. As a research-based university, research projects within this field focus on many aspects of gender and culture from the Historical eras in Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and South America to contemporary society.
The course also exposes students to emerging approaches in gender studies like Feminism, Queer Theory, Critical Theory, and PostColonialism. On another note, the program also provides scholarship funding accessible for both EU and International students.
11. University of Bath
The university is a prestigious institution that was named the University of the Year by the Times and the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023. Although the University of Bath is primarily known for its business and marketing school, it also offers a Master’s degree in Gender and Politics.
The course is a 1-year full-time course that explores the intersection of gender and politics. It is one of the only Master’s programs in the United Kingdom focusing explicitly on this area of gender studies. As a top-performing gender studies school in the world, their Master’s program delves into interesting areas like politics, international relations, political theory, public policy, and their relation to gender studies.
12. Utrecht University
Located in Utrecht, Netherlands, Utrecht University was founded in 1636 and still maintains its position as one of the esteemed research universities in the world. The school has consistently maintained the number one position in the Netherlands, 14th across Europe, and among the top 100 universities worldwide.
The school offers a Master’s program in Gender Studies that examines the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, age, and how they contribute to forming social identities. The program provides students not just knowledge in this area but advanced analytical skills and how to apply them to real-life situations.
Discover more: Utrecht University Scholarships for International Students
13. Wellesley College
Wellesley College is an all-women institution located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States, and has existed since 1982. The school focuses on its mission of educating women, and since its inception, the college has nurtured and graduated leadership-focused women.
The institution offers students a bachelor’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies. The course explores how the lives of women and men are shaped by broader structural forces of historical and contemporary contexts. This field also extends teaching toward nation-building, globalization, economic development, and the legal system.
14. University of Turku
The University of Turku is an international research university located in Turku, Finland. The institution is regarded as one of the top-notch schools in Finland. Alongside the many other courses offered here, they also offer a 2-year Master’s program in Gender Studies.
The course blends the study of gender with sexuality and combines areas in both social sciences and the humanities. The program in Gender Studies is designed to build students’ competence in gender policies and politics.
15. Universidad Complutense de Madrid
The Universidad Complutense de Madrid offers participating students a Ph.D. in Gender Studies for two semesters. Located in Madrid, Spain, the Master’s program cuts across several core areas of gender studies. It is one of the best gender studies in the world. Some of the courses contained in the module include Gender and Health, Feminist Theories, Public Policies on Equality, Law and Gender Perspective, and other exciting areas.
16. Linköping University
Linköping University is located in Sweden and offers students a Master’s degree program in Gender Studies. The institution’s course is titled Gender Studies—Intersectionality and Change. In 2 years, students are introduced to gender studies and its intersection with other social areas.
As one of the top-performing gender studies schools in the globe, the university’s program seeks to stimulate an independent critical approach to enable students to act as agents of social change. It also aims to help students develop deep knowledge and skills that enable them to contribute to processes for transformation and innovation.
The program is structured into two parts: level one and level two. Level one focuses on courses handled in the first year, while level two focuses on courses for the second academic year.
17. Yale University
Yale University is the hotshot Ivy League private university in New Haven, Connecticut. The school was founded in 1701 and is regarded as the third oldest university in the United States.
As a research-focused university, Yale courses explore various areas of learning, and Gender Studies is one of them. The school offers a Bachelor’s and Ph.D. degree program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Through the course, gender and sexuality are established as the fundamental category of social and cultural beings.
In conclusion, there are many renowned institutions around the world that offer excellent gender studies programs. For the most part, institutions offer master’s or Ph.D. degrees in this field of study, but some also provide courses for undergraduate students. If you plan on enrolling in a gender studies course, make sure to check out our list of the 5 Best Countries to Study Gender Studies, and if you have set your mind on studying in Europe, then this list of the 5 Best Gender Studies Schools in Europe can be of tremendous help to you.
We hope that this article on Best Gender Studies Schools in the World was helpful. If you are interested in knowing more about studying abroad, check out the Available Programs for International Students!
