Bachelor of Arts in Women & Gender Studies

Our students become well-rounded critical thinkers who have explored issues of women, gender and sexuality in relation to race, class, national identity and ability. They find satisfying careers in local, state and federal agencies, public health, law, human rights, community development, and social work.

Women and gender studies allows students to explore women, gender and sexuality in relation to race, class, national identity and ability. Students discover the ways gender and sexuality work in diverse communities and in different cultural and historical contexts. Our interdisciplinary program allows students the flexibility to design an emphasis relevant to their special interests by focusing on gender or sexuality; race or ethnicity; or global or transnational influences.

  • Learn to apply your education to the nonacademic world by working with and learning from a diverse cohort of classmates 
  • Analyze the powerful and problematic impact of inequalities
  • Gain critical-thinking skills needed in our culturally diverse global society

Put your education into practice with our Women and Gender Studies Student Leadership Practicum, known as the Gender Justice League

Gain for-credit internship experience with organizations such as the local rape crisis center, domestic violence service organizations, international human rights organizations and local businesses

Be a part of a historic program—our Department of Women and Gender Studies is one of the oldest in the nation 

Be successful.

Be prepared to meet the needs of our 21st-century society by applying your knowledge of women and gender studies in a wide variety of careers.

 
$58,900

Median salary of CU Boulder women and gender studies students 6–10 years after graduation

 

Community coordinator, health services administrator, human resources manager and educator are common opportunities for graduates

 

Work for local, state and federal agencies, or in public health, law, human rights, community development or social work

Academic Plan & Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours with a minimum of 24 upper-division credit hours.

And additional degree options for women and gender studies students: 

  • Undergraduate Certificate in Global Gender & Sexuality Studies: The certificate is designed for students who wish to understand, analyze and respond to these dramatic global transformations and their impact on women and gender relations, complementing students’ majors and interests and preparing them for graduate studies and employment.
  • Undergraduate Certificate in LGBTQ Studies: Through the certificate program and the guidance of faculty advisors, students are given an opportunity to integrate a wide variety of courses offered in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences to extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding of societies and cultures, and to relate that understanding to lived experience.

Community & Involvement

We offer students many opportunities to network with peers and faculty, further their studies, and get the most out of their undergraduate experience.

Be inspired.

The Department of Women and Gender Studies has an extensive alumni network employed in a variety of fields across the globe.

Some alumni of the program include:

Rayme Rosello

(BA'94)
Restaurateur and owner of , which operates restaurants in Denver and Aurora, and the Comida food truck and catering in Boulder County.

Ingrid Alongi

(BA'97) 
Entrepreneur, web applications developer and head of mentor network (recruiting) for Cognizant Accelerator. She has worked for and founded a number of startups, including Gnip, Quick Left and Sprintly. She serves as chairwoman of the board at Denver’s Turing School of Software and Design.

Katie Raitz

(BA'15)
Intergovernmental liaison for the New York City Fire Department.

Natalie Ziemba

(BA'10)
Spent two years in the South Pacific as a Peace Corps volunteer and earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the hotline supervisor for Moving to End Sexual Assault in Boulder.

News & Stories

College of Arts & Sciences magazine cover