The List of All U.S Colleges With a Women’s Studies Major

As gender equality has become a focal point of both national and international discussions, women’s studies is an increasingly important discipline, and students who are looking to contribute to society and make a real difference flock to it. Hundreds of colleges and universities offer a women’s studies program in various forms, so students hoping to pursue a major in women’s studies have ample options.

Are you interested in studying women’s studies and using your knowledge to effect change? Keep reading to learn which institutions offer the major, why you should choose it, and how to improve your chances of gaining admission to a school with a top program.

Why should you study Women’s Studies in college?

Today, numerous colleges and universities offer a women’s studies major or a variation, such as gender and sexuality, feminist studies, and others. Through these programs, students learn about current and historical perspectives of the role of women in society across different cultures. Majors grapple with themes such as sexism, social dynamics, identity, and others.

If you’re interested in social justice, human rights, diversity, and equality, women’s studies may be the right path for you. So, why should you become a women’s studies major?

It will help you develop critical thinking and other important skills. As a women’s studies major, you’ll read both contemporary and historical texts about gender in society, considering different angles and perspectives and thinking through relevant challenges and obstacles. All of these exercises contribute to the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, research, analytical, and communication skills. These soft skills will serve you well as you enter the job market since many employers consider them essential.

It will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. While you may wonder how you can apply your women’s studies degree to any one job, your coursework and knowledge will enable you to work in a variety of fields. Since women’s studies is a multidisciplinary program, you’ll explore a wide range of topics in history, literature, politics, philosophy, and psychology. Because of this preparation, you’ll have many different options when it comes time to choose your career path.

For instance, some graduates pursue roles as a writer, journalist, human services administrator or counselor, politician, union organization, or victim’s advocate. Others go on to earn advanced degrees and work as a social worker, lawyer, educator, or healthcare professional. The possibilities are infinite.

You’ll study a relevant, meaningful discipline. Many students choose women’s studies because they want to understand important issues facing society and make an impact. The knowledge you gain will empower you to grapple with social injustice and other problems and equip you with the skills, from learning how to analyze social issues to communicating your own stance to advocating on behalf of others, to create real change.

How can you increase your chances of acceptance into a women’s studies program?

Optimize your profile. While most colleges won’t accept you directly into a women’s studies program, many will ask you for your intended first-choice major on your application. To be a successful women’s studies major candidate, you’ll need a strong humanities curriculum, with plenty of English, literature, history, and foreign language courses, as well as other humanities electives.

You’ll also need to demonstrate community engagement and an awareness of social issues through your extracurricular activities. Consider volunteering at a women’s shelter (if you’re over the age of 18) or soup kitchen on weekends. Participating in or starting a chapter of a student organization like Amnesty International at your high school will demonstrate a passion for and engagement in human rights. You can show your interest in other creative ways as well, such as writing about critical social reform matters for your school newspaper. These are the types of activities colleges will want to see on your application if you plan to major in women’s studies.

Put together a strong school list. There are hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States offering women’s studies programs or related majors. The list below includes liberal arts colleges and large universities, public and private schools, large and small institutions, and so on. As a junior, you’ll put together a list of colleges, including safety, target, and reach schools, to which you intend to apply senior year. You should carefully weigh important factors such as your fit with the school, the location, size, student body, and, of course, the availability of a women’s studies program, as you construct this list.

What colleges have a Women’s Studies major?

Agnes Scott College
Allegheny College
American University
Amherst College
Appalachian State University
Arizona State University | ASU
Augsburg University
Augustana College
Ball State University | BSU
Barnard College
Bowdoin College
Bowling Green State University | BGSU
Brandeis University
Brooklyn College
Brown University
Bucknell University
California State University San Marcos | CSUSM
California State University, Bakersfield | CSU Bakersfield
California State University, Fresno | CSU Fresno
California State University, Fullerton | CSU Fullerton
California State University, Sacramento | Sacramento State
Carleton College
Castleton University
Central Michigan University | CMU
Central Washington University | CWU
Chatham University
Clark University
Clemson University
Cleveland State University | CSU
Colby College
Colgate University
College of Charleston
College of New Rochelle | CNR
College of St. Benedict | CSB
College of Staten Island | CUNY CSI
College of the Holy Cross | Holy Cross
College of William & Mary | William & Mary
College of Wooster
Colorado College
Colorado State University | CSU
Columbia University
Concordia University Chicago
Cornell College
Dartmouth College
Denison University
DePaul University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Dominican University (Illinois)
Drew University
Duquesne University
Earlham College
Eastern Connecticut State University | ECSU
Eastern Michigan University | EMU
Eastern Washington University | EWU
Eckerd College
Elon University
Emory University
Empire State College
Evergreen State College
Fairfield University
Florida International University | FIU
Florida State University | FSU
Franklin and Marshall College | F&M
Frostburg State University
Georgetown University
Gettysburg College
Gonzaga University
Goucher College
Grace Christian University
Grand Valley State University | GVSU
Grinnell College
Gulf Coast State College | GCSC
Hamilton College
Hamline University
Harvard University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges | HWS
Hofstra University
Hunter College | CUNY Hunter
Illinois Wesleyan University
Indiana University South Bend | IU South Bend
Iowa State University
Kalamazoo College
Keene State College
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Loyola Marymount University | LMU
Loyola University Chicago
Luther College
Macalester College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT
Mercer University
Miami University
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Mills College
Minnesota State University Moorhead | MSUM
Mississippi University for Women | MUW
New College of Florida
New York University | NYU
North Carolina Central University | NCCU
Northeastern Illinois University | NEIU
Northeastern University
Oberlin College
Oklahoma Baptist University | OBU
Otterbein University
Pace University
Pacific Lutheran University | PLU
Pomona College
Portland State University | PSU
Providence College
Purdue University Fort Wayne | PFW
Queens College, City University of New York | CUNY QC
Regis University
Rhode Island College | RIC
Rice University
Roosevelt University
Rutgers University–New Brunswick | Rutgers
Rutgers University–Newark
Saint Francis University | SFU
Saint Mary’s College of California | St. Mary’s
San Diego State University | SDSU
San Jose State University | SJSU
Santa Clara University
Scripps College
Seattle University
Sewanee: The University of the South | Sewanee
Simmons College
Smith College
Sonoma State University | SSU
Southern Illinois University Carbondale | SIU
Southwestern University
Spelman College
St. Ambrose University
St. Bonaventure University
St. Olaf College
State University of New York at New Paltz | SUNY New Paltz
State University of New York at Oneonta | SUNY Oneonta
State University of New York at Oswego | SUNY Oswego
State University of New York at Plattsburgh | SUNY Plattsburgh
State University of New York at Potsdam | SUNY Potsdam
Texas Christian University | TCU
The College at Brockport, State University of New York | SUNY Brockport
The College of New Jersey | TCNJ
The Ohio State University | OSU
The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton
The State University of New York at Stony Brook | SUNY Stony Brook
Trinity College
Tufts University
Union College (New York)
University of California, Santa Barbara | UCSB
University of California, Santa Cruz | UCSC
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado Boulder | CU Boulder
University of Connecticut | UConn
University of Dayton
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii at Hilo | UH Hilo
University of Hawaii at Manoa | UH Manoa
University of Houston
University of Illinois at Chicago | UIC
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
University of Maine
University of Mary Washington | UMW
University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Boston | UMass Boston
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | UMass Dartmouth
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Michigan–Dearborn | UM-D
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota
University of Montana
University of Nebraska Omaha | UNO
University of Nebraska–Lincoln | UNL
University of Nevada, Reno
University of New Hampshire | UNH
University of New Mexico | UNM
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | UNC
University of North Carolina at Greensboro | UNC Greensboro
University of North Dakota | UND
University of Pennsylvania | UPenn
University of Pittsburgh | Pitt
University of Redlands
University of Rhode Island | URI
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of Saint Joseph
University of Scranton
University of South Carolina | USC
University of South Carolina Upstate | USC Upstate
University of South Florida | USF
University of South Florida St. Petersburg | USFSP
University of Southern Maine | USM
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin
University of Texas at El Paso | UTEP
University of Texas at San Antonio | UTSA
University of Toledo
University of Tulsa
University of Vermont | UVM
University of Virginia | UVA
University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse | UW–La Crosse
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | UWM
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh | UW Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin–Whitewater | UW–Whitewater
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Virginia Commonwealth University | VCU
Wake Forest University
Washington and Jefferson College | W&J
Washington State University | WSU
Washington University in St. Louis | WashU
Wayne State University | WSU
Webster University
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
West Chester University | WCUPA
West Virginia University | WVU
Western Michigan University | WMU
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Wichita State University | WSU
Widener University
Willamette University
William Paterson University | WPUNJ
Williams College
Yale University

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