Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (BS)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2025-Spring 2026 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Science in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department: Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Academic Plan Code(s): WGSTBS

Program Information

Women's, Gender and Sexuality studies is an interdisciplinary major that draws its questions and approaches from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and arts. It helps students to develop theoretical, empirical, and methodological perspectives for studying gender as a crucial category for understanding the world. We offer extremely flexible scheduling for our majors: we have three core courses, offered regularly. For the remainder of their requirements, students have flexibility in selecting the classes that will be most helpful to them in their chosen career path. Our students have the opportunity to engage in service learning opportunities outside the university, giving them useful career experience. Students in our program also find it easy to double major, if they so desire. 

WGST Majors learn to:

1. Apply gender analytics at the micro and macro level for research and practices of social advancement;
2. Examine complex social problems using gender–informed analysis, research and design;
3. Select appropriate methodologies  from the humanities and social sciences for analyzing data and texts;
4. Provide appropriate theoretical interpretation based on discipline-related concepts;
5. Draw conclusions based on the analyses of texts and qualitative and quantitative information;
6. Demonstrate effective written and oral communications tailored to specific audiences and contexts to increase the understanding and utilization of research findings;
7. Identify how social, cultural and scientific knowledges are produced by institutions such as academic disciplines, media, arts, and politics;
8. Understand  how gender intersects with other social structures such as race, class, sexuality, disability in the U.S. and globally; 
9. Draw from multiple fields of study to evaluate and generate  information and experiences related to gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, etc.

Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Student Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department.

Degree Summary

¹

Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework.

Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.

Soaring Scholars Program Accelerated BA-BS/MA in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies majors who are considering pursuing a master’s degree in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies can speed up the process by applying some of their undergraduate credit hours toward a master's degree. Students accepted into the Accelerated BA-BS/MA take four graduate courses (12 credit hours) as an undergraduate that apply toward both the bachelor’s degree and the eventual master's degree.  

Undergraduate students interested in participating in an accelerated dual bachelor's/master's degree offered through the university's Soaring Scholar Program must first meet with their Academic Advisor and be accepted into the program. Once accepted, students will receive an official admissions letter outlining program policies and details. They will then work with their department and academic advisor to register for classes each semester, ensuring they meet the milestones and academic progress requirements of the Soaring Scholars Program. A Soaring Scholar student is considered an undergraduate student until their bachelor's degree is conferred. In their final undergraduate semester, they are expected to apply for admission to their respective master's program.

Interested students must apply to the program during their Junior year (i.e., when they have accumulated 60-90 hours of credit). Students must complete an application for admission to the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department's Master of Arts program. Applicants must have a minimum overall grade point average and major grade point average of 3.35 and must meet all other requirements for admission to the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department's Master of Arts program.

Students must retain a 3.35 GPA in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies during their senior year to remain in the program.

Departmental Admission Requirements

Admission to the BS in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on courses in the major. 

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

Soaring Scholars Program Accelerated BA-BS/MA in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Students interested in the Soaring Scholars Program should apply for entry into the accelerated program no later than the end of their Junior year and  follow the application process outlined in the Soaring Scholars Application Checklist (https://graduate.louisville.edu/academics/programs/soaring)

Admission to a Soaring Scholar program does not guarantee admission into the associated master’s degree program. 

To be considered for admission to the Accelerated Master of Arts in Women's, Women's and Gender and Sexuality Studies program, students must:

• Complete an application for admission to the Women's, Women's and Gender and Sexuality Studies Department's Master of Arts program (including GRE scores, transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a writing sample) no later than the end of their junior year.
• Have a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.35; a Women's, Gender  Women's and Sexuality Gender Studies GPA of 3.35; and meet all other requirements for admission to the Women's, Gender Women's and Sexuality Gender Studies Department's Master of Arts program.

General Education Requirements

*All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements*

Supporting Courses

Consult your WGST advisor about how the following Topics and Independent Study courses may count in your major:

¹

Completion of the second semester of a single foreign language; hours will vary depending on the language taken. Students who take fewer than 9 hours will require additional electives to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

²

May be incorporated into other  degree requirements

³

Students who satisfy General Education Requirements by courses defined by the program and those who satisfy the A&S foreign language requirement in fewer than 9 hours will require additional electives to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

*Soaring Scholars Program Accelerated BA-BS/MA in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Students in the Soaring Scholars program take four graduate courses (12 credit hours) as an undergraduate that apply toward both the bachelor’s degree and the eventual master's degree.  

Flight Plan

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "What-if Advisement Report."
   3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.

Soaring Scholars Program Accelerated BA-BS/MA in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

The flight plan for the Soaring Scholars Program is the same for the bachelor's with the exception that, in the fourth year, students take four electives (12 hours) at the graduate level.

Soaring Scholars Program Accelerated BA-BS/MA in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies majors who are considering pursuing a master’s degree in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies can speed up the process by applying some of their undergraduate credit hours toward a master's degree. Students accepted into the Accelerated BA-BS/MA take four graduate courses (12 credit hours) as an undergraduate that apply toward both the bachelor’s degree and the eventual master's degree.  

Undergraduate students interested in participating in an accelerated dual bachelor's/master's degree offered through the university's Soaring Scholar Program must first meet with their Academic Advisor and be accepted into the program. Once accepted, students will receive an official admissions letter outlining program policies and details. They will then work with their department and academic advisor to register for classes each semester, ensuring they meet the milestones and academic progress requirements of the Soaring Scholars Program. A Soaring Scholar student is considered an undergraduate student until their bachelor's degree is conferred. In their final undergraduate semester, they are expected to apply for admission to their respective master's program.

Interested students must apply to the program during their Junior year (i.e., when they have accumulated 60-90 hours of credit). Students must complete an application for admission to the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department's Master of Arts program. Applicants must have a minimum overall grade point average and major grade point average of 3.35 and must meet all other requirements for admission to the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department's Master of Arts program.

Students must retain a 3.35 GPA in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies during their senior year to remain in the program.