Doctor of Philosophy in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies
The Ph.D. degree prepares students to revitalize academic life by producing new forms of knowledge through transdisciplinary, transformative dialogues among faculty and students in diverse disciplines. Doctoral degree recipients will be grounded in a rigorous graduate education and equipped with effective communication and research skills, holistic-critical thinking skills, and transformative teaching technique. As part of the program’s unique transdisciplinary focus, students will obtain a deep understanding of scholarly production, research methodologies, and pedagogies in various disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. They will use this knowledge to create new dialogues among knowledge fields inside and outside the academy. Graduates will be prepared to serve as professors of women's and gender studies and related disciplines and as leaders in nongovernmental, social service, and research agencies that address social justice issues. Students are admitted to the program on alternating years.
Marketable Skills
Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."
- Apply womanist/feminist and multicultural theories to social-justice issues, research questions, and teaching techniques.
- Engage in critical, analytical, and intuitive reasoning about social/political problems or theoretical issues.
- Produce effective, well-written prose that adopts an appropriate tone; precise and rich language; and careful, thoughtful organization.
- Systematically research, review, and evaluate research and scholarship in a range of areas of inquiry.
Admissions
All students must meet the University requirements as outlined in the Admission to the TWU Graduate School section of the catalog.
This academic program may have additional admission criteria that must also be completed as outlined on the program's website.
Degree Requirements
Total Semester Credit Hours Required
A minimum of 90 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate, including a minimum of 15 semester credit hours of guided electives and 12 semester credit hours for dissertation. The doctoral degree is flexible and individually-tailored in order to most effectively meet each student’s research interests and career goals. In addition to a set of required program courses, each student will develop an individualized degree plan composed of guided electives in American Studies, Health Studies, Multicultural Studies, Rhetoric/English, or Sociology; research tools; a qualifying examination; a dissertation; and a dissertation presentation/"defense." Students will select specific courses under the guidance of their graduate committee. See the Ph.D. program webpage on the Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies website for further information about guidelines and contacts.
Prerequisites
Ideally, the previously-earned master’s degree should include foundational courses in WGS or other feminist scholarship, with at least one course in each of the following areas: feminist/womanist theories, U.S. women of colors, and feminist pedagogies. If comparable courses have not been part of the prerequisite master’s degree program, they must be completed as part of the doctoral degree in Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies. Applicants should have an understanding of the field of WGS and familiarity with feminist and/or womanist theories.
Required Program Courses
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| WS 5363 | Feminist/Womanist Epistemologies | 3 |
| WS 6103 | New Directions in Feminist/Womanist Theories | 3 |
| WS 6203 | Women's and Gender Studies Disciplinary / Interdisciplinary Knowledges | 3 |
| WS 6303 | Transdisciplinary Feminist Research Methods | 3 |
| WS 6403 | The Politics of Publication and Writing | 3 |
| Total SCHs | 15 | |
Guided Electives
To enhance the transdisciplinary nature of the Ph.D. in Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies and to assist students in developing additional sets of innovative knowledge and skills, each student, in consultation with the student’s graduate committee, will select a 15 semester credit hour concentration in one of the following interdisciplinary or disciplinary areas: American Studies, Health Studies, Multicultural Studies, Rhetoric/English, or Sociology. The specific courses selected should complement or enhance knowledge in the student’s anticipated area of research for the dissertation.
Qualifying Examination
The qualifying exam consists of a digital portfolio compiled during the student's doctoral coursework. Students are expected to submit their qualifying examination portfolio within one calendar year of completing the coursework.
Dissertation Defense
An oral presentation "defense" of the dissertation is required.
