What can I do with a WGS degree or certificate?
The Women's and Gender Studies curriculum prepares students for a wide range of career opportunities in numerous fields. It is an interdisciplinary course of study that introduces students to hidden histories, explores complex social structures, confronts injustice and oppression, and hones the skills of citizens of the future. Allowing students to select courses from a variety of disciplines, including history, biology, political science, philosophy, English, sociology, communications studies, art, and more, WGS majors and certificate students are offered a rich environment within which to develop the skills in critical thinking and communication that are required by employers and graduate schools. But how does all of this translate into a career? Graduates of our program are applying their skills and knowledge to academic and professional pursuits in law, education, government, social service, public policy, religion, counseling, international relations, journalism, publishing, business, and the arts, to name a few. Recent alums are working for Ms. Magazine, Netflix, Planned Parenthood, AmeriCorps, and Teach for America.
A liberal arts degree is often a strength in the work world. Employers understand that a liberal arts education emphasizes critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills. More specifically, the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Ohio University gives students:
Expertise in finding and using information on contemporary social issues
An understanding of differences of gender, sexuality, race, culture, and social class
Insight into the connections among different forms of oppression
A foundation for analyzing inequities and initiating change
This preparation in critical thinking and social awareness is also excellent background for students pursuing graduate and professional degrees. Our students have gone on to earn Masters' and Ph.D.s at Carnegie Mellon, the University of California at Berkeley, The Ohio State University, and the University of Texas at Austin, among others. In 2011, one of our undergrads was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for graduate study in Germany.
Way back in 1995, Barbara Luebke and Mary Ellen Reilly (in their book, Women's Studies: The first Generation) found women's studies graduates working in a variety of fields, including:
Administrator of a human services department
Advocate for victims of domestic violence and hate crimes
Artist
Associate director of a human rights organization
Business owner
Clergy
Communications consultant
Congressional aide
Coordinator of a women's health clinic
Director of social service agency
Executive director of a foundation
Film production assistant
Flight instructor
Journalist
Law enforcement officer
Librarian
Manager of energy conservation
Musician
Novelist
Nurse practitioner
Physician
Professor
Program director of a rape crisis center
Psychologist
Psychotherapist
Public health educator
Public relations director
Social worker
Teacher
Theater staff
Town manager
Union organizer
We strongly encourage our students to gain career-related experience prior to graduation by taking WGS 3900: Internship in Women's and Gender Studies. And the OU Women's Center is a great resource for finding career-related opportunities (and much more!).
