Undergraduate Program FAQ

• Liberal Arts Majors and Undeclared Students: talk to Lucy Vélez and add the WGS Major.
• Outside of Liberal Arts Majors: fill out the Internal Transfer Application and talk to Lucy Vélez.
• WGS/LGBTQ Studies Minors and LGBTQ Studies Certificate: talk to your home advisor.

 

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Undergraduate Degree plan checklists are listed as PDFs on this page from the College of Liberal Arts (scroll down to Women's and Gender Studies).  Catalog eligibility is determined by when a student is actively enrolled at the Texas higher education institute.  Degree requirements and available programs may vary by catalog.

Women's & Gender Studies Majors in the College of Liberal Arts learn to think critically, communicate effectively and lead. Our curriculum emphasizes ethics, integrity, citizenship and awareness of global issues. 

Liberal Arts Students and Women's & Gender Studies (WGS) Majors:

• Are some of the most creative problem solvers because they are introduced to a wide variety of subjects from multiple points of view-oftentimes drawing upon centuries of perspective.
• Hone and refine their communication skills through rigorous language and writing requirements, as well as a wide variety of course papers and projects.
• Gain critical thinking and analysis skills by selecting interdisciplinary coursework, research and experiential opportunities that meet their academic and personal interests.
• Benefit from being part of a large and diverse student body in an environment that supports students as individuals with unique needs, goals and challenges.
• Appreciate literature, art and the pursuit of knowledge, thus beginning their journey as lifetime learners.

Check out the CWGS Academics playlist on our YouTube channel to see what our students have to say about our undergraduate programs!

You can also view works by WGS BA Alumni Andrea Zarate and Danea Johnson, including a short film called "Questions & Answers" about the WGS at UT Austin.

A WGS BA degree gives you many options.  Many of our students go onto graduate programs, law school, medical school, or remain in the education field.  Others continue their work in non-profit and advocacy organizations, or find careers in the private sector.  While at UT Austin, you are eligible to work with Liberal Arts Career Services and Texas Career Engagement to design your professional trajectory.

Texas Career Engagement (TCE) is a campus-wide resource supporting companies and organizations recruiting at UT by providing interview space, career center connections and one-stop recruiting access. TCE services include:

• Providing a facility where employers can interview students and alumni from all colleges and schools;
• Administering HireUTexas, the professional internship and job board for all students and alumni;
• Serving as a first point of contact for many employers interested in recruiting from UT Austin and fostering connections to all appropriate colleges/schools; and
• Identifying and initiating relationships with new employers by connecting them with cross-campus populations of students.

The Texas Career Engagement (TCE)  interview suite is housed on the second floor of Peter T. Flawn Academic Center.

WGS majors work in a wide variety of fields in local, national and international settings. Liberal Arts Career Services provides a full range of career coaching, recruiting and career education services to help students prepare for their future. LACS also connects students to internships and employers, further developing and enhancing their education at UT Austin and what comes after they receive their degree.

UTeach Liberal Arts and UT Urban Teachers provide a path to teacher certification for students interested in teaching middle and high school. Furthermore, students who major in languages other than English may earn early childhood through high school (EC-12) teacher certification.

We've also obtained advice from other institutions outside UT Austin and compiled an electronic summary of their recommendations (as a PDF).

No matter what type of industry you are interested in, there are many strategies to help you obtain the skills set you need to start a career in the area of your choice (See linked PDF).

Beyond the basic core curriculum and Liberal Arts requirements, WGS majors have ample opportunity to enrich their educational experiences. Thanks to our flexible degree, students who are interested in Study Abroad can find a program to complement their degree requirements. In addition, WGS majors have opportunities to engage in Undergraduate Research and earn Internship Credit. The University's Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) supports student engagement with a catalog of opportunities and current projects that students can join.  WGS students can pursue double majors within the College or dual degrees with other colleges at the University and still complete their degree(s) in four years.

In many ways the WGS major can be a stepping stone to med-school. Students are able to take pre-med requirements or enroll in a Pre-Health Professional program.

This combination leads to well-rounded, well-educated individuals with great communication and writing skills, knowledge of social justice and gender equity issues, in addition to the science background needed for medical study. 

Some students do complete double-majors (with BA programs in Biology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, etc), Plan II Honors and and the pre-med requirements, and even participate in dual degrees. If a student is really excited and deeply interested in one of the science disciplines, then by all means, he or she should incorporate that study into their degree plans. 

Students at the University of Texas at Austin can also participate in the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP).  JAMP is a special program created by the Texas Legislature to support and encourage highly qualified, economically disadvantaged students pursuing a medical education.

Absolutely!  Many WGS students spend a summer or a semester studying abroad. UT Austin sponsors programs and exchanges all over the world, and students are free to participate in other university programs or to apply directly to foreign institutions.

The College of Liberal Arts supports students wishing to study abroad with a number of travel grants and scholarships.

The College of Liberal Arts offers multiple honors programs for students. 

WGS also offers an BA Honors (Departmental Honors Thesis) option.

Yes.  It’s possible to combine WGS Honors with most other UT Austin honors programs. Please see the full details at Other Honors Programs.

I am required.

Students are able to declare and be registered in two colleges or two majors at the same time but not until they attend summer orientation. During orientation, you will have only one major and one college listed. If you plan to register in two different colleges, you are a dual degree student.  Many of our students are double majors or dual degree students.  With the right planning and advising, it is possible to satisfy several degree requirements with classes that "double count".  Please visit with the WGS Undergraduate Adviser as early as possible to learn how!

Here are a few resources to browse every semester for scholarships: The College of Liberal Arts Scholarship Page, Texas Exes, Global Assist, Liberal Arts Honors, Office of Student Financial Services, Texas Scholarships, Departmental Scholarships, more from the UT Financial Aid Office, Scholarship Search Engines, and the UT Provost Undergraduate Awards.  Don't forget to apply to federal financial aid via the FAFSA to see if you are eligible for any need-based aid or grants.

All of this information can be found online.  For more on news, events, what our students, faculty, and alumni are doing, please review our Events Archive, our News Archive, and the CWGS Newsletter and Annual Reports.

You can use our faculty page to view faculty by rank and home department/field of study.  You can also use the EUREKA database to search by topic, research interest, or keyword.

Visit admissions.utexas.edu for all undergraduate admissions information. 

The Women's and Gender Studies major is under the College of Liberal Arts.  The College of Liberal arts is an open college (for most majors). If you are admitted to UT, you are free to join the WGS major!

Visit the Transfer student admissions page for information on how to apply to UT Austin as a transfer student.  Once you are admitted to UT, visit the College of Liberal Arts Dean's Office in GEB on the 2nd floor and tell them you are interested in adding the WGS major as an internal transfer. 

While we don't have any statistics on the acceptance rates regarding transfer admissions, Austin Community College is one of our biggest feeder schools.  If you are in a community college right now, the recommendation is to take courses that will count for Core Requirements, maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher, and write strong essays.  Another tip for your application essays, do your research.  Write specific essays on why you want to attend UT Austin, and major in Women’s and Gender Studies at UT Austin.  Don’t write a general essay that could be used for any school or any major.

The Automated Transfer Equivalency (ATE) system is a searchable transfer credit database for more than 320,000 courses at Texas colleges and universities.  You can search by UT course or the sending institution's course designation.

For more information on exchange plan procedures or study abroad, please contact the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) office.

WGS has between 60-100 majors at any given time. Many of our students are double majors or dual degree students. We usually have between 5-15 graduate every semester. 

Since it is a small program, students recieve personalized attention from our award-winning faculty and advisors.

All the info on the internship class is available here.

Some WGS classes are reserved for declared WGS majors only. If you are declared, you should be able to register for a restricted WGS class; unless it is a special section reserved for a specific population (indicated in the course description). If you have recently declared, your major code may not have changed yet. If your minor is WGS you will not have online access to restricted WGS classes. New majors and students pursuing minors can contact our office for assistance in registering. Non-majors see next question.

Non-majors may gain access (through our office) starting on the 1st class day, if seats are available and if the pre-requisites have been met. Non-majors do NOT have access to waitlists for restricted WGS classes.

Most likely the class is restricted to majors in that department or to another specific population. Contact the advising/undergraduate office in the offering department for information.

Get on the waitlist immediately! To do this, attempt to add the class via ROSE during your access time, it will say the add was unsuccessful but should give you the option of getting on the waitlist.

TIP- Be sure to read the waitlist directions provided to you and monitor My Waitlists for updates on your status. This will inform you of common pitfalls that may prevent you from being added to the class. Those who ignore repeated error warnings may be removed from the waitlist.

• Notify your primary advisor ASAP. Tell them you want to pursue a WGS minor or LGBTQ minor
• Schedule an appointment with your advisor and have them add the minor or certificate to your student information 
• Start taking WGS courses (1 or 2 per semester)
• Join SAGE to connect to others with similar academic interests