MA / PhD Program

The Department of Feminist Studies is pleased to announce our new M.A. & PhD programs!

UC Santa Barbara joins a select group of universities offering a PhD in Feminist, Gender, or Women's Studies. The new graduate program in Feminist Studies offers three areas of emphasis, all from intersectional and transnational perspectives: Race and Nation Genders and Sexualities Productive and Reproductive Labors In addition to our M.A./PhD and PhD program, we will offer admission to teachers and those seeking careers in the public sector or non-governmental organizations interested in an independent M.A. program. The first cohort of graduate students will begin in September 2009.

A new generation of activists and academics: Women's Studies Doctoral Emphasis Students at the Fall Retreat, Katrina Kimport (left) and Simone Chess (right) with Women's Studies 2007-08 Lead Teaching Assistant Joan Budesa (center).

Download our MA/PhD Programs Flyer in PDF format.

Preference in admission is given to applicants who have a strong background in women's, gender, or feminist studies and evidence of potential for excellence in research, analysis, and oral and written communication.

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Admission Information:

Our graduate programs accept applications only once a year for Fall term. The application deadline for Fall 2010 admission to the Department of Feminist Studies, including receipt of all supporting materials, is Tuesday, December 15. You may initiate the application process online beginning in mid August at https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/eapp/. The application will remain open until 11:59 PM PST on December 15, although it is recommended to begin the process well in advance of the final deadline. Paper applications are no longer available at UCSB. The application requires a $70 fee. A limited number of fee waivers are available. Refer to the Graduate Division website for more information: http://graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions/application/#feewaivers. In addition to the online application, all applicants are required to submit the following supporting materials:

Graduate Students at the Lavender Graduation 2007

• Official Transcripts (2 copies) from all post-secondary institutions attended. Applicants must request two official copies of their transcripts from each college-level institution they have attended. This includes junior college, lower-division, extension, study abroad, and graduate transcripts, regardless of whether or not a degree was awarded. Official transcripts or documents must arrive in a sealed envelope from the degree-granting institution. Transcripts may be included as part of a package sent by the applicant or sent directly from the degree-granting institution. A copy of the diploma is not an official document. Since transcripts cannot be returned, foreign students should not send an original document if it is irreplaceable; they should obtain a notarized or certified copy instead. Documents in any language other than English must be accompanied by certified translations.
    
• Coversheet for Statement of Purpose, Personal Achievements/Contributions, and Résumé/CV (2 copies). Applicants should provide two signed copies of this document. Indicate your area of emphasis (Race & Nation, Productive & Reproductive Labors, Genders & Sexualities), and include the names of the UC Santa Barbara faculty with whom they have discussed their plans for graduate study (if any).
    
• Statement of Purpose (2 copies). Applicants should put their name on each page of their Statement of Purpose and print it on white paper. The statement of purpose (typically 2-5 pages) should clearly indicate why the applicant wishes to pursue graduate studies in the field of Feminist Studies.
    
• Personal Achievements/Contributions (2 copies). Applicants should put their name on each page of their Personal Achievements/Contributions and print it on white paper. The essay (typically 2-5 pages) should describe any aspects of the applicant’s personal background, accomplishments, or achievements that are important in evaluating the applicant for graduate study. Please refer to the Coversheet for comprehensive details.
    
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae (2 copies). List your positions of employment or volunteer work/community service since high school, either full or part-time. Include awards, distinctions, and memberships if applicable.
    
• Three Letters of Recommendation, coversheets signed by both applicant and recommender, including the Waiver of Right to Access. Applicants can now indicate their recommenders on the online application, and recommenders can upload electronic letters for applicants directly to the site. These letters should indicate the circumstances under which the referee has known the applicant, the referee's evaluation of the applicant's overall intellectual and critical thinking ability, effectiveness of oral and written communication, and commitment to feminist studies.
    
• GRE General test scores. Verbal, quantitative, and analytical scores on the GRE are required of all applicants. There are no minimum scores for the Feminist Studies program. Test scores must be received by UCSB no later than January 1. GREs taken later may arrive too late to for your application to be considered. Campus code for the GRE is 4835 -- no department code needed. For more information, please consult the GRE website at http://www.gre.org/.
    
• Writing Sample. Applicants must submit one copy of a research paper or some other piece of writing that best reflects research, analytical, and writing ability. This may be an undergraduate or graduate paper or policy paper. All writing samples must be in English (20 pages maximum).
     
• International Students Only. Students whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English. TOEFL scores must be at least 550 on the paper-based test (PBT), 213 on the computer-based test (CBT), or 80 on the internet-based test (IBT). On the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), students must have an overall band score of 7 or higher. If accepted to the MA or PhD program, all students whose native language is not English will be required to take the English Language Placement Examination at the beginning of the first quarter in which they are registered. Students must pass the test in order to be eligible for a position as a teaching assistant.

All supporting materials should be mailed, preferably in one package, to the address below and must be received by the December 15th deadline. If you are planning to use any overnight delivery services, be aware that packages sent via US Postal Service are sorted first at a central location and then delivered to individual departments, and will take up to an additional 1-2 days for delivery. Consider using another delivery service if you need to overnight your package.

Christina Toy
Graduate Admissions Officer
Department of Feminist Studies
South Hall, Room 4361
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-7110

Please include this checklist form when mailing your supporting materials:

Note that we cannot print materials via email or accept faxes.

Supplemental forms (for example, required coversheets for letters of recommendation and statement of purpose, etc.) can be found at: https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions/forms/.

Other information on the admissions process and helpful links are on the Graduate Division's FAQ page: https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions/faq.htm.

Language requirement: Upon admission, Ph.D. students must demonstrate reading proficiency in at least one language other than English. Students must pass a language examination or otherwise demonstrate competency before advancing to candidacy. On an individual basis, alternatives to this requirement (for example, proficiency in statistics) may be accepted.