Why add a minor or certificate in Women's Studies to your degree program?

Women's Studies provides an environment of respect and tolerance, enabling students to find their own voices and the esteem necessary to articulate their own views. At the end of the semester, students have reported that Women's Studies classes can be "intense," "exciting" and "life-altering" —everything that education should be.

This program prepares students for careers in education, law, health, public administration, and social services, as well as management and leadership positions in business or government. Specialists in Women's Studies are increasingly being used as consultants in higher education, industry, insurance companies, and personnel firms for their training in understanding gender relations.

What UA students have to say

"I'm a junior at the University of Akron. I took an interest in the Women's Studies Program after taking Introduction to Women Studies last semester. The interest went further when I learned what women have gone through to get us to where we are now with the rights we possess, and I feel that as a woman I should exercise every right I have and continue fighting for more, not just in the business field but in our daily lives, the work place, the school environment and even at home."

-- Samantha Castro, Women's Studies Intern, Spring 2013

A minor in women's studies applies to basically any field of study (politics,history,sociology,psychology etc) and it engages the student in actively fighting against injustice. It makes students aware of relevant issues such as rape culture and birth control access and evaluates how we can address these issues from a feminist perspective.  I think Women's Studies is often misunderstood that the focus is just on women. Women's studies applies to EVERYONE. Not only do we explore inequality such as sexism but we also look at racism, ageism,sizeism  and how they intertwine with each other. These are just a few reasons as to why one should minor in women's studies.

-- Meghan Begue, Women's Studies Intern, Fall 2013