Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Advisor
Farah Nousheen
Senior Academic Advisor, College of Arts and Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences and Women Studies Program Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

Transfer students must have a 2.00 transfer GPA.
Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

Completion of the University Writing and Speaking Core.
Completion of the University Mathematics Core.
Completion of the University Foreign Language Core.

Completion of Women Studies Program admission course work with a grade of "C" or better:

One WMST course at any level.

Major Study

The requirements are 36 credit hours as follows:

		Credit Hours
	15 credit hours of required courses:
WMST 200	Introduction to Women Studies	3
WMST 304	Feminist Theories: Identity, Knowledge, and Power	3
WMST 325	Race, Class and Feminism	3
WMST 492	Senior Seminar	3
WMST 498	Feminism in Action	3
History course (3 credit hours) from HIST 345 or other History courses as approved by advisor.		3
9 credit hours in one focus area: (Feminist and Gender Theory, Social Sciences, Literature/Film/Arts, Regional/Global, Sexualities). History courses taken to fulfill core requirements may not be used to fulfill requirements for the focus areas. See Arts and Sciences Advisement or the program Web site for the current list of approved electives.		9
9 credit hours in at least two additional focus areas: (Feminist and Gender Theory, Social Sciences, Literature/Film/Arts, Regional/Global, Sexualities). History courses taken to fulfill core requirements may not be used to fulfill requirements for the focus areas. See Arts and Sciences Advisement or the program Web site for the current list of approved electives.		9

Second Major Study Requirements

Students may present Women Studies as a second major with 24 credit hours as follows:

15 credit hours of required courses: WMST 200, (304 or 325), 492, 498; one history course from HIST 345 or other history courses as approved by advisor.
6 credit hours in one focus area.
3 credit hours from one other focus area.

Other courses may be used upon petition to the Director. History courses taken to fulfill major core requirements may not be used to fulfill major requirements for the focus areas.

Minor Study

The Women Studies minor consists of 21 credit hours as follows:

9 credit hours from WMST 200, (304 or 325), 492;
3 credit hours from WMST 498, HIST 345 or other History courses as approved by undergraduate advisor.
6 credit hours from one focus area;
3 credit hours from one other focus area.

Other courses may be used upon petition to the Director. History courses taken to fulfill core requirements may not be used to fulfill requirements for the focus areas.

Departmental Honors

To be eligible for the undergraduate departmental honors program, a student must be a major in Women Studies, have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better, and a GPA of at least 3.5 in Women Studies courses.

All honors candidates are expected to complete the Women Studies major requirements (36 credit hours) from the following three components:

1. Core Courses – 18 credit hours

WMST 200
WMST 304
WMST 325 or 331
WMST 492
WMST 498
HIST 345 or other History courses as approved by Undergraduate Advisor.

2. Focus Area Courses – 9 credit hours from one of the following areas:

Feminist and Gender Theory
Social Sciences
Literature/Film/Arts
Regional/Global Themes
Sexuality Studies

Please see Women Studies program Web site for focus area course listings.

3. Electives – 9 credit hours chosen from outside the focus area selected by the student.

4. Honors Thesis – Student candidates for honors in Women Studies must also complete WMST 493 Senior Honors Thesis (3 credit hours) during their senior year and following their senior seminar.

Process for Admission

Qualified students who are interested in the Women Studies departmental honors program must: 1) select an honors thesis faculty advisor, in consultation with the Program Undergraduate Advisor; 2) submit an application letter and form. Eligible students are strongly urged to submit their letter of application and form, co-signed by the honors thesis advisor, by October 15^th of their junior year; 3) submit verification of scheduled, or taken, honors sequence, 4) provide a copy of an unofficial transcript.

The Honors Sequence: 492, 493

WMST 492 Senior Seminar should be taken in the Spring semester of the student’s junior year. Teachers and topics may vary from year to year. This advanced course emphasizing synthesis and development of research skills is required of all majors in the Women Studies Program. Honors students taking this course design a thesis research project and begin the research in close consultation with the student’s thesis advisor.

WMST 493 Senior Honors Thesis is a writing course intended only for honors candidates and is usually taken in the Spring semester of the honors student’s senior year. Honors candidates must submit a description of their honors topic and an honors thesis title, co-signed by their honors thesis advisor, by October 15^th of their senior year. In this course, building upon the previous semester’s senior seminar, students complete the project research and write a thesis.

Awarding Honors in Women Studies

A Women Studies major who fulfills all course requirements for the honors program, but fails to make a grade of "B" or higher on the senior thesis or fails to meet the GPA requirements for honors candidates at the time of graduation, may still graduate, albeit without honors.

Keys and Symbols Reference