MSc Applied Gender Studies

If you wish to pursue a career in the charitable, education, government or civil service or the heritage sectors then this course is ideally suited to you. It will also appeal to those who may already be working within an organisation with a strong interest in gender in society.For those who are interested in pursuing a more research-focused option the MSc Applied Gender Studies can also be taken as a Research Methods route. This allows graduates to meet the criteria for ESRC funding, an important factor if you plan to go on to PhD study in the Social Sciences.By completing this course you will develop the analytical and practical skills necessary to engage critically with contemporary gender issues including:gender theory
gender equality
feminist theory
queer theory
LGBT studies
gender & society
A key focus of this course is how these concepts can be applied within real-world contexts. You will have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience working on a research project with an external organisation from the feminist third sector and organisations committed to gender equality in arts, culture and sport.
What you’ll study
Gender studies is a multidisciplinary field dealing intersectionally with various social and cultural dimensions. Reflecting this, the MSc Applied Gender Studies combines interdisciplinary core courses on gender theory, feminist research and the history of feminist thought, with optional classes within a range of disciplinary traditions.Strathclyde has particular strengths in feminist and queer approaches within Journalism and Media Studies, English Literature, History, Creative Writing, Education, Politics and International Relations, Criminology and Social Policy.This course comprises of three core classes and three optional classes from a range which is updated annually. The core modules provide an interdisciplinary frame for the critical study of gender that is underpinned by feminist theory and acknowledges the ways in which gender informs – and is informed by – other structural inequalities.Understanding how feminist theory, research and activism has developed over time is a key element of the degree, and our core courses include visits to Glasgow Women’s Library to learn about feminist archiving and work with their original collections.You'll be equipped with a knowledge and understanding of key feminist debates about ontology, epistemology and methodology, which will enable you to identify both commonalities and differences in the ways these debates have been taken up in different disciplinary contexts over time.The Gender Studies Research Placement and Advanced Topics in Gender Studies options run every year. You'll also complete a Gender Studies dissertation. We're well placed to supervise projects aligned to a range of disciplinary interests and using diverse methodologies.
Careers
The MSc Applied Gender Studies is a great route into working in the feminist third sector, or into equality and diversity work across a range of contexts.We positively encourage part-time study and where students are already working in these areas there may be possibilities to conduct research for their placement andor dissertation within their workplace.We're also well-placed to support students going on to PhD study across Humanities and through the Research Methods route - Social Sciences.