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Gender Studies

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

Gender studies (also called women's, gender, and sexuality studies) examines how gender shapes society, culture, politics, and identity. Coursework draws on history, sociology, literature, anthropology, philosophy, and political science. Classes might cover feminist theory, queer studies, race and gender, or global women's movements.

The major is usually small and discussion-heavy, with seminars and writing-intensive coursework, and many students pair it with a second major in a related field.

What you'll do after college

Grads work in nonprofits, advocacy organizations, government, journalism, education, healthcare, HR, and the arts. The major is also strong preparation for law school, social work, medicine, and graduate study in the humanities and social sciences.

The skills it builds—critical reading, careful writing, and the ability to analyze how power works—are valued across many careers. Pay varies but is comparable to other humanities and social science majors.

Famous graduates

  • Ai-jen Poo — Labor activist and MacArthur Fellow; B.A. in Women's Studies from Columbia University

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$49,010
149
100–68%
$50,761
297
66–25%
$53,107
155
23–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

By SAT median

$46,664
88
400–1225
$51,707
169
1225–1400
$54,295
89
1400–1600
Median SAT · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl 5yr Earn
Gender Studies 235 1,198 9% / 91% 2% $51,326
Women's Studies 138 601 7% / 93% 2% $50,541
Women's and Gender Studies 25 134 4% / 96% 0% $52,040
Gender Studies 3 91 18% / 82% 2% $54,155
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 15 82 11% / 89% 1% $52,463
Gender and Women's Studies 10 59 12% / 88% 2% $51,762
Feminist Studies 2 38 11% / 89% 0% $50,764
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 35 11% / 89% 6% $56,134
Women and Gender Studies 5 33 9% / 91% 0% $47,835
Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies 3 29 10% / 90% 3% $51,816
Gender and Sexuality Studies 2 12 25% / 75% 17% $44,866
Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies 2 12 17% / 83% 0% $49,998
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 2 11 0% / 100% 0%
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 1 11 9% / 91% 0%
Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies 1 9 22% / 78% 0% $53,064
Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 1 9 11% / 89% 0%
Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1 8 0% / 100% 0%
Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies 1 8 0% / 100% 0% $59,169
Feminist and Gender Studies 1 7 0% / 100% 0%
Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0%
Women's, Ethnicity, and Intersectional Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $40,911
Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0%
Sexuality, Women's, and Gender Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0%