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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

$49,279
274
100–75%
$50,365
571
75–24%
$56,846
274
22–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$48,484
215
400–1200
$52,376
425
1200–1450
$57,696
203
1460–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$43,556p10 $62,885p90 Arts Work College Female-only Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Liberal Arts 1–15 Public University 1–15 Private University 1–30 SUNY at Purchase College · $40,885 Berea College · $49,422 Barnard College · $59,018 Wellesley College · $56,877 Spelman College · $49,012 Smith College · $47,992 Scripps College · $52,975 Wesleyan College · $49,884 Agnes Scott College · $49,268 Hollins University · $41,985 St Catherine University · $54,809 Bates College · $62,885 Denison University · $56,756 Vassar College · $38,115 Colorado College · $52,666 Bucknell University · $70,274 Dickinson College · $57,464 Oberlin College · $48,867 Gettysburg College · $58,490 Connecticut College · $59,678 University of the South · $59,065 Providence College · $62,603 Ohio Wesleyan University · $48,692 Goucher College · $48,214 Drew University · $51,780 Hope College · $50,905 Augustana College (IL) · $53,481 Knox College · $49,700 Gustavus Adolphus College · $54,763 Augsburg University · $50,205 Saint Mary's College (IN) · $55,748 University of Redlands · $46,921 CUNY Hunter College · $52,494 University of California, Irvine · $44,754 Binghamton University · $49,323 San Diego State University · $39,502 University of California, Santa Barbara · $52,458 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire · $49,774 University of South Florida · $48,981 University of Washington · $52,550 Clemson University · $55,916 Florida International University · $31,667 University of Maryland, Baltimore County · $49,276 University of Maryland, College Park · $56,279 Cal State Long Beach · $44,547 University of California, Davis · $51,439 State University of New York at New Paltz · $49,359 Stony Brook University · $54,631 Ohio State University · $53,749 Texas A&M University - College Station · $56,659 CUNY Brooklyn College · $46,211 CUNY Queens College · $29,947 Cal State Fullerton · $47,709 West Chester University of Pennsylvania · $49,835 University of Connecticut · $46,359 University of South Carolina · $49,109 Pennsylvania State University · $71,620 New Mexico State University · $48,484 University of Pittsburgh · $50,446 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $61,424 University of New Mexico · $51,671 College of New Jersey · $55,436 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $50,392 Northeastern Illinois University · $64,863 Fresno State · $47,092 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $47,976 Ball State University · $49,115 Eastern Michigan University · $50,541 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $32,774 University at Albany · $49,051 University of Colorado Boulder · $39,091 College of Charleston · $43,067 Cal State Sacramento · $47,573 Cleveland State University · $48,129 Montclair State University · $43,726 Oakland University · $49,736 Ohio University · $53,136 Temple University · $48,513 University of Delaware · $59,750 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth · $53,821 University of North Carolina at Greensboro · $40,398 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $43,010 University of Southern Maine · $48,462 Virginia Commonwealth University · $51,435 University of Vermont · $49,814 SUNY College at Geneseo · $51,773 University of Rhode Island · $39,954 Oregon State University · $47,671 University of Louisville · $54,616 Washington State University · $55,697 University of Illinois Chicago · $44,811 SUNY Brockport · $43,874 University of Minnesota - Morris · $48,146 Rutgers University - Newark · $31,386 University of New Hampshire · $53,637 University of Massachusetts Boston · $44,359 University of Iowa · $47,151 Portland State University · $53,728 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $65,100 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $46,020 University of Toledo · $49,064 Bowling Green State University · $50,234 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $52,817 Eastern Washington University · $47,571 Sonoma State University · $53,200 University of Nevada, Las Vegas · $51,033 University of North Carolina Asheville · $43,316 University of Utah · $54,933 University of California, Santa Cruz · $50,742 University of Washington - Tacoma · $52,550 Purdue University Fort Wayne · $48,341 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater · $51,751 William Paterson University of New Jersey · $49,463 Michigan State University · $55,523 Cal State Dominguez Hills · $43,556 Central Washington University · $47,214 Fort Lewis College · $40,793 Southern Oregon University · $46,873 University of Arizona · $45,592 University of Cincinnati · $54,857 University of Maine · $48,092 Wichita State University · $41,152 Metropolitan State University · $44,885 University of Washington - Bothell · $52,550 University of Oregon · $37,649 Arizona State University · $50,822 Towson University · $56,900 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $36,938 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $52,064 Northern Arizona University · $48,365 University of Montana · $45,144 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $50,918 University of Texas at San Antonio · $49,816 Old Dominion University · $49,276 University of Kansas · $56,595 Grand Valley State University · $44,858 College of Staten Island CUNY · $54,926 University of Texas at El Paso · $49,236 University of Wyoming · $50,307 Cal State San Marcos · $46,988 University of Notre Dame · $64,985 Villanova University · $67,285 Saint Louis University · $51,367 Texas Christian University · $58,696 Loyola Marymount University · $47,491 Wheaton College (IL) · $64,244 Merrimack College · $53,124 American University · $64,243 St. Ambrose University · $55,218 Mercer University · $55,483 University of Tulsa · $57,410 Loyola University Chicago · $57,796 Otterbein University · $48,598 DePaul University · $57,072 University of Richmond · $66,040 Syracuse University · $26,883 Clark University · $54,622 University of Rochester · $56,123 Brandeis University · $67,305 George Washington University · $69,401 Hofstra University · $54,474 Hobart William Smith Colleges · $57,269 Ithaca College · $51,844 Pace University · $55,887 Williams College · $74,260 Amherst College · $55,923 Middlebury College · $59,318 Colby College · $61,953 Hamilton College · $55,022 Grinnell College · $55,289 Colgate University · $60,900 University of California, Berkeley · $53,028 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $59,305 UCLA · $54,020 University of Florida · $51,951 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · $49,556 University of Georgia · $64,651 Purdue University · $61,432 University of Texas at Austin · $55,727 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $53,171 Stanford University · $59,255 Yale University · $61,945 Harvard University · $64,588 Dartmouth · $44,145 University of Pennsylvania · $65,646 Duke University · $64,946 Rice University · $65,274 Georgetown University · $71,556 Cornell University · $69,026 Emory University · $57,999 Tufts University · $59,168 Arts: mean $40,885 Work College: mean $49,422 Female-only: mean $51,313 Liberal Arts: mean $54,156 Public University: mean $49,055 Religious University: mean $57,358 Private University: mean $55,985 Liberal Arts 1–15: mean $60,381 Public University 1–15: mean $55,871 Private University 1–30: mean $62,141 All colleges: p10 $43,556 All colleges: p90 $62,885
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Gender Studies 251 1,152 9% / 91% 2% $52,701 93%
Women's Studies 150 579 7% / 93% 1% $51,861 94%
Women's and Gender Studies 25 112 5% / 95% 2% $51,974 93%
Gender Studies 3 62 15% / 85% 6% $52,769 92%
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 17 59 14% / 86% 5% $55,949 95%
Gender and Women's Studies 10 54 11% / 89% 6% $52,167 89%
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 2 53 26% / 74% 4% $56,115
Feminist Studies 2 38 3% / 97% 3% $51,600 94%
Women and Gender Studies 6 35 3% / 97% 3% $51,626 93%
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 28 14% / 86% 4% $58,066 88%
Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies 3 24 21% / 79% 0% $51,025 95%
Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies 2 17 6% / 94% 0% $50,626 93%
Womens Studies 14 16 0% / 100% 0% $52,232
Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 1 14 14% / 86% 7% $55,289
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 1 14 7% / 93% 0% $47,671 94%
Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies 1 9 44% / 56% 0% $52,550 93%
Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies 1 8 12% / 88% 0% $61,424 95%
Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1 6 17% / 83% 0% $64,588
Sexuality, Women's, and Gender Studies 1 5 20% / 80% 0% $55,923 90%
Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 4 0% / 100% 0% $51,167 96%
Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies 1 4 0% / 100% 0% $69,026
Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies 1 4 25% / 75% 0% $65,646
Feminist and Gender Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 33% $52,666
Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $59,678
Women's, Ethnicity, and Intersectional Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $41,152 79%
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $49,323 95%