Master of Arts in Gender Studies (Research)
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €17,500: International students
Scholarships
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Introduction
Reconfigure Identity Constructions and Power Differences in our Globalised World
How do gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, dis/ability, and/or religion contribute to the formation of social identities? What role do ensuing power differences between these vectors play in our globalized and mediatized world? In the two-year Research MA in Gender Studies, you will approach a myriad of questions related to gender and other social categories through an intersectional approach.
The program combines a thorough grounding in the historiography and contemporary state of Gender Studies as a discipline with intensive training in the critical practice of cultural theories and epistemologies from the feminist, postcolonial, critical race, and queer perspectives. In a highly interdisciplinary setting and with academic staff and fellow students representing a range of fields from anthropology to literary studies, you will be trained to apply these theories to the analysis of representations of gender in artistic practices, literary texts, political discourses, and (new) media and technology. The international and intellectually challenging setting of this program offers you the opportunity to broaden your horizon and to build an academic and professional network.
Epistemology, Politics, and Ethics
During the courses and seminars, you will learn about subjectivity, representation, and power dynamics from feminist and queer epistemological, political, and ethical perspectives. How have feminist theorists rethought dominant understandings of subjectivity, for instance? How does geopolitical context shape the conditions for films, literature, and artistic production to appear? And how can established power relations be transformed by feminist thinking in view of a more inclusive society?
You will investigate the development of queer, feminist, and critical race theories and immerse yourself in the history and current statuses of colonial, postcolonial, and multicultural societies. In addition, you will explore the representation of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and dis/ability in diverse media, literature, and new technologies.
International Reputation
Utrecht University’s Research Master in Gender Studies is one of Europe’s most advanced interdisciplinary teaching and research program in Gender Studies. Our research-focused program prepares students for postgraduate or Ph.D. work in Gender Studies and related fields.
You will benefit from engaging in a challenging and international setting that offers multiple avenues of investigation into complex social phenomena. The program is closely allied with academics and institutions both within and outside Europe and offers an internationally recognized degree.
Program Outcome
After Graduation
After successfully completing this program, you will possess advanced knowledge of and insight into the field of women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies.
You will also have the academic skills to:
- Critically investigate the multiple approaches, methods, and topics currently addressed by scholars in this field.
- Analyze factors of identity-making such as gender, class, ethnicity, age, and sexuality in different globalized contexts.
- Analyze power differences and processes of inclusion and exclusion, discrimination, and emancipation.
- Reflect on how academic, cultural, artistic, journalistic, and policy-making institutions respond to societal challenges.
- Formulate research questions, locate and interpret sources, assess the significance of your own research within the framework of current debates, and report your findings.
In your program, you will have the opportunity to actively work on your career development.
Career Opportunities
After completing the Research Master in Gender Studies you are qualified to apply for a postgraduate or doctoral research program in the field of women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies. Furthermore, gender experts can also work at governmental organizations, NGOs, national and international women's organizations, and cultural institutions.
Gender researchers usually work at universities or research institutes, and it is likely that your first step after completing the Master’s program will consist of Ph.D. research. Those who complete a Research Master in Gender Studies are qualified to apply for a postgraduate or doctoral research program in the field of women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies.
Gender experts can also work at governmental organizations, NGOs, national and international women's organizations, and cultural institutions. There, your critical approach to sociocultural processes will help to set up policies with attention to processes of in- and exclusion. You can also use your analytical skills in the field of (research) journalism, such as in the arts and media sector.
Academic Careers
After successfully completing the Research Master in Gender Studies, you will be able to formulate a research proposal for a Ph.D. project in a specialization within the field of gender. You will have an overview of the position that your own research plan occupies in the context of international research in women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies.
Graduates of this program have started Ph.D. programs at universities such as:
- University of Amsterdam
- Utrecht University
- Columbia University
- University of California, Berkeley
- Central European University
- Rice University
- Carlos III, Madrid
- University of Trento
- Adelaide University
- University of Verona
- University of British Columbia
- Linkoping University
- Open University of Catalunya
- KU Leuven
- Radboud University, Nijmegen
- University of Warwick
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- European University Institute, Florence
- University of Edinburgh
After Graduation
After successfully completing this program, you will possess advanced knowledge of an insight into the field of women’s, gender, and postcolonial studies.
Non-Academic Careers
Graduates of this program regularly find jobs in various fields, including in:
- cultural and educational organizations;
- women’s (research) associations;
- NGOs devoted to gender and LGBTIQ policy work;
- organizations working with refugees;
- governmental organizations (culture, emancipation, and family policies);
- cultural programming;
- international archives and documentation centers;
- international journals in the field of gender;
- institutions that promote expertise in the field of gender, policy, and culture;
- communication and public relations;
- journalism, especially in the field of gender and diversity.
After graduating, graduates have found work at the following organizations, institutes, and companies:
Mama Cash | Basis voor actuele kunst (BAK) | MOED: Museum of Equality and Difference | Stichting SexMatters (in Dutch) | AtGender: European Association for Gender Research, Education and Documentation | BIJ1 Political Party1 | Amsterdam Municipality | Rotterdam Municipality | Maastricht University | Utrecht University\s Gender and Diversity Hub | Radio Netherlands Worldwide | Youth Organisation ASRI