MA
Courses
Masters students planning to undertake a Major Research Paper (MRP) are required to complete 21 credits of coursework (3.5 full courses or 7 half-courses), including:
- GFWS 6002 3.0 Feminist Theory;
- GFWS 6007 3.0 Feminist Research Colloquium;
- GFWS 6907 3.0 MA Seminar in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies;
- one other half-course (3.0 credits) chosen from the program course offerings; and,
- 9.0 credits of the student’s choice.
The final selection of courses will be determined in consultation with the faculty advisor and/or the Director of the Graduate Program. With permission, up to 6.0 credits may be chosen from courses offered by another Graduate Program at York. Typically, full-time students will complete all the coursework in the first two terms. (See Course Descriptions for details).
Major Research Paper
The MA Major Research Paper (MRP) is equivalent to one full course. The MRP involves either an original piece of research or analysis or a substantial review of research on a topic. Students should aim for an MRP of about 50-75 pages in length. It usually takes one semester of full-time focus to complete and ideally is completed during the third term of the degree (Summer).
The MRP involves the following steps:
1) The student selects a supervisor and second reader:
In consultation with the faculty advisor and/or course directors and/or the Program Director, the student selects an MRP supervisor (who must affiliated with Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies) and a second reader. When the committee has been formed, the student will submit an MRP Supervisory Committee form to the program office. If the second reader is not a member of the Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies faculty, the student must submit a request explaining why the faculty member is appropriate, including a copy of the faculty member’s CV, to the GPD for approval.
2) The student develops an MRP proposal:
Under the direction of the MRP Supervisor, the student develops an MRP proposal (approximately 7-10 pages in length), which should include a working title and discuss the following:
- the research questions, the goals, and the thesis (the central point/argument);
- the conceptual or theoretical perspectives informing the project;
- the organization/structure of the study or project;
- the research methods;
- the suitability of the project to the interdisciplinary nature of gender, feminist and women’s studies; and,
- a realistic work schedule including proposed beginning and completion dates.
The proposal should also include a list of the 12 most relevant bibliographic sources.
When the Supervisor and Second Reader deem the proposal acceptable, the student completes an MRP Proposal Form and submits the form and the proposal to the Program Office, normally three months before the expected completion date. Students whose research involves human participants must also submit the Research Ethics Protocol Form (TD2).
3) The student completes the MRP:
Once written, the MRP is reviewed by the supervisor and the second reader. Once they indicate that the MRP has been approved, the student completes an MRP Approval Form and submits it to the Graduate Program Office along with an electronic copy of the MRP.
Courses
Masters students planning to undertake a Thesis are required to complete 12 credits of coursework (2 full courses or 4 half-courses), including:
- GFWS 6002 3.0 Feminist Theory;
- GFWS 6007 3.0 Feminist Research Colloquium;
- GFWS 6907 3.0 MA Seminar in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies; and,
- one half-course (3.0 credits) chosen from the program course offerings.
The final selection of courses will be determined in consultation with the faculty advisor and/or the Director of the Graduate Program. With permission, up to 3.0 credits may be chosen from courses offered by another Graduate Program at York. Typically full-time students will complete all the course work in the first two terms. (See Course Descriptions for details).
Thesis
The MA Thesis is equivalent to two full courses. It has a more formal supervisory process than the Major Research Paper and is governed by rules set by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS). It usually takes at 1-2 terms of full-time focus to complete and ideally is completed during the third term of the degree (Summer), although many students undertake the Oral Examination in an additional fourth term.
Students planning to complete their thesis during their third term should have their Supervisory Committee selected and the proposal approved in their second term. The MA Thesis should be based on original work and should demonstrate the candidate’s independence, originality and understanding of the area of investigation. The thesis is typically 100-150 pages in length. Once the Thesis is completed and approved by the student’s committee, there is a formal Oral Examination held in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations.
The MA Thesis involves the following steps:
1) The student selects a thesis committee and supervisor:
In consultation with the faculty advisor and/or course directors and/or the Program Director, students are responsible for the initial definition of their thesis topic and for identifying a Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies faculty member who is qualified and available to supervise their thesis. With the Supervisor’s help, the student then selects one or two other supervisory committee members (see FGS on Graduate Supervision for more details). The supervisory committee will normally be formed no later than the end of the second term of study for full-time students and the end of the fourth term of study for part-time students.
When the committee is formed, the student will submit a Supervisory Committee Approval Form to the Program Office. If one member of the Supervisory Committee is not affiliated with the Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies program, the student must submit a request explaining why the faculty member is appropriate, including a copy of the faculty member’s CV, to the GPD for approval.
2) The student writes a thesis proposal:
The proposal (approximately 10-15 pages in length) should include a working title and should discuss the following:
- the research questions, the goals, and the thesis (the central point/argument);
- the conceptual or theoretical perspectives informing the project;
- the organization/structure of the study or project;
- the research methods;
- the suitability of the project to the interdisciplinary nature of gender, feminist and women’s studies;
- a realistic work schedule including proposed beginning and completion dates; and,
- a list of relevant bibliographic sources.
Since a dissertation proposal must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS), students should adhere to the instructions described on the web at Thesis and Dissertation. Once the supervisory committee deems the proposal acceptable, the student must submit the Thesis proposal along with the signed Thesis/Dissertation Research Proposal Form (TD1) to the Graduate Program Office. Students whose research involves human participants must also submit the Research Ethics Protocol Form (TD2). Learn more via Research Ethics. The proposal must be forwarded to FGS “not less than three months prior to the date set for oral examination of the completed thesis.” Both the committee and FGS must approve the proposal.
3) The student writes the thesis:
Substantial research should not be undertaken until the proposal is approved and cannot be undertaken without ethics approval if human participants are involved. While the student is conducting research and writing the thesis, the student should be in regular contact with their Supervisor.
As the student begins the final version of the thesis, the committee should meet to discuss possible dates for the oral examination and members of the examining committee. The supervisor is responsible for contacting potential examining committee members and negotiating both their participation and defence dates (see resources on arranging the Masters Thesis examination).
4) The student submits the thesis:
The thesis must be prepared and submitted according to the FGS guidelines on the Master’s Thesis along with the Recommendation for Oral Examination Form, which should be signed by all committee members indicating their approval that the dissertation may proceed to defence. Consult FGS guidelines for further details on the oral examination.
The MA is designed to be completed in one year (three terms). Coursework is usually completed in the first two terms and the third term is used to write the MRP or Thesis. The Faculty of Graduate Studies requires that a Master’s degree must be completed within four years (12 terms) as a full-time or part-time student.
PhD
PhD students are required to complete 18 credits of coursework (3 full courses or 6 half-courses), including:
- GFWS 6009. 3.0 Advanced Research in Feminist Theory;
- GFWS 6008 3.0 Feminist Methodologies and Research Methods;
- one other half-course (3.0 credits) chosen from the program course offerings; and,
- 9.0 credits of the students choice.
The final selection of courses will be determined in consultation with the faculty advisor and/or the Director of the Graduate Program. With permission, up to 6.0 credits may be chosen from courses offered by another Graduate Program at York. Typically, full-time students will complete all the coursework in the first year of the doctorate. (See Course Descriptions for details).
Students in the Doctoral Program must demonstrate, by passing a written and oral comprehensive examination, that they have both an overall command of knowledge in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies and in their area of dissertation specialization. The successful completion of the exam indicates that the student is qualified to teach at the university level, in undergraduate introductory and overview courses as well as in her/his own specific area.
Graduate education at the doctoral level invariably includes at least three elements or stages which are academically evaluated:
- Learning of new, advanced knowledge;
- Synthesis and mastery of knowledge across broader fields than covered by individual courses; and
- Acquisition of research skills and the application of those skills in an original contribution to knowledge.
The first is typically accomplished through coursework and individualized supervision while the third is accomplished primarily through the doctoral dissertation. The second is accomplished through some form of examination beyond those of individual courses: a comprehensive, qualifying or field examination.
The comprehensive exam—or ‘comps’—challenges the student to examine and synthesize a body of theory, and related empirical research. Comprehensives combine breadth, depth and synthetic ability, without necessarily entailing exhaustive knowledge of the field. Students are expected to demonstrate a broad understanding of the major theoretical perspectives in the field and of key debates. Comprehensiveness also requires good knowledge of the alternative approaches to relevant empirical research, key findings and their interpretation in relation to theoretical approaches and gaps in current research.
The purpose of the ‘comps’ is to:
- ensure students have a shared knowledge of the field of GFWS as it has developed;
- provide students with the opportunity to learn how to review a body of literature, to understand its empirical research, core concepts, and theoretical debates, and to think the material through and engage with it in a coherent way;
- prepare students to review a body of literature and relate it to proposed research projects;
- prepare students to research and teach in GFWS;
- prepare the students for academic jobs, first, by preparing them to teach a variety of undergraduate courses; and second, by preparing them for interviews: especially two popular job interview questions: how would you teach an introductory GFWS course? and what would you teach in an upper-level feminist theory course?
Students normally start the comprehensive exams as soon as they have completed course work or as they are completing it, typically in the summer of year one (term 3) or the fall of year two (term 4). The comps exam process takes about six to eight months and is usually completed by the end of year two (term 6). Students cannot write their comprehensive exams until all coursework is completed.
The GFWS Comprehensive Exam involves completion of the following four components:
- Readings lists;
- Summary statements and sample questions;
- A written exam of two essays OR one essay, a course outline, and lecture; and,
- An oral exam.
Please refer to the GFWS Comprehensive Exam Checklist to help guide you through the process.
The comps process, typical timeframe, and actions required are outlined below. The comps exam process works at the program level (not FGS) so only the supervisory committee the Grad Study Committee and/or Graduate Program Director (GPD) are involved. Students and their committees can negotiate the topics, timeframes, frequency of meetings and other details to suit them.
The Comprehensive Examination involves the following steps:
1) Selecting a Supervisory Committee (terms 2 or 3)
In consultation with the advisor and/or GPD, the student selects a Supervisory Committee of three faculty members (one supervisor and two committee members). All faculty members must be appointed to FGS and at least two must be members of the Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies Graduate Program (see FGS on Graduate Supervision for more details). Once the Committee is selected, the student completes the Supervisory Committee Approval Form. Typically (but not necessarily), members of the comprehensive examination supervisory committee will also be members of the dissertation supervisory committee.
NOTE: FGS regulations require that students must have a supervisor approved by the end of the fifth term of study and a supervisory committee approved by the end of the eighth term of study. Students will not be able to register in the tenth term of study unless a supervisory committee has been approved.
2) Preparing the exam reading lists (terms 3 and 4)
In consultation with the committee, the student develops the topics and reading lists for each of the General and Specific exams. Each reading list should include a brief description of the focus, parameters, and primary themes of the list (normally 500-700 words).
- The General list should consist of 15 books or the equivalent.
- The Specific list should consist of 25 books or the equivalent.
- Three articles or book chapters are considered equivalent to one book.
The selection of readings should capture the interdisciplinary of Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies and reflect the complex, contradictory, and ambiguous relationships operating among diversities such as gender, race, class, sexuality, and ability.
The General component of the comprehensive examination is intended to encourage the student to develop depth and breadth across a range of fields in GFWS, so the themes of the General reading list should reflect two of the main designated fields of the Program:
- Cultural and Literary Studies, Performance and Fine Arts
- Diaspora, Transnational and Global Studies
- Histories
- Politics, Economies and Societies
- Race
- Sexualities
- Theories and Methods
A student may choose a special topic as one of their ‘fields’ if they can make a case for reviewing another body of literature not covered by the seven key fields. The goal is to ensure that the student has an appreciation of the breadth and depth of feminist scholarship.
For the Specific component of the comprehensive examination, the reading list should reflect a specific area of focus for the student’s anticipated dissertation. The General and Specific reading lists should address significantly different areas. Students and committees should make sure there is little or no overlap between the two.
The Supervisory Committee must meet with the student at least once to formulate, finalize and approve the lists.
3) Choosing the written exam option and getting approval (terms 3 and 4)
Before receiving approval to move forward, the student must choose how they want to complete the written portion of the comprehensive exam on their General list. The exam for the Specific list is always a written essay. The student has two options:
Option 1: For option 1, the student writes two essays, one for each list, in the agreed-upon time frame in response to questions provided by the Supervisory Committee.
Option 2: For option 2, the student writes one essay in the agreed-upon time frame for the Specific list, in response to questions provided by the Supervisory Committee, creates a 2000–4000 level course outline and writes one-course lecture for the General component of the examination.
Once the student has selected a written exam option and the committee has approved the final statements and lists and agreed on the format and time frame, the student submits the PhD Comprehensive Examination Reading Lists Form with copies of the overview statements and reading lists to the Graduate Program Office.
4) Studying for the comprehensive exam (terms 4, 5, 6)
The student read the material on their Specific and General lists. The supervisor maintains regular contact with the student, and the committee meets as decided. Ideally, the full committee meets at least twice during the study period to discuss the material.
5) Preparing the summary statements, questions and (optional) course outline (term 5 or 6)
The student prepares two 4-page summary statements and two sets of sample questions, and, only if the course syllabus option is chosen, one-course outline and lecture.
The summary statements (4 pages, dbl-spaced each) are based on the reading lists and include a summary of the key issues and central questions and debates in the literature on the list as well three sample examination questions. The three questions three should relate to the major questions and key issues revealed in the literature review. The student submits the summary statements and sample exam questions to the committee.
If the student has opted to complete a course outline and lecture for the General component of the comprehensive examination, the student will prepare a course outline for a full year 2000-4000 level undergraduate course. The course outline should be informed by the problematics of the General reading list, but it does not need to include all of the readings from the reading list. This course outline must include a course description including the goals and learning objectives of the course and a weekly class schedule (assuming a 3-hour class time per week with a maximum of 2-hour lecture plus a seminar) that indicates the topic, lecture, and readings for each week, including a brief written explanation of how the readings relate to the topic. The student will also write a lecture for one of the weeks in an essay format (normally 10-15 pages, double-spaced). The student will submit the course outline and lecture with their summary statements to the committee.
The Supervisory Committee will meet with the student to discuss the summary statements and questions and, if relevant, the course outline and lecture.
6) Scheduling the written and oral examinations (term 5 or 6)
The written and oral examinations will be held, typically, within six months of, and no more than one year, from the date the Committee approves the reading lists. Once the committee has agreed the summary statements, sample questions, and (optional) course outline/lecture are acceptable, the student submits a Request for PhD Comprehensive Examination Form to the Graduate Program Office, which includes an agreed-upon time frame and date for the written and oral exams. The form must be submitted one month before the exam date.
Two options are available to students with regard to the time frame for writing the examination essay(s):
- the student can have three hours for each essay they write (one or two) and, if writing two, must complete both in one week;
- the student can have one week for each essay they write (one or two) and, if writing two, must complete both in two weeks;
7) The written examination (term 5 or 6)
For each of the General and the Specialized components of the examination for which the student has opted to write an examination essay (Option 1: both, Option 2: just the Specific component), the supervisory committee, coordinated by the principal supervisor, will set three questions based on the issues identified in the student’s summary statements and using, if they choose, some or all of the questions formulated by the student. The examination questions are sent by the principal supervisor to the Graduate Program Administrator (GPA) at least one week before the examination date. The GPA is responsible for providing the student with the questions on the appropriate date.
For each examination component (General and Specific), students will write on only one of the three questions provided by the Committee. Completed essays (normally 15 pages, dbl-spaced) are submitted to the GPA who then distributes the completed written examination responses to all members of the Supervisory Committee. If members of the Committee have serious concerns at this point about the appropriateness of the student proceeding to the oral examination, the principal supervisor should inform the GPD and they should decide whether to proceed with the oral exam or ask for further revisions.
8) The oral examination (term 5 or 6)
An oral examination will be held, normally, about two weeks after completion of the written examination. The Supervisory Committee evaluates the written questions and, if chosen, the course outline and lecture prior to the oral exam. The oral exam covers the written exam, the course outline, if chosen, and all materials on the reading lists.
The oral examination is, typically, about two hours in duration. The format for the oral examination is as follows:
- Once the student and committee members have convened, the candidate is excused, at which time the Supervisory Committee should confirm, on the basis of the completed written aspect of the requirement, that the candidate is ready to proceed to the oral examination. The proposed format of the oral should also be approved prior to inviting the candidate back into the room.
- The candidate is then invited to comment on their written examination and if relevant, the course outline. This provides an opportunity for the student to address any errors or omissions in the written work that upon reflection may have occurred to them. It also allows the student to expand upon the issues addressed in the written examination and if relevant, the course outline.
- Each person on the Committee is invited to pose questions on the written exam and, if relevant, the course outline. The Committee members may wish to revisit the examination questions the candidate did not select. This format is intended to allow a conversation or dialogue to develop. The oral examination continues until each member of the examination committee is satisfied and/or has asked all the questions they wish to pose.
- The candidate is invited to make a concluding statement if they wish and is then asked to leave the room.
- Members of the Supervisory Committee evaluate both the written and oral parts of the examination. Following this deliberation, the candidate is invited back into the room and informed of the Committee’s decision.
Please note: All committee members must attend the oral examination. However, if on the day of the exam, one member of the examining committee fails to attend as planned, the examination may proceed, at the discretion of the principal supervisor and with the agreement of the student, as long as at least two members of the examining committee are present.
9) Evaluation of the Comprehensive Examination
Once the student completes the oral examination, the Examination Committee will assess the student’s performance in both the written and oral component of the examination, and a single integrated evaluation will be provided. The levels of evaluation are: Pass, Pass with Conditions, and Unsatisfactory. To pass, students must demonstrate competence in both the written and oral components of the exam. Competence is demonstrated through the achievement of the following Degree Level Expectations and Program Learning Outcomes:
Degree Level Expectations:
- A thorough understanding of a substantial body of knowledge that is at the forefront of their academic discipline or area of professional practice including, where appropriate, relevant knowledge outside of the field /or discipline;
- The ability to communicate complex and/ or ambiguous ideas, issues and conclusions clearly.
Program Learning Outcomes:
- recognize and offer critical assessments of key theoretical and methodological issues and debates in feminist scholarship in general and with respect to a particular field’s historical, social, cultural, political, and economic contexts and implications;
- offer an advanced critique of the research strategies and logic employed in specific texts;
- demonstrate an understanding of interdisciplinarity and employ an interdisciplinary approach in their own work;
- synthesize and critique literature relevant to a research question;
- identify gaps in literature relevant to a research question.
If competence is not demonstrated, the student may receive the evaluation of “Pass with Conditions,” which will specify additional work to be done and provide a time frame for completion of this work. The Supervisor is responsible for ensuring the student completes any additional work required.
In cases when a student receives an evaluation of “Unsatisfactory,” the committee’s rationale for the final assessment must discuss the weaknesses in the exam as well as required areas for improvement. The assessment must be written in a manner that will allow students to understand the decision. The chair of the comprehensive examination committee is responsible for submitting this assessment in writing to the Graduate Program Director and the Program Office no later than one week following the oral discussion of the written exam.
Students who receive an evaluation of “Unsatisfactory” may retake the examination within the next three months. Normally, the re-examination will be based on the exam questions initially proposed and include the same comprehensive examination committee. Two comprehensive examinations receiving an “Unsatisfactory” rating result in a failure on the comprehensive examination, and the student will be required to withdraw from the Program.
At the conclusion of the oral examination, the Committee completes and signs the PhD Comprehensive Examination Evaluation Form. The supervisor submits the form to the GPA who records the results in the students record.
There are no language or cognate requirements for the PhD degree in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies. However, students may be required, based on the dissertation topic, to demonstrate knowledge of a language other than English, or a cognate skill.
Candidates must complete a research study and report the results in appropriate dissertation form. The research and dissertation should demonstrate the Candidate’s independence, originality and understanding of the field of investigation at an advanced level. After the formal submission of the dissertation, an oral examination is held in accordance with the Faculty of Graduate Studies Doctoral Dissertation guidelines.
The PhD Dissertation involves the following steps:
1) The student selects a PhD dissertation committee and a supervisor:
Typically (but not necessarily), the Supervisory Committee selected for the comprehensive exam will continue as the student’s Committee for the dissertation. However, the student may modify the Supervisory Committee in consultations with their principal supervisor. The committee must consist of a minimum of three faculty members, at least two of them must be members of the Graduate Program in Women’s Studies, one of whom is the principal supervisor. To modify the membership of the Supervisory Committee, the student must complete the Supervisory Committee Approval Form.
NOTE: Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) regulations require that students must have a supervisor approved by the end of the fifth term of study and a supervisory committee approved by the end of the eighth term of study. Students will not be able to register in the tenth term of study unless a supervisory committee has been approved.
2) The student writes and submits a dissertation proposal:
Since a dissertation proposal must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, students should adhere to the instructions described on the web at Thesis and Dissertation.
All students must submit the Thesis/Dissertation Research Proposal Form (TD1) with their dissertation proposal. Students whose research involves human participants must also submit the Research Ethics Protocol Form (TD2). Learn more via Research Ethics.
A PhD dissertation proposal should be approximately 3500 words. The bibliography is additional and should be no longer than two pages. Appendices and documents about ethical guidelines are likewise additional.
The dissertation proposal should include:
- A working title which can be refined/changed later;
- The research goals and key questions (2-3 pages);
- The theoretical framework (1-2 pages), including key concepts within feminist thought that guide your study;
- The research methods (2-3 pages), including discussion of the following: what are the important or relevant site(s) and/or source material to be analyzed? How are the methods you will be using to analyze your sites/source materials appropriate? Are there ethical issues involved in your research?
- The suitability of this proposal to the parameters of the Graduate Program in Women’s Studies (1 paragraph): how does it relate to existing feminist scholarship? What do you hope that your work will contribute to scholarship in Women’s Studies?
- A draft Chapter Outline;
- A timeline for your dissertation research and writing;
- A “Working Bibliography” that lists 15-20 of the most relevant bibliographic sources in the citation style you are using (MLA, Chicago, or APA).
Once the committee has approved the dissertation proposal, they must sign the Form TD1. This form, along with a copy of the proposal and, if required, Form TD2, should all be submitted to the program office.
NOTE: FGS regulations require that students must have an approved dissertation proposal by the end of the eighth term of study. Students will not be able to register in the tenth term of study unless a proposal has been approved.
3) The student does the research and writes the dissertation:
Substantial research should not be undertaken until the proposal is approved and cannot be undertaken without ethics approval if human participants are involved.
While the student is conducting research and writing the dissertation, the student should be in regular contact with their Supervisor. FGS recommends meeting once a month and never less than once each term (see Graduate Supervision). Students should keep committee members informed about when they can expect to receive drafts and faculty members should keep the student informed about their availability across each Fall, Winter, and Summer terms. Within reason, students should be able to expect a prompt and detailed written response to their work – FGS guidelines suggest within 3 weeks, if possible.
As the student begins the final version of the dissertation, the committee should meet to discuss possible dates for the dissertation defence and members for the examining committee. The supervisor is responsible for contacting potential examining committee members and negotiating both their participation and defence dates (see resources on arranging the Doctoral Dissertation examination).
4) The student submits the dissertation:
The final dissertation must be prepared and submitted according to the FGS guidelines on the Doctoral Dissertation along with the Recommendation for Oral Examination Form, which should be signed by all committee members indicating their approval that the dissertation may proceed to defence. Consult FGS guidelines for further details on the oral examination.
The PhD is designed to be completed in 5 years (15 terms). The Faculty of Graduate Studies requires that a Doctoral degree must be completed within 6 years (18 terms) as a full-time or part-time student.
The following table outlines expected progress for students through the PhD program, with key milestones required by FGS (for various legitimate reasons not all students follow precisely this pattern):
| Full-time | Part-time | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Terms 1 and 2 (Fall/Winter) | 2-3 full courses | 1 full course |
| Term 3 (Summer) | Complete coursework and/or begin comprehensive exams | 1-2 half courses | |
| Year 2 | Terms 4 and 5 (Fall/Winter) | Work on comprehensive exams | 1 full course and begin work on comprehensive exams |
| NOTE: FGS regulations require that students must have a supervisor by the end of the fifth term of study. Students will not be able to register in the seventh term unless a supervisor has been approved. | |||
| Term 6 (Summer) | Complete comprehensive exams | Work on comprehensive exams | |
| Year 3 | Terms 7 and 8 (Fall/Winter) | Prepare dissertation proposal and begin research for dissertation | Complete comprehensive exams and prepare a dissertation proposal |
| NOTE: FGS regulations require that students must successfully complete the comprehensive exam and receive approval of their dissertation proposal by the end of Year 3/Term 9. | |||
| Term 9 (Summer) | Research for dissertation | Research for dissertation | |
| Year 4 | Terms 10 – 12 (Fall/Winter, Summer) | Research for dissertation | Research for dissertation |
| Year 5 | Terms 13 – 15 (Fall/Winter, Summer) | Write and defend a dissertation | Write and defend a dissertation |
Learn More
The Graduate Program in Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Program Assistant to learn more.