Master of Arts in Gender Studies
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 2 year
Pace
Full time, Part 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
Become an Analytically Skilled "Agent of Change"
How do gender, race, class, sexuality, and age contribute to the formation of social identities? What role do ensuing power differences between these factors play in our globalized and mediatized world? What measures have been taken, in the past and the present, in order to prevent discrimination and exclusion? And how do academic, cultural, artistic, journalistic, and policy-making institutions respond to these societal challenges?
Emancipation, the recognition of differences, and awareness of intersections of gender with other factors of identity-making (class, race, age, sexuality, etc.) are crucial tools in analyzing social and cultural relations in today’s postcolonial and post-secular societies. Our Master’s program in Gender Studies provides you with an interdisciplinary understanding of these tools, as well as advanced analytical skills. You will be trained within an internationally diverse cohort of students and academic staff to become a professionally successful 'agent of change'.
Theory and Practice
Your education in gender studies will combine theoretical knowledge with its practical application in all parts of the program. You will develop research skills through intensive coursework and participate in an internship that combines your subject matter interests with professional experience. Theory and practice come together in your final thesis project, which serves to synthesize your one-year experience in gender studies at Utrecht University.
After completing this one-year program, you will be able to develop sustainable perspectives for future research and action and have the motivation and knowledge to implement these perspectives in emancipation policies, diversity management, social and cultural initiatives, and political activism.
Program Outcome
After graduation, you will have advanced knowledge of and insight into the field of women’s and gender studies. You will be an expert on factors of identity-making such as gender, class, race, age, and sexuality. You will also have the academic skills to:
- Explore social and cultural relations in today’s globalized societies, in an interdisciplinary manner.
- Develop and implement sustainable perspectives in emancipation policies, diversity management, cultural initiatives, and political activism.
- Critically investigate power differences and processes of inclusion/exclusion, discrimination, and emancipation.
- Reflect on how academic, cultural, artistic, journalistic, and policy-making institutions respond to societal challenges.
- Consider postcolonial and post-secular contexts in your work.
In addition, you will be able to reflect on your course work and further develop your professional practices during your internship. You will then employ these practices in a theory-based academic thesis. In your program, you will have the opportunity to actively work on your career development.
The insights from gender studies and emancipation research are useful to a growing number of organizations and companies seeking to develop and/or critically reflect upon policies to effectively intervene on behalf of specific target groups and market segments.
Career Opportunities
The insights from gender studies and emancipation research are useful to a growing number of organizations and companies seeking to develop and/or critically reflect upon policies to effectively intervene on behalf of specific target groups and market segments.
Our program provides connections to an extensive network of national and international contacts and organizations within and outside academia, thus guaranteeing a variety of professional opportunities for our students.
After graduation, you will be a gender expert with an ever-growing field of work awaiting you. Graduates can find employment in international (non-profit) organizations and institutions that pay attention to gender and ethnicity, such as:
- national and international archives, documentation centers, and platforms (Atria, IHLIA, ATGENDER)
- women’s associations (Mama Cash, Women on Waves, European Women’s Lobby, WO=MEN)
- organizations relating to migration and refugees (Pharos, Zami, Tiye International)
- governmental organizations (ministries related to cultural affairs, education, and equality)
- arts & media sector (national/regional newspapers, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, exhibitions such as Yes Naturally)
- institutions that promote expertise in the field of gender, diversity, policy, and culture (Atria, Movisie)
Professional Careers
Below are examples of job prospects that require expertise in gender studies:
- Marjolein Blüm works as a programmer and editor at Women Inc., a network for women in the Netherlands. Since 2012, Marjolein has worked in the editorial department, where she takes on the responsibility for issues around health. She is involved in all working sectors of production, marketing, communications, and editing.
- Janina Pighat is an independent filmmaker. Her documentary The Diaries of an Elephant (2012) tells the story of the SS past of her grandfather. It premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and won the Best Newcomer award at the annual Dutch Film Festival in 2013.
- Eleni Stergiopoulou works as a Learn Specialist at Women Win, an organisation that connects global sport, development, and women’s movements. At Women Win, our alumnus works on a range of projects led by the Learn team, such as the development of guidelines, curricula, toolkits, and the Digital Storytelling Project.
- Nathalie van Wingerden is the Creative Director of How2SpendIt/Finance for Women, an online community focused on women providing digital tools and articles on finance-related topics. Our alumnus is chief editor of the company’s online community.
- Another graduate is as a Policy Officer at the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport. After graduation, she was selected for the Rijkstraineeprogramma of the Netherlands government. Today, she works at the Directorate of Food, Health Protection, and Prevention, where she is involved with the further development of a mass-media alcohol campaign.
Academic Careers
While the Master in Gender Studies (Research) is profiled more clearly toward an academic career in gender studies, the Gender Studies program can also lead to a research-driven career.
For example, one year after her graduation from the program, Annelies Kleinherenbrink started a position as a Ph.D. candidate at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis within the University of Amsterdam.