The Women's Studies Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato contributes to feminist and social concerns through undergraduate and graduate degree programs and courses. We appeal to a wide variety of disciplines, professions, research interests, and ideological perspectives. Women's Studies prepares students for careers in human services, the media, community organizing, and education, among many possibilities.
Our curriculum draws from such areas as cultural studies, art, psychology, criminology, literature, social work, history, anthropology, sociology, education, counseling, health, international relations, and ethnic studies. Through fostering and actively encouraging original, self-directed research among our undergraduate and graduate scholars, the Women's Studies Department at MSU enables students to work independently and collaboratively in their chosen career and vocational paths.
As with many other colleges, Women's Studies at MSU grew out of the feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s. We offered our first courses at MSU in 1970; graduate students originally received degrees through a Continuing Studies multidisciplinary program. The undergraduate minor was established in 1975, and the B.A. and B.S. in 1980. The M.S. in Women's Studies became available in 1986. Our master's program in Women's Studies is nationally and internationally known, attracting students not only from the Midwest region but also throughout the United States and abroad. Emphasizing social and behavioral sciences, the graduate program combines course work, internships, cross-disciplinary seminars, and individual and cooperative research projects. Many of our students are activists who wish to promote social change in a variety of settings, including academia, government, and grassroots organizations.
