Graduate Portfolio Requirements

M.A. and Ph.D. Portfolio

The General Portfolio Program in Women's and Gender Studies builds upon the Center’s rich and broad-based expertise across disciplines and schools/colleges. Portfolio students develop a specialization unique to their own program of work through WGS courses, scholarly papers, and presentations.

Students may enter the portfolio program at any point in their graduate work, but it is recommended that they do so as soon as they decide to pursue the portfolio. Applications and courses for the Portfolio Program must be approved by the WGS Graduate Adviser, Susan Sage Heinzelman.

Each semester approximately twelve to fifteen graduate courses having primarily women's or gender studies content are offered at UT. These courses are identified for graduate students interested in WGS either in the course schedule or in the "WGS Graduate Student Guide." Doctoral students need to take 12 hours in such courses in order to achieve accreditation as Portfolio students. Masters students need to take 9 hours.

For complete details on the requirements, please see below:

Application:

• Students interested in developing a portfolio must complete an application form which will be reviewed by the WGS Graduate Adviser.
• Students must also submit a one-page statement describing the importance of a particular specialization in WGS to the student's doctoral program and career goals and the identification of a subset of six possible courses which would form their proposed specialization area.
• Students must also submit a two to three paragraph statement describing the importance of a particular specialization in WGS to the student's doctoral program and career goals and the identification of a subset of six possible courses which would form their proposed specialization area. (Included in online application.).
• WGS Portfolio Students must be subscribed to the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate listserv (instructions below).

Submit an application for the WGS Portfolio Program (online form).

Master's Portfolio Course requirements:

• Completion of 3 thematically-related courses for 9 credits in approved graduate level WGS courses with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better in the courses. Courses may not be taken pass/fail or credit/no credit.
• At least two of the three courses must be taken from outside the student's home department, from at least two other departments. A WGS course that is cross-listed with your home department does not count as "out of department."
• Of the three courses, no more than one course may be taken as an independent study/conference course, except in unusual circumstances. Taking more than one conference course requires permission of the WGS Graduate Adviser.
• Students are encouraged to develop a specialization unique to their own program of work. Listed below are examples of possible themes for specializations together with current courses appropriate to each specialization theme. The WGS Graduate Adviser must approve all specializations.

Doctoral Portfolio Course requirements:

• Completion of 4 thematically-related courses for 12 credits in approved graduate level WGS courses with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better in the courses. Courses may not be taken pass/fail or credit/no credit.
• At least two of the four courses must be taken from outside the student's home department, from at least two other departments. A WGS course that is cross-listed with your home department does not count as "out of department."
• Of the four courses, no more than one course may be taken as an independent study/conference course, except in unusual circumstances. Taking more than one conference course requires permission of the WGS Graduate Adviser.
• Students are encouraged to develop a specialization unique to their own program of work. Listed below are examples of possible themes for specializations together with current courses appropriate to each specialization theme. The WGS Graduate Adviser must approve all specializations.

Other requirements:

• In addition to the course requirements, students must present a scholarly paper at the WGS Graduate Student Conference. Moreover, students must attend the annual WGS Graduate Student Conference and the WGS Scholarly Conference each year they are enrolled in the Portfolio Program.
• Students must keep the WGS office updated each semester on their progress and seek approval from the WGS Graduate Studies Executive Committee for their completed portfolio.
• Although not required, it is recommended that a professor of a portfolio course or a WGS Faculty Affiliate be asked to serve on the student's doctoral dissertation committee.
• WGS Portfolio Students must be subscribed to the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate listserv.  To subscribe, please visit: https://utlists.utexas.edu/sympa/subscribe/wgs-grads

Sample Specializations: (Note - these are only examples, they are not strict tracts - nor is the specialization recorded on your transcript.  These are meant to show the flexibility of the portfolio program.)

LGBTQ/Sexualities
Queer Theory and GLBT Studies (E)
Gays/Lesbians in American Society (S W)
Lesbian Culture and Mass Culture (E)
Sexualities and US Film (RTF)

Gender and Health
Women's Health: Mid and Later Life (NUR)
Gender, Women and Addiction (S W)
Gender and Health (SOC)
Physical Dimensions of Aging (KIN)

Feminist Literary and Cultural Studies
Law, Literature, and Feminisms (E)
New Readings in Gender (AMS)
Media and Social Justice (J)
Lesbian Culture and Mass Culture (E)

Race/Ethnicity & Gender
Gender and Nationalism (ANT)
Gender, Race, and Identity (E)
Gender & Social History in Latin America (HIS)
Gender, Cloth, & Ident. in Muslim Society (MES)

Gender and Representational Issues
Cult Movies and Gender Issues (RTF)
Body, Discourse, and Culture (ANT)
Feminism & Visual Representation (ARH)
Women and the Media (J)

Women and Public Policy
Gender and the Law (LAW)
Feminist Theory (GOV)
Gender, Health and Society (LBJ)
Women, Family and Public Policy (LBJ)

Feminist Theory and Research Methods
Feminist Theory (E)
Feminist Ethnography (ANT)
Gender and the Law (LAW)
Gender Differentiation (SOC)

Gender and Development
Gender and Adult Development Theory (EDA)
Gender and Health (NUR)
Gender and Development (SOC)
Human Sexuality (HED)