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Gender Studies

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

Gender studies (also called women's, gender, and sexuality studies) examines how gender shapes society, culture, politics, and identity. Coursework draws on history, sociology, literature, anthropology, philosophy, and political science. Classes might cover feminist theory, queer studies, race and gender, or global women's movements.

The major is usually small and discussion-heavy, with seminars and writing-intensive coursework, and many students pair it with a second major in a related field.

What you'll do after college

Grads work in nonprofits, advocacy organizations, government, journalism, education, healthcare, HR, and the arts. The major is also strong preparation for law school, social work, medicine, and graduate study in the humanities and social sciences.

The skills it builds—critical reading, careful writing, and the ability to analyze how power works—are valued across many careers. Pay varies but is comparable to other humanities and social science majors.

Famous graduates

  • Ai-jen Poo — Labor activist and MacArthur Fellow; B.A. in Women's Studies from Columbia University

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$50,282
298
100–76%
$52,480
598
76–28%
$57,413
299
28–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$48,833
213
400–1220
$52,660
426
1230–1410
$58,154
211
1410–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$44,417p10 $62,869p90 Arts Work College Female-only Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Liberal Arts 1–20 Public University 1–25 Private University 21–40 Private University 1–20 Bennington College · $37,299 SUNY at Purchase College · $44,682 Berea College · $44,355 Wellesley College · $60,668 Barnard College · $62,373 Smith College · $49,924 Scripps College · $54,867 Spelman College · $48,561 Agnes Scott College · $49,576 Wesleyan College · $51,765 Hollins University · $40,463 St Catherine University · $53,734 Denison University · $53,058 Bates College · $59,349 Colorado College · $52,657 Kenyon College · $51,196 Connecticut College · $60,668 Bucknell University · $67,212 Lafayette College · $67,456 Dickinson College · $57,517 Gettysburg College · $58,045 Union College · $55,091 Southwestern University · $52,976 Earlham College · $50,125 University of the South · $53,901 Providence College · $65,203 Albion College · $47,542 Goucher College · $49,828 Drew University · $54,881 Hope College · $51,231 Willamette University · $48,982 Augustana College (IL) · $51,240 Knox College · $48,727 Saint Mary's College of California · $59,323 Gustavus Adolphus College · $53,185 Augsburg University · $49,857 Keene State College · $46,050 Saint Mary's College (IN) · $53,488 University of Redlands · $51,388 Ursinus College · $52,752 CUNY Hunter College · $56,639 Cal State Long Beach · $50,464 University of California, Irvine · $50,699 University of South Florida · $50,179 Binghamton University · $51,337 San Diego State University · $44,417 College of New Jersey · $59,496 University of California, Santa Barbara · $58,175 University of Washington · $57,840 Clemson University · $51,209 Florida International University · $37,248 University of California, Davis · $56,498 University of Maryland, Baltimore County · $50,597 State University of New York at New Paltz · $52,686 Stony Brook University · $55,856 CUNY Brooklyn College · $50,335 CUNY Queens College · $37,182 Cal State Fullerton · $54,046 West Chester University of Pennsylvania · $50,468 University of Connecticut · $47,834 Pennsylvania State University · $70,622 University of South Carolina · $47,912 New Mexico State University · $43,341 University of Pittsburgh · $49,953 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $63,903 University of New Mexico · $47,937 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $49,022 Northeastern Illinois University · $64,859 Appalachian State University · $43,809 Fresno State · $50,843 University of Hawaii at Hilo · $61,507 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $48,333 Ball State University · $48,128 Central Michigan University · $49,275 Eastern Michigan University · $50,577 University at Albany · $50,534 University of Michigan - Dearborn · $55,509 University of Colorado Boulder · $40,015 Cal State Sacramento · $52,252 Cleveland State University · $44,929 Georgia Southern University · $48,446 Montclair State University · $48,440 Oakland University · $51,245 Ohio University · $48,599 Temple University · $48,727 University of Delaware · $60,214 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth · $52,628 University of North Carolina at Greensboro · $38,469 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $39,531 University of Southern Maine · $47,799 Virginia Commonwealth University · $51,484 College of Charleston · $42,787 Eastern Connecticut State University · $49,734 University of California, Santa Cruz · $56,551 University of Vermont · $50,859 SUNY College at Geneseo · $50,775 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse · $50,628 Oregon State University · $49,413 University of Louisville · $49,701 Washington State University · $55,742 SUNY Brockport · $44,814 University of Rhode Island · $40,862 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire · $48,678 Cal State San Marcos · $52,020 Northern Arizona University · $49,355 University of New Hampshire · $56,495 University of Oregon · $39,020 University of Illinois Chicago · $45,248 University of Massachusetts Boston · $47,839 Grand Valley State University · $44,436 Portland State University · $55,563 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $60,793 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $41,782 University of Toledo · $46,061 SUNY College at Potsdam · $46,982 Bowling Green State University · $48,890 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $53,572 Eastern Washington University · $51,154 Sonoma State University · $58,913 University of Nevada, Las Vegas · $52,218 University of North Carolina Asheville · $41,904 University of North Dakota · $52,746 University of Utah · $53,155 University of Washington - Tacoma · $57,840 Michigan State University · $54,373 Purdue University Fort Wayne · $44,892 University of Iowa · $45,142 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater · $51,386 Western Michigan University · $48,967 William Paterson University of New Jersey · $54,183 Cal State Dominguez Hills · $50,534 Central Washington University · $51,122 Fort Lewis College · $40,434 Iowa State University · $51,987 Metropolitan State University · $44,885 Saint Cloud State University · $49,520 Southern Oregon University · $48,583 University of Arizona · $45,742 University of Cincinnati · $51,515 University of Maine · $47,523 Wichita State University · $36,820 University of Washington - Bothell · $57,840 Arizona State University · $51,370 Towson University · $59,315 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $39,661 University of Kansas · $52,232 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $50,530 University of Montana · $43,243 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $50,699 University of Texas at San Antonio · $49,980 College of Staten Island CUNY · $55,686 University of Texas at El Paso · $49,252 University of Wyoming · $49,622 University of Notre Dame · $62,869 Santa Clara University · $71,532 Villanova University · $65,959 Loyola Marymount University · $53,799 Saint Louis University · $49,593 Texas Christian University · $57,905 University of Dayton · $56,069 Wheaton College (IL) · $63,918 American University · $66,897 St. Ambrose University · $50,299 Loyola University Chicago · $56,816 Mercer University · $52,969 University of Tulsa · $52,733 Dominican University · $53,240 Otterbein University · $48,297 DePaul University · $57,836 Syracuse University · $27,338 Clark University · $55,471 Hofstra University · $56,030 Webster University · $46,798 Merrimack College · $54,471 Hobart William Smith Colleges · $57,456 Ithaca College · $53,205 Pace University · $58,490 Butler University · $51,175 Roosevelt University · $50,447 Williams College · $70,354 Pomona College · $60,504 Carleton College · $55,224 Amherst College · $58,174 Middlebury College · $58,536 Vassar College · $43,179 Hamilton College · $56,773 Grinnell College · $53,505 Colgate University · $61,148 Macalester College · $54,316 Oberlin College · $45,962 University of California, Berkeley · $60,614 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $59,348 University of Florida · $52,141 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · $49,010 University of Georgia · $63,173 Purdue University · $55,515 University of Maryland, College Park · $59,904 UCLA · $61,195 University of Texas at Austin · $55,202 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $34,770 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $52,025 Texas A&M University - College Station · $54,250 Ohio State University · $51,643 Emory University · $57,570 Wake Forest University · $66,909 Lehigh University · $70,431 University of Richmond · $64,889 University of Rochester · $55,992 George Washington University · $71,789 Brandeis University · $71,791 Harvard University · $61,149 Stanford University · $64,705 Duke University · $62,007 University of Pennsylvania · $62,633 Rice University · $61,979 Yale University · $63,909 Cornell University · $68,378 Dartmouth · $46,352 Georgetown University · $74,513 Tufts University · $63,017 Arts: mean $40,991 Work College: mean $44,355 Female-only: mean $52,437 Liberal Arts: mean $54,390 Public University: mean $50,138 Religious University: mean $57,546 Private University: mean $51,088 Liberal Arts 1–20: mean $56,152 Public University 1–25: mean $54,522 Private University 21–40: mean $65,624 Private University 1–20: mean $62,864 All colleges: p10 $44,417 All colleges: p90 $62,869
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Gender Studies 234 1,195 9% / 91% 2% $53,247 93%
Women's Studies 132 577 7% / 93% 2% $51,727 94%
Women's and Gender Studies 25 135 4% / 96% 0% $52,704 93%
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 17 94 12% / 88% 1% $57,598 95%
Gender Studies 3 91 18% / 82% 2% $53,964 92%
Gender and Women's Studies 10 59 12% / 88% 2% $52,828 89%
Feminist Studies 2 38 11% / 89% 0% $57,363 94%
Women and Gender Studies 6 35 9% / 91% 0% $51,143 93%
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 35 11% / 89% 6% $56,510 88%
Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies 3 29 10% / 90% 3% $54,671 95%
Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 14 21% / 79% 14% $53,177 96%
Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies 2 12 17% / 83% 0% $53,678 93%
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 2 11 0% / 100% 0% $59,786
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 1 11 9% / 91% 0% $49,413 94%
Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies 1 9 22% / 78% 0% $57,840 93%
Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 1 9 11% / 89% 0% $53,505
Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1 8 0% / 100% 0% $61,149
Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies 1 8 0% / 100% 0% $63,903 95%
Feminist and Gender Studies 1 7 0% / 100% 0% $52,657
Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $68,378
Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $60,668
Women's, Ethnicity, and Intersectional Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $36,820 79%
Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0% $62,633
Sexuality, Women's, and Gender Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0% $58,174 90%
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $51,337 95%