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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

$52,435
288
100–82%
$55,647
581
80–24%
$61,359
282
22–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$53,781
229
400–1200
$56,372
438
1200–1450
$64,146
208
1460–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category

$45,401p10 $65,703p90 Art & Music Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University 20–30% 10–20% 0–10% SUNY at Purchase College · $45,967 Bucknell University · $84,303 Oberlin College · $64,066 Connecticut College · $64,115 Scripps College · $58,108 Gettysburg College · $57,020 Dickinson College · $64,944 Providence College · $64,464 University of the South · $61,583 Cornell College · $45,112 Goucher College · $44,271 College of Saint Benedict · $60,625 Wesleyan College · $51,177 Agnes Scott College · $47,953 Ohio Wesleyan University · $46,018 Chatham University · $48,033 Drew University · $50,243 Augustana College (IL) · $56,908 Hobart William Smith Colleges · $64,455 Hollins University · $42,467 Knox College · $50,849 Texas Woman's University · $53,685 Gustavus Adolphus College · $59,811 St Catherine University · $50,699 Augsburg University · $50,502 Saint Mary's College (IN) · $60,010 University of Redlands · $53,228 Simmons University · $56,627 Batten University · $43,391 Hope College · $48,775 University of Georgia · $64,648 Binghamton University · $59,970 San Diego State University · $49,510 University of California, Santa Barbara · $57,484 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire · $52,488 University of South Florida · $49,254 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $57,363 University of Washington · $56,926 Clemson University · $59,513 Purdue University · $60,325 University of Maryland, Baltimore County · $51,423 University of Maryland, College Park · $68,298 Cal State Long Beach · $52,665 University of California, Davis · $56,262 State University of New York at New Paltz · $49,359 Stony Brook University · $65,944 Ohio State University · $53,066 Texas A&M University - College Station · $60,833 CUNY Brooklyn College · $51,257 CUNY Queens College · $41,948 Cal State Fullerton · $45,325 West Chester University of Pennsylvania · $59,139 University of Connecticut · $58,942 Pennsylvania State University · $65,703 University of South Carolina · $51,414 New Mexico State University · $45,841 University of Pittsburgh · $50,051 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $50,727 University of New Mexico · $45,068 Florida International University · $48,023 College of New Jersey · $60,128 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $53,132 Northeastern Illinois University · $64,861 Fresno State · $40,060 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $52,432 Ball State University · $50,983 Eastern Michigan University · $48,145 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $56,018 University at Albany · $45,735 SUNY Oneonta · $58,031 University of Colorado Boulder · $50,968 University of Delaware · $55,303 College of Charleston · $43,064 Wichita State University · $41,152 University of California, Santa Cruz · $55,958 University of Vermont · $51,449 SUNY College at Geneseo · $54,829 University of Rhode Island · $53,737 University of Louisville · $53,086 University of Illinois Chicago · $44,664 SUNY Brockport · $50,415 University of Minnesota - Morris · $50,470 Rutgers University - Newark · $55,343 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $63,092 University of New Hampshire · $53,035 Oregon State University · $49,546 Coastal Carolina University · $49,262 University of Massachusetts Boston · $50,725 University of Iowa · $50,544 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $46,020 University of Toledo · $49,417 Bowling Green State University · $50,485 Eastern Washington University · $48,993 Sonoma State University · $53,128 University of North Carolina Asheville · $45,167 University of Utah · $60,669 University of Washington - Tacoma · $56,926 Purdue University Fort Wayne · $50,580 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater · $56,503 William Paterson University of New Jersey · $51,931 Michigan State University · $59,116 University of Arizona · $54,646 University of Nevada, Las Vegas · $53,069 Cal State Dominguez Hills · $44,377 Central Washington University · $46,067 Fort Lewis College · $41,931 Southern Oregon University · $50,305 University of Maine · $47,006 Metropolitan State University · $44,884 Ohio University · $54,389 University of Southern Maine · $47,964 Washington State University · $53,794 Temple University · $48,494 University of Washington - Bothell · $56,926 University of Oregon · $48,060 Towson University · $57,428 University of Cincinnati · $55,197 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $44,746 Arizona State University · $55,356 Cleveland State University · $50,029 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $57,250 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $54,713 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $65,100 Montclair State University · $47,056 Oakland University · $50,365 Northern Arizona University · $46,539 University of Montana · $45,020 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $55,780 University of Texas at San Antonio · $47,436 Old Dominion University · $53,380 University of North Carolina at Greensboro · $52,543 North Dakota State University · $61,377 Pennsylvania State University - Erie-Behrend College · $56,098 University of Kansas · $61,211 Virginia Commonwealth University · $45,665 Grand Valley State University · $41,158 Cal State Sacramento · $49,565 College of Staten Island CUNY · $48,242 University of Wyoming · $55,917 Cal State San Marcos · $48,035 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth · $47,273 University of Texas at El Paso · $52,057 Texas Christian University · $61,135 Loyola Marymount University · $53,963 Fordham University · $68,081 Wheaton College (IL) · $58,813 Merrimack College · $50,593 American University · $64,238 Lindsey Wilson College · $46,241 Mercer University · $54,701 Saint Louis University · $51,365 University of Tulsa · $57,957 Loyola University Chicago · $60,265 St. Ambrose University · $62,204 Otterbein University · $51,130 Saint John's University (MN) · $61,867 DePaul University · $57,071 Clark University · $51,140 University of Rochester · $63,228 Brandeis University · $70,237 George Washington University · $69,628 Syracuse University · $63,370 Hofstra University · $54,672 Ithaca College · $53,153 Pace University · $54,997 Widener University · $59,467 University of Florida · $54,113 University of Texas at Austin · $52,829 CUNY Hunter College · $52,494 University of California, Irvine · $44,150 Villanova University · $70,705 Vassar College · $45,401 Colorado College · $51,982 University of Richmond · $57,544 Smith College · $43,096 Spelman College · $61,671 Berea College · $49,331 Pitzer College · $54,056 Trinity College (CT) · $72,470 Emory University · $58,857 Tufts University · $64,512 Tulane University · $65,491 University of California, Berkeley · $61,902 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $56,998 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · $64,842 Georgetown University · $71,551 Barnard College · $67,404 Middlebury College · $69,768 Hamilton College · $69,702 Grinnell College · $63,269 Bates College · $66,271 Wellesley College · $94,421 Colgate University · $74,719 Denison University · $62,883 Yale University · $53,608 Stanford University · $66,360 Harvard University · $80,031 University of Pennsylvania · $72,165 Duke University · $73,315 Dartmouth · $44,145 Rice University · $60,303 Cornell University · $69,320 UCLA · $52,947 University of Notre Dame · $64,982 Amherst College · $55,924 Colby College · $64,220 Williams College · $74,354 Art & Music: mean $45,967 Liberal Arts: mean $55,291 Public University: mean $52,414 Religious University: mean $57,308 Private University: mean $59,988 20–30%: mean $54,603 10–20%: mean $67,506 0–10%: mean $63,975 All colleges: p10 $45,401 All colleges: p90 $65,703
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Gender Studies 250 1,151 9% / 91% 2% $55,988 94%
Women's Studies 148 571 7% / 93% 1% $55,116 94%
Women's and Gender Studies 26 119 5% / 95% 2% $54,910 93%
Gender Studies 3 62 15% / 85% 6% $55,311 94%
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 17 59 14% / 86% 5% $56,493 95%
Gender and Women's Studies 10 54 11% / 89% 6% $55,830 92%
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 2 53 26% / 74% 4% $62,234
Feminist Studies 2 38 3% / 97% 3% $56,721 96%
Women and Gender Studies 6 35 3% / 97% 3% $55,973 92%
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 28 14% / 86% 4% $60,265 95%
Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies 3 24 21% / 79% 0% $55,428 95%
Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies 2 17 6% / 94% 0% $53,856 96%
Womens Studies 14 16 0% / 100% 0% $56,184 93%
Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 1 14 14% / 86% 7% $63,269
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 1 14 7% / 93% 0% $49,546 100%
Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies 1 9 44% / 56% 0% $56,926 93%
Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies 1 8 12% / 88% 0% $50,727 92%
Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1 6 17% / 83% 0% $80,031
Sexuality, Women's, and Gender Studies 1 5 20% / 80% 0% $55,924 90%
Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 4 0% / 100% 0% $51,407 98%
Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies 1 4 0% / 100% 0% $69,320
Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies 1 4 25% / 75% 0% $72,165
Feminist and Gender Studies 1 3 0% / 100% 33% $51,982
Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $64,115
Women's, Ethnicity, and Intersectional Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $41,152 79%
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $59,970 90%