Gender Studies

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 analysing social and cultural relations in today’s postcolonial and post-secular societies. 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 programme. 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 synthesise your one-year experience in gender studies at Utrecht University.

Nationally and internationally renowned

Utrecht University's Master in Gender Studies is one of the most distinguished programmes in the Netherlands in its field. Embedded in the Faculty of Humanities, its character is interdisciplinary and international. As a student, you will benefit from interactions with researchers, lecturers, and visiting scholars from all over the world.

Interdisciplinary 

Utrecht Gender Studies engages in interdisciplinary research and teaching in literary, visual, and cultural studies as well as in historical and philosophical gender research. The study content benefits students to attend to the ways in which everyday culture changes under the influence of globalisation. Our programme teaches from the diverse strands of gender studies (e.g. postcolonial feminisms, feminism and multiculturalism, contemporary feminist theory, and feminist posthuman(ist) studies).

Community

Studying Gender Studies in Utrecht means being part of an ambitious, open-minded, and intellectual community. We encourage you to join the student society Gen K, which unites students of this programme and the Research Master's programme and provides additional avenues for engaging in relevant discussions.

After graduation

After completing this one-year programme, 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. 

The programme appealed to me thanks to the practical nature of the course, combining an internship with theoretical studies, as well as its excellent reputation.