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MA Women's and Gender Studies (GEMMA)

Gain an international perspective on gender studies through this unique course.

Year of entry: 2023 (September)

Length

2 years full-time

Start date

September 2023 (semester dates)

Online Open Day

Wednesday 7 June 2023
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Study for a prestigious double Masters degree in Women’s and Gender Studies from two leading European women's studies institutions.

This unique qualification, supported by the European Commission, is the first and only Erasmus Mundus ‘Masters of Excellence’ in Women’s and Gender Studies in Europe.

GEMMA is a geographically and culturally diverse consortium of seven different institutions from six different European countries, bringing together distinguished feminist scholars from a range of disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences. 

The programme will provide you with an extensive and highly-varied learning experience where you will enjoy a breadth of module choices. Its comprehensive design is ideal for students working, or intending to work in areas related to Women's Studies, Gender Studies and Equal Opportunities across the world.

Through interdisciplinary internationally-focused teaching, you’ll develop the critical academic understanding and range of practical competencies required of effective active citizens contributing to gender equality. 

Gain a double degree

This course is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree, meaning that you'll be awarded two MAs at the end of the course - one from each of your chosen institutions.

Learn among the best

Indulge your interests with the wealth of global knowledge embedded in the GEMMA network and consortium universities.

Masters of Excellence

GEMMA is recognised as a ‘Masters of Excellence’ by the European Commission, and has been selected as an Erasmus Mundus course three consecutive times.

Course content

The GEMMA programme is taught over two years, consisting of four semesters. At the end of the programme, you will gain a double Masters degree, issued by the two institutions where you conduct your studies.

You'll start at any one of the European consortium universities - this will be your home institution. In the second year you’ll spend up to a full year at one of the partner universities. Students spending just half the second year at their mobility university will return to their home university for the second half. 

Your choice of specialisation and elective modules will guide your decision in selecting a partner university. The institution's current fields of expertise are: 

  • University of Bologna (Italy): literature
  • University of Granada (Spain): social sciences and literature
  • University of Oviedo (Spain): cultural and literary studies post-colonial studies
  • University of Łódź (Poland): political and social sciences, media studies
  • Central European University: social and political sciences
  • University of Utrecht (The Netherlands): literary visual and cultural studies, historical and philosophical research

Modules

Year 1

You'll spend your first year in the 'home' institution, studying modules totalling 120 credits. You'll gain a solid understanding in the fundamentals of women's and gender studies.

Core modules

You will also take a compulsory IT Session and Academic Integrity Module to ensure you have a basic knowledge of academic requirements and the digital literacy skills to optimise your learning and engagement with the course’s resources.

Option modules

You will also study three optional modules. Examples from previous years have included:

Year 2

You'll spend either one or two semesters in your selected partner institution - the 'mobility' institution. Alongside a Dissertation, you will study various option modules to the equivalent of 60 York credits undertaken as part of the study abroad mobility.

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.

Dissertation

You may return to your home institution in the fourth semester to complete your final dissertation. The dissertation should be 20,000 to 30,000 words long, and will be jointly supervised by the home and mobility institutions. Alternatively, you may choose to remain at the partner institution. The dissertation may be written in any of the three official languages of instruction (English, Spanish and Italian), depending on which is your home university for your dissertation.

The York approach

Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

  • Interrogate and explain key feminist ideas and the cultural, historical and inter/national contexts in which they emerge, with a nuanced understanding of the differences among women with regard to categories such as race, ethnicity, class, age, disability, sexuality.
  • Analyse gendered lives and wider socio-political and cultural issues through the application of interdisciplinary feminist approaches to knowledge, with a nuanced understanding of the intersections between feminist thought and wider social and cultural debates.
  • Recognise the complexity of power relations and how these inform one’s critical practice by demonstrating reflexive insight into the ethical and political issues inherent in scholarship.
  • Apply and demonstrate sophisticated knowledge of interdisciplinary research methods, with a nuanced understanding of their strengths and limitations.
  • Plan, design and undertake a substantial independent research project, through the application of appropriate theories and methodologies.
  • Independently locate, manage, synthesise and present complex ideas from multiple sources through the use of digital skills.
  • Communicate complex arguments cogently and with nuance in written and oral form to a standard expected of professionals and scholars.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees for 2023/24

Study modeUK (home)International and EU
Full-time (2 years)
This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation.
€2,100€5,500

Students on a Student Visa (formerly Tier 4 Visa) are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.

For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.

  • UK (home) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%).
  • International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

Fees information

UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.

Additional costs

You may wish to buy any textbooks used in your modules, although this is not compulsory.

Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.

UK (home) students

International students

There are a number of Erasmus Mundus scholarships available. These scholarships cover tuition fees (at both universities), health insurance and part of the living expenses during the two years of study in GEMMA.

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

Teaching and assessment

You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.

Teaching format

Teaching is usually in the form of two-hour seminars which include group work and full class discussion. Seminars are led by a single tutor or run collaboratively by a team of academics. Certain modules will include non-assessed oral presentations, helping to develop your academic performance through constructive feedback from tutors and peers.

You will be assigned a personal supervisor and you'll regularly meet with tutors, in seminars and during arranged meetings.

Facilities

As a student at CWS, you will have access to a kitchen and small library of general interest women’s studies books, as well as course resources. The building in which CWS is located is light and spacious with plenty of seating for socialising, post-seminar discussion and private study.

All of our module materials are available in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Teaching location

You will be based in the Centre for Women’s Studies on Campus East, where most of your teaching will take place.

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.

Assessment and feedback

You’ll be assessed in a number of different ways, depending on the modules you study.

Forms of assessment include:

  • presentations
  • reflexive journals
  • portfolio work
  • essays

We pride ourselves on delivering detailed written and verbal feedback to all of our students. Whenever you complete an assessment you are encouraged to discuss your work with the tutors to improve your learning.

You’ll also receive feedback on assignments that don’t count towards your final grade, helping you to understand your strengths and identify areas for improvement.

Careers and skills

Our programmes emphasise a feminist sensitivity to difference and power relations, advocating transferable skills applicable in the realms of public engagement and career development. You will learn to analyse your own preconceptions and engage with a wide variety of social/political issues, facilitating your development into responsible global citizens.

Fostering enhanced analytical and critical thinking skills, and the ability to communicate complex ideas with nuance and awareness of difference and diversity, this double MA in Women's and Gender Studies also offers a suitable foundation for graduates wishing to pursue doctoral research.

Career opportunities

  • Domestic violence officer
  • Advocacy support
  • Emergency coordinator
  • Gender consultant and researcher
  • Women's hostel support worker
  • Higher education researcher and lecturer

Transferable skills

  • Reflexive independent learning
  • The ability to research, source and examine information thoroughly
  • The capacity to critically analyse evidence and construct coherent arguments
  • Excellent written and oral skills
  • Intellectual independence and autonomy
  • Teamwork
  • A flexible and open-minded approach to work

Entry requirements

Typical offer
Undergraduate degree 2:1 or equivalent in a related subject.
Other qualifications and experience Applications from those with other qualifications may be considered on their merits. Applications are also welcomed from mature students and those returning to education.
Other international qualifications Equivalent qualifications from your country

Additional requirements

If you wish to study modules during your mobility period that are not taught in English, you will need to demonstrate relevant language skills (level B2) in either Spanish or Italian.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement
IELTS (Academic and Indicator) 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component
C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency 176, minimum 169 in each component
Duolingo 120, minimum 105 in all other components
LanguageCert SELT B2 with 33/50 in each component
LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator: Pass with 33/50 in each component
PTE Academic/PTE Academic Online 61, minimum 55 in each component
TOEFL 87, minimum of 21 in each component
Trinity ISE III Merit in all requirements

For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.

If you've not met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

Applying

The application is made in two stages - you must first apply to the programme through the University of Granada, and then to your preferred home institution.

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Next steps

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Centre for Women's Studies

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