Joint Degree Options
Joint Master of Arts (MA) Degree
A terminal MA in women's, gender and sexuality studies is offered in conjunction with one of the following disciplines:
- Anthropology
- English
- Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
- Sociology
- Sustainable International Development (through the Heller School for Social Policy and Management)
Many of these degrees can be earned in one year, but students may benefit from the rich array of course offerings by extending their studies into a second year. Prospective students apply through their home department in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Joint Master of Arts (MA) Degree and PhD
The joint MA can be obtained while in pursuit of a PhD in one of the following fields:
- Anthropology
- English
- History
- Music
- Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
- Social Policy (through the Heller School for Social Policy and Management)
- Sociology
This degree option replaces a master's degree in the student's program. Students currently enrolled in an affiliated Brandeis PhD program may enroll in the joint MA at any time during their graduate studies with the approval of the joint MA graduate advisor in their home department. Prospective PhD students interested in pursuing the joint MA must apply directly to the PhD program through the home department, but should note their interest in the joint program in their statement of purpose.
Student Experience
Ayla Cordell is a master’s student in English and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Her research uses memoirs informed by experiences with eating disorders to consider the gendered and racialized critical formation of the body and mine the negotiation of identity that transpires when returning to a self that is past yet formative of the present; she questions how memoirs disrupt the idea of a one-way transition with a definitive past and future.