Women's Studies Institute

Grad FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

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Here are some commonly asked questions that graduate students may wish to consult at different points in your progress through the Master’s program.

  1. What are the supplementary materials that I must include with my application form?

  2. What GRE scores must I have for my application to be considered?

  3. How long should my written statement of purpose be?

  4. Who is my advisor when I enter the program?

  5. How do I meet WSI Affiliate Faculty members?

  6. What happens if I want to take a class that is not designated as a WSt course?

  7. Under what circumstances can I take an undergraduate course?

  8. How do I take a directed reading or independent study course?

  9. Do the 30 hours of required course work include the required alternative research methods course?

  10. How do I know when I am done with my course work?

  11. When should I take my comprehensive exam (the "comps")?

  12. Who grades my comprehensive exam and what are the criteria for evaluation?

  13. When do I select my thesis committee chair?

  14. Who can be my thesis chair?

  15. When do I select my other thesis committee members?

  16. Who can be on my thesis committee?

  17. What happens at the oral defense of my thesis proposal? When does this take place?

  18. When and why do I submit an IRB form?

  19. When can I sign up for thesis hours?

  20. Where do I turn if I have an academic problem? If I need help with writing? If I have a personal problem?

  21. Where do I go to find out about funding and work opportunities?

  22. Should I try to present a paper at an academic conference?

  23. When should I tell the Graduate Studies Office that I plan to graduate, and what if I can't make that deadline after I have signed up for it?

  24. What are the supplementary materials that I must include with my application form?

Three letters of recommendation, all college and university transcripts, GRE scores of 1000 or above, a written statement of purpose of 750-1000 words, an academic writing sample, a separate essay on my research interests if I am applying for a graduate assistantship (GA).

  1. What GRE scores must I have for my application to be considered?

GRE scores must be 1000 or above. If your score is below 1000, we strongly encourage you to retake the GRE. The Counseling Center offers classes in raising your GRE scores. Call the Counseling Center at 404/651-2211.

  1. How long should my written statement of purpose be?

The written statement of purpose must be between 750 - 1000 words.

  1. Who is my advisor when I enter the program?

    2. The defacto advisor for all entering graduate students is the WSI Graduate Director. The Graduate Director is available to help students plan their classes, discuss academic issues relating to courses or to their progress through the program, and clarify any confusion that remains for students after they have carefully read the WSI Graduate Handbook 2007-2008. The WSI Director and WSI Academic Professional are also available for clarifying many issues.

    Additionally, each student should begin to develop relationships with other Georgia State faculty members because they can provide advice and mentoring. These relationships are important because the student must select a faculty member to direct her thesis by the end of the second semester of the first year (note: the thesis chair is the student’s main advisor for the thesis). The student should inform the WSI graduate director as soon as the faculty member has agreed to serve as the thesis chair.

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  2. How do I meet WSI Affiliate Faculty members?

    3. MA students should be aware that Affiliate Faculty have offices in other academic departments around campus. Therefore, individual students can and should seek out these faculty by taking classes with them (typically cross-listed between their home department and the WSI). Another easy way to meet faculty with whom you share academic interests is by identifying them on the WSI website (see list of faculty on this website) and contacting them by email, making an appointment, or by visiting their offices during office hours. Remember that faculty office hours can change each semester; therefore, it is wise to call the receptionist in the Affiliate Faculty member’s home department to find out the faculty member’s current office hours.

    Affiliate Faculty are interested in gender scholarship, so they will be open to meeting you and helping you better learn about the subject area in which they specialize. Success in an interdisciplinary discipline like women’s studies requires that students be proactive about drawing on Affiliate and Core WSI faculty as a resource.

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  3. What happens if I want to take a class that is not designated as a WSt course?

    4. The WSI tries to coordinate with other departments to ensure that courses offered in other departments that have a gender component are also listed as Women’s Studies courses. When they are cross-listed with our Institute, they have a WSt prefix and automatically count toward a graduate student’s 30 hours of required coursework as long as you register for the WSt prefix. Nevertheless, sometimes gender-related courses in other departments escape our attention and are not cross-listed as WSt. Additionally, sometimes students wish to take a course highly relevant to their scholarly development in Women’s Studies that does not have an explicit gender component.

    In many cases, students can still get WSI credit for such courses, but they are required to seek the permission of the WSI Graduate Director before taking the course. To make this request, students are required to provide a copy of the course syllabus and complete a Course Exceptions Form available on this website or from the WSI office. If the course is approved by the Graduate Director, a copy of permission will be included in the student’s file and that course will count toward the 30 credit hours required for the MA in Women’s Studies. Be forewarned that there is a limited number of these courses that the Graduate Director will approve per student.

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  4. Under what circumstances can I take an undergraduate course?

    5. Sometimes a student has a specific idea for a Women’s Studies course that is not offered by the Institute or is only offered at the undergraduate level. Under these circumstances, a student can approach a faculty member to request that he or she do a directed reading course. With prior permission from the WSI Graduate Director, the student can register for WSt 6999, Directed Readings, attend the undergraduate course, and work with the faculty member to develop extra readings and assignments, which the student must list on the Directed Readings Form.

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  5. How do I take a directed reading or independent study course?

    A student may also do an independent directed reading with a faculty member. Typically, students have a well thought-out idea of the readings and assignments for such an independent course and use these ideas as a starting point for dialogue with the faculty member. If the faculty member agrees to a directed readings course with the student(s), then the student must receive approval for the course from the WSI Graduate Director before registering for the course by filling out a Directed Readings Form (available on our website) and submitting a proposed syllabus. The Graduate Director will examine the proposed syllabus to ensure that the course will involve a workload comparable to a normal course. A directed readings course is not intended to be used as a substitute for a course that is typically offered in other semesters, nor is it intended to substitute for an approved alternate methods course.

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  1. Do the 30 hours of required course work include the required alternative research methods course?

No, it is in addition to 30 hours of WSt course work. Therefore, student transcripts will ordinarily have a minimum of 33 hours to complete the course requirements for the M.A. Exceptions are students who elect to use a foreign language to meet this requirement and who successfully pass the Georgia State graduate foreign language exam. The foreign language exam does not require any coursework before taking it, although students may wish to take language classes to help prepare for the exam. These language classes will not count toward the 30 hours of WSt course work.

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  1. How do I know when I am done with my course work?

Each student should schedule an appointment with the WSI Director of Graduate Studies to review his or her transcript. She will help the student identify if all of the course requirements have been met.

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  1. When should I take my comprehensive exam (the "comps")?

    Students will take their comprehensive exams during the semester following the completion of their core courses (WSt 8001, 8002, 8003, and 8004). If you complete your core courses in the spring, however, you may opt to sit for comps during the fall term rather than the summer. Comprehensive exams will be administered on three sets of dates during the academic year:

    Fall semester -- October 15th - 17th
    Spring semester -- March 15th - 17th
    Summer semester -- June 15th - 17th

    You will take the exam over three days and will complete one question per day.

    NOTE: Comprehensive exam sittings will always begin on a Monday. If any of the other dates or deadlines in question fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the effective date will be the Monday following.

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  2. Who grades my comprehensive exam, and what are the criteria for evaluation?

    The Comprehensive Exam Committee will be an ad hoc committee comprised of five (5) members: the WSI Graduate Director (ex officio) and four additional WSI faculty members (Core, Associate, or Affiliate). This committee will represent the following areas: social sciences, humanities, arts, and activism.

    The comprehensive exam will be comprised of three (3) questions. Exam questions 1 and 2 will allow you to demonstrate your breadth of knowledge from the WSI core curriculum. Question 3 will be based on your intended thesis topic area. Students will receive grades of Pass, Pass with Revisions, or Fail. If you receive a grade of Pass with Revisions, you will have the opportunity to submit revised or new materials. If you receive a grade of Fail, you will be required to sit for the exam again at the next semester's exam period. Students receiving two successive grades of Fail will be excused from the WSI M.A. program.

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  3. When do I select a thesis chair?

    The thesis chair must be selected by the end of the second semester of your first year. The thesis chair must be a full-time tenured or tenure-track WSI faculty member. Under special circumstances and with permission from the WSI Graduate Director, committees may be co-chaired; however, at least one co-chair must be a WSI full-time tenured or tenure track faculty member, and the number of co-chairs who are not members of the WSI cannot exceed the number of co-chairs who are members of the WSI.

    Even if you are still in the process of taking courses, a thesis chair can help you select courses that will best prepare you for your thesis research. However, it is a good idea to take a course with the faculty member you have identified as a prospective thesis chair so that she or he knows the quality of your work before deciding to be your chair. And, more importantly, having the faculty member for a class prior to asking him or her to chair your thesis allows you to know whether your working styles and personalities are compatible. Students don't need to be friends with their thesis chairs, but they do need to get along with and respect them. The WSI Graduate Director and other faculty can also offer advice about which faculty might be a suitable match for an individual student. Don't be discourage if your first choice of thesis chair is not able to serve on your thesis project; faculty are often already serving on many other committees. However, they can usually suggest other people who would be equally suitable for your thesis project.

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  4. Who can be my thesis chair?

    Since WSI M.A. students are specializing in gender studies, all thesis chairs must have a sophisticated knowledge of feminist, gender studies, or queer theory scholarship. Consequently, thesis chairs must be either Core of Affiliate faculty in the WSI. Exceptions to this rule are possible on a case-by-case basis. In all cases, the thesis chair must be a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member at Georgia State and must hold graduate teaching status.

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  5. When do I select my other thesis committee members?

    6. You should select your thesis committee soon after you select your thesis chair. Often your thesis committee will be made up of professors who have taught you in the M.A. program in women's studies. They will help you think through and execute the thesis project. You might have two committee members in mind as a result of taking courses with them. A student can also ask the WSI Graduate Director or his or her thesis chair for suggestions of other committee members.

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  6. Who can be on my thesis committee?

    7. M.A. thesis committees are comprised of a thesis chair and at least two other faculty members who have expertise in the area in which the student plans to conduct research. A thesis committee can have more than three members, but the first three members of the thesis committee, including the chair or co-chair(s), must be full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members. Thesis committee members are almost always graduate faculty at Georgia State. However, in special cases where a compelling reason exists, a faculty member from another university may be invited to serve on the committee. The College of Arts and Sciences stipulates that non-Georgia State members must hold a tenure or tenure-track position at their own institutions. The student's thesis chair must write a brief memo to the WSI director explaining the compelling reasons for having the non-Georgia State faculty member on the committee. This letter will be submitted to the Associate Dean over Women's Studies for final approval. At no time shall the number of committee members who are not full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members exceed the number of committee members who are full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members.

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  7. What happens at the oral defense of my thesis proposal? When does this take place?

    8. The oral defense of the thesis proposal takes place after a student has received official word that she has passed the comprehensive exams and before beginning work on the thesis itself. It is conducted by the members of the student's thesis committee and headed by the thesis chair. Typically, at the defense the student provides a 10-15 minute overview of the thesis proposal (which all of the committee members have had at least two weeks to read). This presentation is followed by questions by the committee that seek to ascertain whether the student has an adequate understanding of the research area and scholarly literature surrouding her proposed project. The committee also asks questions about the process and feasibility of the methodological design or analytical approach proposed by the student for the project. If the committee determines that the student is not ready to begin independent research on the thesis at this stage, members can ask for a revision of the thesis and organize a second oral defense. Often the thesis committee may indicate that the student has passed while recommending adjustments to the thesis methodology and/or suggesting additional analytical possibiities for the project. Thus the oral defense of the thesis proposal is an exercise of assessment to ensure that the student is prepared to begin the thesis. But it is also an important opportunity for the student to assemble the entire committee in one room to think collectively about the strengths and opportunities of the project and to help the student undertake the project in the most effective way possible. After the oral defense, the student is responsible for informing the WSI Graduate Director of the committee's decision.

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  8. When and why do I submit an "IRB" form?

    9. All students whose research will involve human subjects must gain approval for their project from Georgia State's Institutional Review Board (the "IRB") before undertaking the thesis research. The university insists on this check to insure that research will be conducted in an ethical manner and will not bring emotional or physical harm to the participants. The Institutional Review Board requires that students submit a completed electronic IRB application, found on the Institutional Review Board website. Students who plan to use human subjects (by conducting interviews, for instance) should discuss their ideas and the process of gaining IRB approval with the thesis chair in the process of writing the thesis proposal. If you are not conducting research that involves the participation of human subjects, you do not need IRB approval.

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  9. When can I sign up for thesis hours?

    10. Students can register for thesis hours upon completing their course work and passing their comprehensive exams. Rare exceptions can be made for students close to submitting their comprehensive exams who have finished all their course work. Students seeking an exception must contact the WSI Graduate Director.

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  10. Where do I turn if I have an academic problem? If I need help with writing? If I have a personal problem?

    11. Georgia State and the WSI have a number of resources for students that we urge everyone to take advantage of as need arises. The most important factor in successful resolution of an academic problem is seeking out help instead of ignoring the problem until it has damaged one's grades in the class.

    For academic problems with a particular course, students can and should talk to the course instructor. The WSI Graduate Director is also available to counsel students on academic and other issues relating to students' progress through the program. The Director is another excellent resource.

    For specific help with writing, we very much encourage you to contact the Writing Studio (call 404-413-5800 - English Department main number), located in 976 General Classroom Building to schedule an appointment with a writing consultant or for information about drop-in hours. Writing consultants are available to help students plan and/or edit written work.

    Georgia State also offers free psychological counseling to students in helping them manage personal crises or relationship problems, or simply to manage the stresses that inevitably accompany the new challenges of graduate work. You can call the Counseling Center at 404-413-1640 to schedule an appointment. Another resource for students with problems arising from interactions with particular offices at Georgia State is the Student Ombudsperson, who can be reached at 404-413-2510.

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  11. Where do I go to find out about funding and work opportunities?

    12. Students typically apply for graduate assistantships along with their application to the WSI M.A. program, and almost all assignments are made at that point. However, a student can notify the WSI Director at any time of her interest in a graduate assistantship, and she will be placed on a waiting list should more GA positions become available. Women's Studies does not organize work for students in other departments. However, students can contact other departments and investigate opportunities on their own. In the past, WSI students have gotten GAships with the Physical Education Department (as tutors for athletes), in the Writing Center (as writing consultants), in the library, and in the Gerontology Program.

    Students should also contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at 404-413-2400 to discuss student loans and other financial assistance.

    The WSI can also help students organize unpaid internships that may enhance their qualifications for certain professional positions after graduation. Those interested in an unpaid internship should speak to the WSI Academic Professional about possible organizations with which to work. The WSI Community Directory gives a list of some organizations that welcome student interns.

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  12. Should I try to present a paper at an academic conference?

    13. Attending or giving a paper at a conference is a learning opportunity from which students benefit immensely. The National Women's Studies Association, regional women's studies associations, and numerous small conferences regularly issue calls for papers and encourage graduate student participation. Charlene Ball's weekly list of announcements frequently includes information about conference opportunities and deadlines, as does the website of the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA).

    A caution about conferences, however. We recommend that you propose a conference paper based on a course paper that you have already written and on which you have received positive feedback from the course instructor. A conference provides a good opportunity to revise an existing paper that may become part of your thesis. But it is very stressful to try to write a paper specifically for a conference on top of the demands of a typical graduate course load. Additionally, be aware that at this point, the Women's Studies Institute has very limited funds to help student finance their travel to a conference (flight, hotel, conference registration). Therefore, be realistic about the cost of attending the conference when you are deciding on whether to propose a paper. Ask the Director if any funding will be available before submitting a proposal to the conference. Lastly, if your paper is accepted by the conference, the expectation of the organizers is that you will go to the conference. Because papers are often accepted, only apply to conferences you will attend. At conferences, be professional and well-prepared, for your own sake, as well as because you are representing the Georgia State University's Women's Studies Institute. Feel free to discuss conference ideas with faculty members or with the WSI Graduate Director.

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  13. When should I tell the Graduation Office that I plan to graduate, and what if I can't make that deadline after I have signed up for it?

    14. Students need to apply for graduation at least two semesters before the semester they intend to graduate. They do so by filling out the Registrar's online graduation form and paying a $40 graduation fee at the Student Accounts Cashier's window on the 1st floor of Sparks Hall. Because students are asked to apply for graduation two semesters in advance of completing all requirements of the M.A. program, many students find that they need to change their graduation dates. This change should be made as soon as the student is aware of the need to change the date. Please stay on top of your graduation date, as faiing to do so creates extra work for the WSI.

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    Note: The Georgia State University Graduate Catalog supersedes all information offered on this website.