Gender and Sexuality Studies

Entry requirements

For admission to the MA in Gender and Sexuality Studies, successful applicants will have:

• A degree at the level of an Irish or UK Honours undergraduate degree (H2.2 or above) or equivalent, in any undergraduate discipline.

• Applicants with appropriate combinations of professional qualifications and experience may also be considered. This includes discipline-specific knowledge and know-how; transferable skills; basic research competency; personal effectiveness.

• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applicants are required to submit a cover letter along with their application under the Transcripts section of the portal, affirming their intent to apply for RPL. For more information on RPL see here.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Examine social, cultural and artistic expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

Would you like to acquire an in-depth knowledge relating to today’s societal debates and perspectives around gender and sexuality? If you are keen to learn about, to understand and to analyse Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) matters in Irish, European and global contexts, then DCU’s MA in Gender and Sexuality Studies is for you.

The MA in Gender and Sexuality Studies is a cross-disciplinary postgraduate programme drawing on the latest research in the fields of literary and cultural studies, communications, politics, law, history, and philosophy. The programme interrogates both the complex interrelations between discrimination and oppression in the context of gender and sexuality and opportunities for ownership and empowerment.

Commitment to diversity and intersectionality lies at the heart of this programme; it is open to applicants from a range of academic disciplines and personal backgrounds. In keeping with this ethos, the programme provides a multi-disciplinary space for academic dialogue that centres on marginalised voices and non-hegemonic perspectives.

The programme is delivered collaboratively by a number of Schools across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Postgraduate students undertaking the MA are encouraged and supported to actively participate in the sexuality-and-gender-studies-related seminars, events and conferences organised under the aegis of and the DCU Institute for Research on Genders and Sexualities (IRGS).

The MA in Gender and Sexuality Studies offers a diverse range of modules delivered by academic experts in DCU on topics from a variety of areas of gender and sexuality studies. These can include Women’s, Masculinity and Queer Studies as well as Crip Studies and Porn Studies. Students are supported in acquiring a deep understanding in these areas and also in finding their own voices as researchers.

Students have the opportunity to design their studies according to their own interests and goals by choosing two optional modules over the duration of their studies, in addition to four core modules that all students take. In the latter stages of their studies, students who wish to attain an MA degree produce a longer piece of original research in the form of a dissertation. Students who wish to attain a Graduate Diploma in Gender and Sexuality Studies complete all coursework apart from the dissertation.

The MA in Gender and Sexuality Studies prepares graduates for careers and roles in a broad range of areas and workplaces. These include cultural and artistic environments, academic research at doctoral level, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), public health and health education.