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Gender, Society and Representation MA

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2022/23)

£12,900

£6,450

Overseas tuition fees (2022/23)

£26,600

£13,300

Duration

1 calendar year

2 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2022

Applications accepted

All applicants: 18 Oct 2021 – 30 Jun 2022

Applications open

Notification

Application closes at 17:00 GMT.

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Advanced

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Students gain the advanced skills, methods, concepts and theories required for the study of gender and sexuality in an interdisciplinary context at graduate level. Option modules offer students a genuine opportunity to develop their own interests in a wide range of disciplines and the dissertation provides opportunities for independent research.

Who this course is for

The programme is particularly suitable for students with a first degree in either the arts and humanities or the social and historical sciences, who wish to study gender and sexuality in both general and more specialised contexts.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

Gender and sexuality studies have expanded rapidly in recent decades, emerging as dynamic interdisciplinary fields of study.

As a multi-faculty institution located in the heart of cosmopolitan London and covering an exceptionally wide range of disciplines, UCL offers an ideal environment for gender and sexuality studies, enabling students to tailor their degrees according to their specific interests and providing a wealth of opportunities for interdisciplinary work.

Staff contributing to MA level and research work in gender and sexuality studies are drawn from different faculties including Arts & Humanities, Social & Historical Sciences, Built Environment, Laws, and Life Sciences, as well as the School of Slavonic and East European Studies and IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Students graduating from this Master's programme will possess a broad understanding of gender and sexuality issues in social practice and discourse. They will have demonstrated intellectual flexibility in engaging successfully with a diverse and challenging range of subject areas and disciplinary approaches to gender. They will be able to develop and sustain a convincing argument on a variety of complex subjects, supporting their conclusions with appropriate evidence, clearly expressed. They will have experience in researching a topic from scratch, learning to identify and choose between different routes into exploring that topic and producing a coherent account of their research and findings.

Employability

Engaging with gender and sexuality concerns is now an integral aspect of research and planning activities in a wide range of fields. The need to address different forms of discrimination has created a demand in both public and private sectors for highly qualified graduates with a broad intellectual background in relevant fields, a familiarity with the intersectional nature of inequality, and a commitment to social change. Our graduates have gone on to careers as researchers, administrators and communications officers for charities, cultural institutions, NGOs and the private sector, as well as academic research in related disciplines.

Teaching and learning

Teaching sessions are interactive, with a limited amount of lecturer presentation and an emphasis on student participation and critical discussion. Assessment is through a variety of methods, including essays, coursework, written papers, oral presentations and the dissertation.

A Postgraduate Diploma, three core modules (60 credts), two to four optional modules (60 credits), full-time one year, part-time two years, is offered.

Modules

Full-time

Full-time structure

You will take four compulsory modules: the Core Course, designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation module; the Research and Writing Skills, will provide you with the specific skills to research and write essays: the Gender, Politics and Feminism module will provide you with an introduction to gender theory and feminist politics from a UK perspective; and the Dissertation. You will also choose from a range optional modules.

These modules set the foundation of the whole MA, preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation. During term 2, you will also start formulating your dissertation proposal. In term 3, you will be developing your dissertation outline and structure, with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation proposal to help cement your argument and subject area to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of your MA. You will then spend the summer researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Part-time

Part-time structure

In year 1, you will take: the Core Course, designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation module; the Research and Writing Skills which will provide you with the specific skills to research and write essaya; the Gender, Politics and Feminism module which will provide you with an introduction to gender theory and feminist politics from a UK perspective and an optional module if you wish.

In year 2, you will take further optional modules depending on what was taken in year 1; and the Dissertation. All the modules set the foundation of the whole MA, preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation. During term 2, you will start formulating your disserttion proposal. In term 3, you will be developing your dissertation outline and structure, with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation proposal to help cement your argument and subject area to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of your MA. You will then spend the summer researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Compulsory modules

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Gender Studies

Gender, Society and Representation: Research and Writing Skills

Gender Theory, Politics and Feminism

Gender, Society and Representation: Dissertation

Optional modules

Critical Introduction to Sexuality Studies

Masculinity in Literature and Cinematic Adaptations

Knowledge, Power and the Cultural Production of Gender

Global Politics of Gender, Sexuality and Security

Textual Masculinities

Gender and Ageing: A Feminist Gerentology

Cultural Narratives of Ageing

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Gender, Society and Representation. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Gender, Society and Representation.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Introduction to MA Gender, Society and Representation

We address the challenges arising from contemporary changes in gender relations and examine theoretical and methodological frameworks with which gender and sexualities are explored, researched and implemented.

Watch on demand event

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Applying for Graduate Study at UCL

The Applying to UCL for graduate study session took place in December 2021. The session, covered by our Graduate Admissions and Student Recruitment teams, provides helpful information about the process of applying for graduate study, as well as offering an insight into what we consider to be a competitive application.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2022/23)	£12,900	£6,450
Tuition fees (2022/23)	£26,600	£13,300

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

All full-time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £1,000 for this programme. All part-time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £500.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-languages-culture/programmes-courses/postgraduate-taught/funding-scholarships-and-prizes-masters

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

why you want to study Gender, Society and Representation at graduate level
why you want to study Gender, Society and Representation at UCL
what particularly attracts you to this programme
how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme
where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Applicants should note we specifically require two academic references for this course.

Applicants interested in the research pathway should apply for the taught pathway and simultaneously contact Professor Ann Varley to express their interest in the research pathway. Registration for the research pathway will depend on approval of a dissertation proposal submitted on arrival at UCL.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.