Gendering Practices: Master's Programme

About the Programme

Equipping you to work towards equal opportunities

The master’s programme in Gendering Practices gives you theoretical and practical means to work in fields that focus on securing equal opportunities and challenging social and cultural norms based on gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, age, and functionality. The programme is developed to prepare you for different parts of the labour market.

Knowledge of gendering practices can help improve equality at the workplace.

Our programme focuses on the complexity of gendering practices, intertwining theory and practice and embracing interdisciplinary encounters. The overall objective of the curriculum is to build a platform between different academic disciplines, generating new ways of understanding and working with gendering practices. 

Internship opportunities

You will have the opportunity to put your learning into practice with an internship. Some of our students have participate in various research projects at the University of Gothenburg, including The National Secretariat for Gender Research and Genderlab research project at the School of Design and Craft. They have also had internships at the following institutions and organizations, among others.
• The Center for Equity in Health Care, region of Västra Götaland
• Göteborgs rättighetscenter, one of Sweden's 15 anti-discrimination bureaus
• The Hasselblad Foundation in Gothenburg
• Knowledge center for Equal Health Care in Gothenburg
• Euro Mediterranean Feminist Initiative
• Diversity Group AB, a Stockholm consulting firm supporting organizations in their strategic diversity efforts
• Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency of Germany
• The Diversity & Inclusion Team, Rolls-Royce Power Systems,  Friedrichshafen,Germany. 

Some completed their internships in research at other universities, such as:
• The Centre of Interdisciplinary Gender Studies at the Faculty of Sociology, University of Trento, Italy;
• Lab LABICA at the Department of Political Science, Roma Tre University, Italy;
• REMESO (Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society) at Linköping University, Sweden;
• And Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, University of Vic – Central university of Catalonia, Spain.

Who Should Apply?

Do you find it important to critically examine power and different kinds of power relations?

Are you interested in working with issues of gender and equality in your everyday practice?

Do you want to challenge social and cultural norms about gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, functionality, age?

If you have a background or interest in feminist theory and want to be a positive change in society, then apply for the master’s programme in Gendering Practices.

Programme Structure and Content

The first semester consists of two core courses:
• Theoretical Perspectives in Gender Studies
• Methodologies in Gender Studies

During the second semester, the following courses are given at the Department:

• Critical Studies on Gender Equality Policy and Diversity
• Body Politics from Feminist Perspectives

During the second half of the second semester,  you may choose one elective course. Also, you can choose to take the programme specific course, Independent Explorations in a field of Gender Studies, in order to deepen your knowledge within a specific field. You may also take courses at other departments at GU or other Universities in Sweden.

The first part of the third semester consists of an eight-week Internship. Having completed the internship, you will take the following course at the Department:

• Interdisciplinary Challenges in Gender Studies

The fourth semester consists entirely of completing your master’s thesis. You will reflect and discuss the relation between Gender Studies as theory and as practice, within and outside the academic context, and carry out a theoretically informed and analytical thesis, addressing ethical dilemmas in relation to your independent research.

Application process

Gendering Practices have two application rounds each spring. One for students outside the EU/EEA are, and one for students within the EU/EEA area. 

We strongly recommend all applicants from countries outside the EU/EEA to apply in the first application round as the application deadlines and decisions come several months before the semester starts. This permits you time to apply for and receive your resident permit (if needed) and arrange for housing.

Students within the EU can choose to apply in either the first or second application round. Swedish students should apply in the second application round.

First application round – for all students from a non-EU/EEA country

Apply via the national application website University Admissions. You have until 1 February to upload your Bachelor's thesis (in pdf.) as a document and attach it to your application.

The pdf should clearly state your name, your date of birth (ID-number) and the name of the University where you graduated from.

Dates and deadlines:
15 October 2023: First admission: application round opens.
15 January 2024: Application deadline + last day to rank your courses
1 February 2024: Application fee deadline
21 March 2024: Admissions results published for Master's

Second application round – for EU/EEA students

Apply via the national application website University Admissions. You have until 14 June to upload your Bachelor's thesis (in pdf.) as a document and attach it to your application.  The pdf should clearly state your name, your date of birth (ID-number) and the name of the University where you graduated from.

Dates and deadlines:
15 March 2024: Second admission: application opens
15 April 2024: Application deadline + last day to rank your courses
2 May 2024: Application fee deadline; Deadline to document fee exempt status (EU/EEA)
20 June 2024: Supporting documentation deadline
11 July 2024:  Admissions results published

More detailed information is provided by Universityadmissions.se.

Late application - for EU/EEA students

If you missed the deadlines for the second round and if the programme is not yet full, you can make a late application. Please check actual dates on www.antagning.se. Note that the application only will be processed if there are places left and that the application decision will come in the end of August or in the beginning of September. There is a risk that you will miss the first lectures in the first course.

Learn more about the University of Gothenburg, how to apply, scholarships and more in our webinars.

Criteria for evaluation of Bachelor’s thesis

Students that have written a Bachelor’s thesis in a discipline other than Gender Studies will go through an evaluation process to secure the level of knowledge in the field of gender and feminist theory. The evaluation is based on the Bachelor’s thesis, and conducted by the programme co-ordinator. Theses can be written in Swedish or English. Theses written in any other language should be submitted together with a summary in English in which the study's aim, research questions and a theoretical framework are clearly defined as well as a copy of the original essay.

The following criteria will be used during the evaluation process:

• The aim of the thesis should be formulated in such a way that the gender relevance is pronounced. Theses with an aim that is explicitly oriented towards a gender theoretical field will have precedence.
   
• The description and application of the study’s theoretical framework has to relate to and make explicit use of relevant gender theory within the field.

Language requirements

Gendering Practices: Master’s Programme is based on courses given in English, hence there are specific language requirements to secure the level of knowledge in English. International students will have to verify their knowledge of English.

The following groups of students meet the language requirements without further evaluation:

• Students with a Bachelor’s degree from a Swedish university
   
• Students with a Bachelor’s degree from a country where higher education is held in English

The following group of students have to verify their knowledge of English:

• Students with a Bachelor’s degree from a country where higher education is held in another language than English

Read more about how you can meet the requirement.

After Graduation

Graduates of the programme receive the degree Master of Arts in Gendering Practices.

You will be prepared for a variety of jobs depending on your chosen strand of studies.

You will also be prepared to apply for doctoral studies in Gender Studies, Social Medicine, Global Studies, History, Comparative Literature, History of Science and Ideas, Art History and Visual Studies, Ethnology, Film Studies and Musicology.