Program Overview
| AP Coordinator | Robyn Sheridan, OM 102, 845-257-2827, sheridar@newpaltz.edu |
| Program ID | BA Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies AP (591A), MPS Social Justice Educational Studies AP (072G) |
| Credits | BA Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies AP (51 credits – inclusive of 12 GR credits), MPS Social Justice Educational Studies AP (30 credits) |
| Program Length | The Accelerated Pathway program in Social Justice Educational Studies may be completed in 10 semesters, but students must complete the graduate degree within 7 years. |
| Modality | In-person |
| Full-time/Part-time | Full-time or Part-time |
| Transfer Credits | 12 GR credits will be applied to both the BA and the MPS degree programs |
| Graduate Capstone | Seminar in Social Justice Educational Studies |
Program Description
This accelerated plan of study provides a pathway to earning a master’s degree in social justice educational studies along with a bachelor’s degree in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Students enrolled in the BA Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and MPS Social Justice Educational Studies Accelerated Program complete up to 12 graduate-level credits in Social Justice Educational Studies electives during their senior year. These credits are offered at the reduced undergraduate tuition rate and fulfill both undergraduate and graduate program requirements.
The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Social Justice Educational Studies (non-cert) offers a self-reflective, process-oriented approach to diversity, equity, and social justice. The program integrates intellectual/cognitive and social/emotional learning through an experiential and participatory process that centers social justice and critical thinking. Students work collaboratively to foster personal, communal, and institutional social change and to promote more humane, democratic, and inclusive classrooms, organizations, and communities.
How does it work?
Get started by declaring the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies AP major (591A) as an undergraduate:
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Meet with AP advisor, Robyn Sheridan, to declare the WGSS AP major.
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Work with your AP advisor to enroll in four graduate SJES courses during your senior year.
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Apply for the MPS Social Justice Educational Studies AP program in your senior year.
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Transfer 12 credits of graduate electives taken as an undergraduate into your graduate program.
Graduate Admission Requirements
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Graduate application - select major 072G.
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One set of official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate course work, including a baccalaureate transcript from a regionally accredited institution, indicating at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
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Satisfactory grades in graduate SJES courses taken as a senior.
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A two-page letter describing how you expect the MPS Social Justice Educational Studies (non-cert) Program will help you meet your personal and professional goals. This can be integrated into the statement on the application form.
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Contact information for one individual who has a professional relationship with the applicant and who can provide a reference addressing the student’s potential for graduate work.
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An interview with a member of the faculty.
Admission Deadlines
| July 31 | Fall Admission |
| January 1 | Spring Admission |
Accepting on a rolling basis until the program is full. However, applications must at least be started by the deadline, or they will not be considered.
Curriculum Requirements
BA Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies AP (major 591A)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses (18 Credits) | ||
| WOM220 | Introduction to Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies | 4 |
| WOM321 | Feminist Methods | 3 |
| WOM421 | Feminist Theory | 4 |
| WOM420 | Practicum in WGSS | 3 |
| WOM490 | Senior Seminar in WGSS | 4 |
| Clusters (12 Credits) | ||
| Select one course from each of the following four clusters. * | 12 | |
| Historical and Political Contexts | ||
| Gender, Race, and Work | ||
| Violence Against Women | ||
| Hst Women In US To 1880 | ||
| The History of Women in the United States | ||
| Women in Politics | ||
| Culture and Representation | ||
| Masculinities | ||
| Motherhood and Mothering | ||
| Women and Drugs | ||
| Feminist Art and Subculture | ||
| Women and Popular Culture | ||
| Performing Feminism | ||
| Race Gender and Performance | ||
| Queer Theatre | ||
| Race, Culture, Nation | ||
| The Black Woman | ||
| Transnational Feminism | ||
| Native American Feminisms | ||
| Women in the Caribbean | ||
| Women in China | ||
| Gender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies | ||
| Queer Women | ||
| Women Love and Sex | ||
| Masculinities | ||
| Intro to Queer Studies | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Sociology of Sex & Sexualities | ||
| Individualized Program (9 Credits) | ||
| Choose three electives around a theme or, for double majors, that relate to the other major. ** | 9 | |
| Social Justice Educational Studies Electives (12 Credits) | ||
| EDS581 | Race and Gender in Education | 3 |
| EDS541 | Approaches to Social Justice Educational Studies | 3 |
| Select two graduate SJES electives with advisement. *** | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 51 | |
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Students may select only 3 lower-division courses.
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All individualized programs must be designed in consultation with, and approved by, the student’s major advisor.
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Full course list of Social Justice Education Studies Electives may be found in the graduate plan of study.
MPS Social Justice Educational Studies (major 072G)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses (12 Credits) | ||
| EDS541 | Approaches to Social Justice Educational Studies * | 3 |
| EDS581 | Race and Gender in Education * | 3 |
| EDS748 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| EDS749 | Seminar in Social Justice Educational Studies | 3 |
| Social Justice Educational Studies Electives (6 Credits) * | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Conflict Resolution in Education | ||
| Education of Self for Professionals | ||
| Politics and Ethics of Service | ||
| Expressive Arts and Social Change | ||
| Restorative and Transformative Justice and Practice | ||
| Critical Studies in Higher Education | ||
| Antioppressive Pedagogies and Practices | ||
| Exploration of Gender in Education | ||
| Group Dynamics | ||
| Social-Emotional Learning for Social Justice | ||
| Leadership in Education and Human Service Settings | ||
| Electives in Content Area (6 Credits) | ||
| Work with Advisor to select two appropriate courses | 6 | |
| Electives in Social Justice Education, Foundations, or Special Education (6 Credits) | ||
| Work with Advisor to select two appropriate courses | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
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Coursework will be transferred in from undergraduate degree.
Academic Standing Requirements for Accelerated Pathway Students
A cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 in graduate-level courses taken in the undergraduate portion of an accelerated pathway program precludes the student’s good standing. Students with a cumulative GPA between 2.75 to 2.99 are strongly advised to reconsider continuing into the graduate program.
Graduation Checklist
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Apply for graduation via my.newpaltz.edu under “Graduation” tab according to the schedule in the academic calendar.
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Resolve any pending admission conditions (outlined in your acceptance letter) and/or missing documents if applicable.
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Review your progress report via my.newpaltz.edu to ensure that you have completed all program requirements.
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Remember that only two grades below a B- may be applied to your plan of study
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Contact your advisor if you need to amend your plan or process transfer credit.
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Ensure that you are in good academic standing with a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.0 or higher.
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Pass your capstone or culminating assessment.
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Complete your degree within the specified time limit outlined in the Program Overview.
BA Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program Learning Outcomes
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Be able to identify key themes in the history of feminist movements and intersections with other social justice movements.
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Demonstrate awareness of the nuances of gender and gendered representations in art and popular culture.
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Identify several ways that race, class, gender, and sexuality intersect globally and in the U.S.
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Articulate a range of feminist theories and queer theories and their implications for social, political, and economic analysis.
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Formulate a feminist research question and develop a feminist research design to answer it.
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Demonstrate an applied understanding of the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and sexuality in community settings.
MPS Social Justice Educational Studies Program Learning Outcomes
We are attempting to know, learn, and be differently. This work is and always will be unfinished. As we learn new information and ways of being, we are also cognizant that social justice work must be sustainable for self, community, and society. In our program, students work toward:
Social Justice Content Knowledge
Understanding that systems of inequality shape our lives and institutions, they will engage social justice education to foster more sustainable, equitable, and just relationships.
Applying Theory to Practice
Utilizing processes of self-reflection and assessment, they will engage in action and reflection (praxis) that center justice-oriented theories, beliefs, values, and relationships.
Critical Analyses
Drawing on reflective, critical thinking, listening, and questioning practices, they will integrate critical analyses into their educational work.
Fostering Equity
Recognizing that social inequalities reflect an inability or unwillingness to be in positive relationship with difference, they will foster educational and social equity that seeks to transform relationships and share power across differences.
Participatory, Collaborative Approaches to Pedagogy
With an understanding of embodied, antioppressive, and experiential learning practices, they will employ creative, holistic, collaborative approaches in their pedagogical settings.
Written and Oral Communication
Practiced in small and large group discussions, presentations, and in applying feedback to their own work, they will effectively communicate orally and in writing, including through qualitative research that reflects social justice principles.
Socially Responsible Leadership
Understanding connections between personal, institutional, and social change, they will lead as ethically and socially responsible human beings in their workplaces and communities.
