The best reason to minor in Women's and Gender Studies is because the issues are fascinating to you, but the minor can also help to prepare you for a number of different careers, in conjunction with your major. Here are a few of the professions in which an education in women's and gender studies is an asset:

• social work
• human resources
• criminal justice
• healthcare
• marketing and public relations
• public relations
• public policy
• education
• journalism
• international development
• mental health counseling

Skills cultivated in our courses:

• Apply research to social and cultural problems and identify solutions
• Seek out marginalized perspectives and the insights that can be drawn from them
• Examine connections between personal experience and issues of social justice
• Foster civic engagement skills by making links between community, business, education, and government organizations
• Develop critical thinking skills by analyzing accepted gender norms and supporting alternatives through research and argumentation
• Recognize fundamental gender dynamics embedded in organizations and institutions, and design strategies to improve their effectiveness.

USEFUL LINKS

The National Women's Studies Association - a lot of great information here about undergraduate and graduate programs in Women's Studies, and careers using these degrees.

What You Can Do With Women's Studies - from the Women's Studies program at Michigan State University, a comprehensive description of what to do with a Women's Studies degree, with advice on how to apply to graduate schools and links to job openings.

Ms. Magazine: What I'm Doing With My Women's Studies Degree - an article highlighting how Women's Studies alums have used those experiences in their various career paths

Women's Studies Handbook - excerpted from the National Women's Studies Association handbook, a list of possible careers that use the skills and knowledge developed in Women's Studies programs.

Academic Info - a general introduction to Women's and Gender Studies degrees and how to translate that academic background into different career paths.

Women's Studies Careers - Click on the "read more" tab to hide the advertisements, in order to get to a list of possible careers, how to prepare for those careers, and a description of the skills learned in Women's Studies programs (helpful language to explain to potential employers how your Women's Studies minor enhances your qualifications).