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Profile of Programme

Inaugurated in 2012, in parallel with the Gender Studies Center and the Unesco Chair in Gender Equality, the Master’s Program in Gender Studies is the only graduate program in women’s studies in Cyprus. The goal of the Master’s Program is to offer comprehensive academic knowledge in gender and sexuality studies and to contribute to the academic development of the relevant fields of inquiry. It interrogates and envisions alternatives to patriarchal social structures, institutions, ideologies and relationships. Also, it challenges perceptions of and reconceptualizes understandings and approaches to gender, sexuality, body, culture, materiality, discourse and the human-nonhuman distinction in traditional academic disciplines.
The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students who strive to build firm scholarly foundations in gender, women’s and sexuality studies. These foundations enable our graduates to continue to PhD studies and pursue academic careers and to pursue and effect social change in a society with persistent misogynist and homophobic attitudes, patriarchal structures and systemic gender inequality.
The interdepartmental composition of the faculty and the partnership, both at the level of instruction and research, with international scholars and networks, provides state of arts gender studies expertise with regards to education studies, history, classics, literature, cultural studies, animal studies, philosophy, human rights, management and organization analysis, politics, and area studies such as postcolonial, critical race and globalization studies.

Key Learning Outcomes

The Master in Gender Studies equips students with theory, methodology and policy knowledge and skills in the fields of gender, women’s and sexuality studies.
Courses integrate feminist theory, gender-focused research, and case-study experience. Our graduates are able to: engage in reflective learning on theories concerning the social, historical and discursive constitution of gender, sexuality and the axis gender/sexuality; explain how systems of patriarchy, misogyny and heteronormativity interrelate and work together in defining kinship, sociality and social relations; analyze the rationalities of gender and its relation to power
in transnational and multicultural contexts; apply gender and sexuality as categories of historical and social analysis; identify and analyze structural and political forms of intersectionality; engage in critical feminist and/or queer genealogies of disciplines, epistemic certainties, canons, archives and policy frames in order to address silenced exclusions, entrenched certainties; foreground more inclusive, just and vital forms of knowledge, social organization and political solidarity.
Through attendance in vigorous in-class courses, access to and involvement in unique networking events, engagement in research experiences and internship opportunities, graduates are able to pursue phd studies or to pursue career development and employment opportunities. The Program prepares graduate students thoroughly for doctoral work in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or studies in related disciplinary fields and area studies. Our graduates can intervene with feminist critique, gender framing expertise and epistemic insight in policy, public discourses, public spheres and counterpublics
The Program plays a critical role in enriching other graduate programs across the University with courses and thesis supervision as well as enriching the University with feminist, queer and critical feminist race theories and epistemologies in various ways:
-Graduate students in other graduate programs enroll in gender studies courses (courses are attended by non-gender studies students as electives or for additional content, theory expansion and research and methodology gender mainstreaming).
-Gender Studies faculty members participate in Dissertation Supervision Committees across departmental and university wide disciplinary specializations.
-Conferences, Visiting Scholar Seminars, Performances, Consciousness Raising and Outreach Events organized by the Gender Studies Program are widely attended by the academic community the public.
-The undergraduate course “LGBTQI, Youth and Education”, taught every summer term by Gender Studies MA graduates, is widely attended by undergraduates from all university schools and departments.


Key Information

Department: Department of Education

Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences and Education

Programme Name: Gender Studies

Direction: Gender Studies

Level of Qualification: 2nd Cycle (Master's Degree) [4 Semesters]

Programme Category: Conventional/In person

Mode of Study: Full time and Part time are both possible

Language of Instruction: Greek and English

Coordinator: Miranda Christou (mirandac@ucy.ac.cy)

Curriculum Structure

Course Type ECTS
Compulsory
Compulsory 24
Restricted Elective 66
TOTAL ECTS 90

Courses per Semester


Notes

Compulsory (3): GRS 629, GRS 776, EDU520 ή EDU682 ή EDU683
Restricted Elective (4):  GRS 613, GRS 619, GRS 626, GRS 631, GRS 632, GRS 639, GRS 642, GRS 689, AGG 705, AGG713, AGG 720, ΒΝΕ 535, ΓΕΣ 772, ΓΕΣ 774, EDU556, EDU641, ΙΣΤ 558
Σεμινάριο (1): GRS 774 ή GRS 755

Student can register to Master Thesis I (GRS 798) and Master Thesis II (GRS 799) and be excepted from two Restricted Elective courses.  

Seminars GRS 774 or GRS775 compulsory one of the two. Some students might have to take two Seminars  for additional 6 ects in order to compensate for ects deficit that might occur due to variations of course credit across departments (graduate courses in some departments are credited with 10 instead of 12 ects)

Conditions of Study

The number of places available are announced by the Graduate School with the eligibility criteria for candidates, as well as other required documents that must be attached to the application such as:
Bachelor’s degree from a recognised University.
Previous University education in a suitable subject (academic background) and grades of relevant degrees.
Letters of recommendation.
Personal interview and/or written examination (if provided by the Department’s internal rules).
Submission of preliminary research proposal for admission to a doctoral course (if provided by the Department’s internal rules).
The Department may also set additional criteria and quality indicators such as: (a) number of students’ publications in scientific journals, (b) students’ participation in seminars, symposia, research programmes, (c) presentations by students at conferences, (d) knowledge of foreign languages, and (e) professional experience, etc.

Students must always advise the University's' Postgraduate Study Rules  

Successful completion of the requirements of the Program

The grading system is numerical, from 0 to 10 with increments of ½. The minimum passing grade is 5. The final grade of a graduate student is calculated as the grade point average of all courses passed by the student. 

In a postgraduate programme of study, courses can be graded as Success/Failure. These courses do not count towards the student’s GPA, and may not exceed 25% of the programme’s ECTS, with the exception of the dissertation units. All courses are presented in the Postgraduate Studies Prospectus.
The  thesis is graded with Success / Failure. The final grade of the dissertation is registered in the last semester of its elaboration. Master level dissertations are calculated qualitatively as Excellent, Very Good, Good, and Failure.

Further Information

Occupational Profiles of Graduates with Examples

Research activity has a pivotal role in the university's mission and it is one of the main activities undertaken by our faculty members. Through its research activities, the university manages to upgrade its research infrastructure, attract scientists and empower its cooperation with other universities and businesses both locally and abroad. In this research endeavour, on top of academics, we involve both undergraduate and postgraduate students, while receiving a strong support management-wise by the university's administrative services.

Based on the initiative of the faculty members and the university's support, the University of Cyprus has managed to receive funding from highly competitive external funding agencies, such as the European Commission and the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation. Moreover, it should be noted that the university itself offers a significant part of its budget for funding research projects.Research and innovation are employed through local and international partnerships which shape a dynamic scientific environment through which in turn results in creating strong research teams that manage to attract even more funding. There are quite a few success stories in this respect.

Access to Further Studies

Graduates can be admitted to Doctoral Programs

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