McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Women’s and Gender Studies
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

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Semester One (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3-4
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3
	UNIV 101	The Student in the University or Carolina Core Requirement4 (PR/CC)	3

Semester Two (15-17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW, CC-INF)	3	C		C or better in ENGL 101
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3-4
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3
		Social Science (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4

Semester Three (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	WGST 112	Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies5 (CC-GSS, CC-VSR)	3
		History6 (CR)	3
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Foreign language3 or Carolina Core Requirement4 (CR/CC)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4

Semester Four (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	WGST 113	Women’s Health (MR)	3	C
	WGST 307or WGST 308	Feminist Theory or African-American Feminist Theory (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (PR)	3	C
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3

Semester Five (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	WGST 304	Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality (MR)	3	C
		Cross-Cultural Issues Course: Non-U.S. or Comparative9 (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (PR)	3	C
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3

Semester Six (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		WGST or approved discipline-based course (MR)	3	C
		WGST or approved discipline-based course (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (PR)	3	C
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3

Semester Seven (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		WGST or approved discipline-based course (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (PR)	3	C
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3

Semester Eight (13 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	WGST 499	Community Service Internship (spring only) or a research project (coordinated by WGST advisor)10 (MR, CC-INT)	3	C		C or better in WGST 112,113, and 200-level or higher (499 only)
		Minor Course7 or Elective8 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Minor Course7 or Elective8 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	1

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College and Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	24	52-64	32-44	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
4. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
5. WGST 112 must be completed within the first 4⁵ hours of declaring the Women’s and Gender Studies major.
6. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
7. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of, but related to the major. In place of a cognate, a student may choose a minor consisting of at least 1⁸ credit hours of courses concentrated in one area
8. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.
9. Cross-cultural issues: non-U.S. or comparative courses include: WGST 320, 321, 335, 351, 352, 381, 388, 392, and 555.
10. Should be taken within the final 45 hours before graduation.

Program Notes

• ENGL 101 and 102 are identified as “critical” must be completed in the student’s first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation. WGST 112 should be taken in the first 45 hours.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• WGST 499 may be taken as a service learning internship course or may be completed as a research project in conjunction with a WGST faculty or affiliate member in coordination with the WGST advisor. If taken as a service learning course, it requires 80 hours of service, as well as a classroom component and can contribute toward the service learning track of Graduation with Leadership Distinction. Before registering for WGST 499, students must fill out a contract with the WGST department and submit it to the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office for processing. It is thus recommended that students intending to take WGST 499 discuss their plans with the WGST advisor one semester in advance.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement