Women's Studies Graduate Certificate

Women's Studies Graduate Certificate | Graduate

From uncovering social wrongs to demanding legal and political rights, Women's Studies has transformed scholarship on the role of women and gender in society. Design your interdisciplinary program to critically engage the interconnections of gender, race, culture, and sexuality with a graduate certificate in Women's Studies from Howard University.

Howard's Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies has the distinct advantage of centering the lives, contributions, and agency of women of diverse cultures. We are one of the select few Women's Studies programs in the country that offers the unique opportunity for graduate-level research with a specialization in Black Women's Studies and the study of women of color, broadly or narrowly defined according to a student's interest. The program provides in-depth training in a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary body of scholarship, and it is designed for students seeking to apply a range of Women's Studies theories, including (but not limited to) Africana Womanism, Intersectional Feminism, LGBT+ methodological approaches, and Non-Aligned Gender Perspectives, into their work and scholarship. Students examine historical and contemporary social constructions of gender and their impact on women globally. Students also explore how social constructions of gender shape institutions and to inform lived experiences and identities, particularly among different groups of women of color; how they interact with social constructions of race, sexuality, class, and culture; and how new ways of thinking about these issues challenge dominant gender narratives. Our 15-credit graduate certificate also prepares students for careers related to advocacy for women (legal and social services), women's health and well-being, counseling, teaching, international development, public policy, media studies, cultural studies, public history, and journalism. Our faculty actively publish and teach across various disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and health-related sciences. Students must complete a capstone experience with an agency or organization focused on women's issues. Students can complete the certificate in just one year of full-time study or pace their studies to fit their schedule. Students can combine the certificate with a master's or doctoral degree.

Program Snapshot 

      ❱  15 credit hours 
      ❱  2-4 semesters to completion
      ❱  Part-time, Full-time
      ❱  Hybrid format
      ❱  Program Type: Graduate Certificate 
      ❱  Certificate can be combined with any graduate degree

Application Deadlines

Spring 2026 entry: 
     ❱  Nov. 15* (final deadline)

Fall 2026 entry: 
     ❱  Dec. 1* (early deadline)
     ❱  Feb. 15 (priority deadline)
     ❱  Apr. 15 (final deadline)

*Dec. 1 refers to the 2025 early deadline for Fall 2026 entry/admission. For example, prospective students applying by the early deadline for Fall 2026 entry must apply by December 1, 2025.  Nov. 15 refers to the 2025 deadline for Spring 2026 entry, which is November 15, 2025.

Applicants should submit their applications as early as possible. Applicants have until the final deadline to apply. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the admissions cycle. 

• Degree Classification: Graduate
• Related Degrees: Certificate

Application for Admission

• Online GradCAS application
• Statement of purpose (550 words maximum) (Guidance here)
• GRE scores not required
• Official transcripts sent to GradCAS
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or the international equivalent
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Autobiographical statement (500-750 words) (Guidance here)

GRE Required?

• No

GRE Preferred Minimums

• GRE Verbal Reasoning: N/A
• GRE Quantitative Reasoning: N/A
• GRE Analytical Writing: N/A

GPA Required Minimums

• Overall GPA minimum: 3.0
• Undergrad GPA minimum: 3.0

Reference Requirements 

Evaluator type accepted

• Professor or Academic Advisor
• Supervisor/Manager
• Coworker 

Evaluator type not accepted

• Friend
• Family Member
• Clergy
• Other