Gender Studies

MA

  • Entry year 2024 or 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • Hone your research skills via a group project

  • Engage with leading, socially-engaged academics

  • 96% Satisfaction with Learning Resources Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2023

Why Lancaster?

  • Interact with professors and visiting academics in our Centre for Gender Studies, an active community in the UK for feminist and inequality research
  • Gain an insight into nuanced and highly specific areas of inequality studies from expert guest speakers
  • Explore areas of gender or discrimination that are important to you through your specialist dissertation project
  • Prepare for a future fighting social inequality through engaging with feminist activists and academics in workshops and seminars
  • Be part of our vibrant community that screens films, holds events and collaborates in ideas and research

Our MA in Gender Studies will explore gender, sex and multiple dimensions of discrimination from both a contemporary and historical standpoint. You’ll develop analytical skills, understand biases at play and conceive new ways to tackle social inequalities.

Why do we have inequality?

As you study with us at Lancaster University, you will examine the past, present and future of gender inequalities. You’ll look into the intersections of gender bias with areas like race and disability, forming a sophisticated understanding of issues that are more relevant than ever.

For your dissertation, you’ll conduct your own independent research project in an area of your choice. This could be in topics like body image on social media, or the gendered inequalities of immigration policies.

A dynamic community

You’ll also have the opportunity to be involved with our Centre for Gender Studies. Some of the most highly respected names in feminist research and literature have been involved with this Centre including Sara Ahmed, Beverley Skeggs, Maureen McNeil, and Imogen Tyler.

With unique insight, you’ll prepare for a future actively tackling social injustices, whether that’s policy change and governance, or influencing social discourse through the arts.

Careers

By the time you finish this degree you’ll be equipped with a wide range of transferable skills in analysis and research. Your expertise in gender studies will help you to broaden understanding and shape change in both the private and public sectors.

This course will equip you for a range of exciting and impactful roles in areas such as journalism, publishing, marketing, social care ,and politics.

Our MA Gender Studies graduates have gone on to work in organisations such as the BBC and UNICEF, as well as to positions such as:

  • CEO of a women's organisation
  • Youth engagement worker
  • Innovation manager for a third sector organisation
  • Production editor for a publishing company
  • Social policy officer
  • Domestic abuse team leader

Many students who complete this degree also continue into PhD study, furthering their career in academic research.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Sociology, Gender Studies or a related field.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 7.0, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Optional

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home £11,500 £5,750
International £23,875 £11,935

General fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.