University of Florida Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies

What University of Florida Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies does

The Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (GSWS) at the University of Florida is an academic unit within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, founded in 1970 and elevated from a research center to a full department in 2020. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in women's studies, serving 600+ majors, minors, and graduate students at the Gainesville campus. The department's seven core faculty deliver interdisciplinary feminist scholarship spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and arts, with curricular emphases on intersectionality, queer theory, Black feminist thought, Latinx sexualities, ecofeminism, and global women of color studies.

The department's academic product portfolio includes a Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies, a combined BA/MA pathway, a Master of Arts in Women's Studies, a joint MA/JD program with the UF College of Law, two undergraduate minors (Health Disparities in Society, Theories and Politics of Sexuality), and graduate certificates including Latin American Studies. Its experiential learning program operates as a distinct product line, placing 200+ students annually at 30+ practicum and internship sites including Peaceful Paths, PACE Center for Girls, Bread and Roses Women's Health Center, Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida, and the Gainesville Fire Rescue Community Resource Paramedicine Program. Over three-fourths of women's studies majors participate in internships during their degree.

As a non-commercial public university department, GSWS does not operate a revenue model in the conventional sense. Its funding flows are state appropriations, tuition allocations through the UF Registrar, external grants (Mellon Foundation, AAUW, UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, UF International Center), and donations via the Women's Studies Endowment Fund and the annual Gator Nation Giving Day. The go-to-market is admissions-driven: prospective students enter through UF's standard undergraduate and graduate admissions processes, with recruitment support provided through the departmental website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, newsletters, and campus events.

Name

University of Florida Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies

Legal name

University of Florida Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies

Website

https://wst.ufl.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at the University of Florida is an academic unit within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in gender, sexuality, and women's studies, serving 600+ students with interdisciplinary feminist scholarship and a robust internship program placing 200+ students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and State Funding: As a department within the University of Florida, a public state university, the department is funded through a combination of state appropriations, tuition revenue, and student fees. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides operational support.
2. External Grants and Fellowships: Faculty and students compete for external funding including Mellon Foundation grants, AAUW grants, UF Center for Humanities grants, and various institutional fellowships to support research and student activities.
3. Donations and Endowments: The department receives donations through Gator Nation Giving Day and other fundraising initiatives to support student learning, research, speakers, and public events. Funds are directed to the Women's Studies Endowment Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The department offers undergraduate and graduate academic programs in Women's Studies, including a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, a combined BA/MA pathway, and an MA/JD dual-degree pathway. It also provides two undergraduate minors (Health Disparities in Society; Theories and Politics of Sexuality), graduate certificates, and an experiential learning and internship program designed to connect classroom scholarship with community-based practice.

Product overview

The Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at the University of Florida offers a comprehensive academic portfolio centered on interdisciplinary scholarship in gender, sexuality, and women's studies. The department provides undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts), graduate degrees (Master of Arts), joint degree programs (MA/JD), minors in Health Disparities and Sexuality Theories, graduate certificates, and experiential learning through internships. The program serves over 600 majors, minors, and graduate students annually, with a robust internship program placing 200+ students in 30+ practicum sites per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies Four-year undergraduate degree providing interdisciplinary training in feminist, gender, and sexuality scholarship; intended for students seeking a BA credential from a major public research university.
• Master of Arts in Women's Studies Graduate degree offering advanced interdisciplinary training in feminist, gender, and sexuality scholarship; intended for students preparing for academic, policy, legal, or nonprofit careers.
• BA/MA Combined Degree Program Accelerated combined-degree pathway allowing qualified students to earn both the BA and MA in Women's Studies in compressed time; intended for high-achieving undergraduate students intending to continue at the graduate level.
• MA/JD Joint Program Joint-degree pathway pairing the Master of Arts in Women's Studies with the Juris Doctor at the University of Florida College of Law; intended for students pursuing careers at the intersection of law and gender/sexuality scholarship.
• Minor in Health Disparities in Society Undergraduate minor examining how gender, race, class, and sexuality intersect with health outcomes and disparities; intended for students across UF who want a credentialed concentration in this area.
• Minor in Theories and Politics of Sexuality Undergraduate minor providing focused interdisciplinary training in sexuality theory and politics; intended for students seeking a credentialed concentration in sexuality studies.
• Graduate Certificates in Women's Studies Credentialed graduate-level certificates in Women's Studies providing focused post-baccalaureate training; intended for graduate students or working professionals seeking formal recognition of expertise.
• Experiential Learning and Internship Program Department-run program placing students in community-based internships that connect classroom scholarship in gender and sexuality with applied practice at external partner organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75% of women's studies majors gain work experience and participate in internships during their education
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of North Carolina PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni Andreina Fernandez works at UNC Press; the partnership is manifested through alumni career paths and potential future collaboration in academic publishing and author support.
• Girls Rock North CarolinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni Andreina Fernandez serves as Operations Manager; partnership through alumni engagement and potential collaborative programs in youth empowerment through music.
• Samuel Proctor Oral History ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership sending students to conduct oral histories at major events (e.g., Women's March 2017); provides experiential learning in community-engaged research methodologies.
• Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary internship site partner providing credit-bearing practicum opportunities for students; supports experiential learning in domestic violence advocacy and support services.
• PACE Center for GirlscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternship site partner for women's and girls' programming; hosts practicum students including alumni Dr. Taylor Burtch's foundational community partnership.
• Bread and Roses Women's Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternship site for patient advocacy training; provides hands-on experience in reproductive healthcare access and abortion care services.
• Planned Parenthood of South, East and North FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternship site providing sexual health education training and community health education experience; certified peer sex educator training available.
• Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternship site providing crisis intervention and victim services experience in gender-based violence support.
• Gainesville Fire Rescue Community Resource Paramedicine ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPracticum site for Health Disparities minor students; provides community health experience addressing social determinants of health.
• Association for Academic Women at UFminorOthersUF resource organization supporting academic women's professional development and networking.
• National Equity ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni employer of Maria Saldana; equity-focused organization with national reach in education transformation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NYU Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies: NYU's GSS department offering a major and minor with strong emphasis on queer theory and feminist methodology — comparable in curricular breadth and urban research-university setting.
• UC Berkeley Department of Gender and Women's Studies: Comparable US public-university academic department offering BA, MA, and PhD programs in Gender and Women's Studies with interdisciplinary feminist scholarship, paralleling UF's degree portfolio and faculty research model.
• Harvard Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality: Harvard's interdisciplinary program offering a secondary field and undergraduate concentration in Women, Gender, and Sexuality — directly comparable in academic scope and feminist research orientation.
• Columbia Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality: Columbia's interdisciplinary center offering undergraduate and graduate programming in gender and sexuality studies — comparable in scope, audience, and research orientation despite its center (rather than department) status.
• University of Michigan Department of Women's and Gender Studies: Large public-university department offering BA and graduate certificates in Women's and Gender Studies with active research centers — directly comparable in scale, public-university setting, and degree structure.
• Northwestern Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies: Northwestern's interdisciplinary department offering a major and minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies with strong intersectional and queer theoretical orientation, comparable in academic focus and structure.
• Cornell Department of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: Cornell's renamed department offering undergraduate and graduate programs in feminist, gender, and sexuality studies — directly comparable in mission, interdisciplinary scope, and recent programmatic rebranding.
• Yale Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: Yale's undergraduate major and certificate program in WGSS with strong feminist theory and queer studies curriculum, a comparable elite-university peer offering similar interdisciplinary degree pathways.
• Princeton Gender and Sexuality Studies: Princeton's certificate program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, a comparable interdisciplinary offering at a major research university focused on feminist and queer scholarship.
• Emory Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: Emory's WGSS department offering undergraduate major/minor and graduate courses within a private research university — comparable interdisciplinary model and feminist scholarship focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UF.CGSWSR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uf-department-of-gender-sexuality-and-womens-studies
• Instagraminstagram.com/WST.UFL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Florida Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies