Master in
Master's programme in Gender Studies, Social Science Research Tampere University
Introduction
Analyzing inequalities, promoting justice
Think critically. Scrutinize gender, sexuality, and race locally and globally. Advance policies for an equal society.
Gender Studies provides you with advanced training in the field of gender studies. This specialization gathers students and faculty broadly from social sciences, humanities, and arts to develop innovative ways of expanding knowledge on gender, sexuality, and racialization in local, historical, cross-cultural, and transnational contexts.
The studies engage you with wide-ranging and interdisciplinary traditions in gender studies, including feminist, queer, trans, and antiracist studies. You will obtain both theoretical and methodological tools to understand and analyze how gender, sexuality, and racialization shape societies and cultures; how inequalities can be observed and tackled in different societal spheres, including, for instance, institutions and politics, workplaces, everyday life, intimate relations, media, and the arts. You will familiarise yourself with cutting-edge research from this exciting and growing area of study.
Gender Studies examine key feminist theories and methodologies and explore the ways in which gender intersects with other differences, such as sexuality, class, age, ability, race, and ethnicity. The scope and extent of Gender Studies are unique. As a joint program of Tampere University, the University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi University, you will benefit from several special research and teaching profiles of gender studies. This guarantees wide interdisciplinary expertise.
Master’s Programme in Social Science Research focuses on the contemporary issues and problems of governance, conflicts, and policy in the globalizing world/society. The program consists of the following academically independent specializations with distinct study profiles:
- Comparative Social Policy and Welfare
- Gender Studies
- Global and Transnational Sociology
- Public Policy Analysis
Admissions
Curriculum
Study contents
Gender Studies provides advanced training in the field of gender studies for both Finnish and foreign students with a variety of academic backgrounds and career plans.
The scope and extent of Gender Studies are unique. As a result of the cooperation between Tampere University, the University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi University, it combines several special research and teaching profiles of gender studies. This guarantees wide interdisciplinary expertise.
Testifying the strength and success of Gender Studies research, “Gender, institutions and politics” is mentioned as a top research field at Tampere University. This reflects the significance, impact, and high quality of gender studies at both national and international levels. Current research topics include (1) politics, economy, and activism (struggles around gender equality and diversity, equality policies, and feminist politics within parliaments, political parties, labor markets, civil society, and grassroots level); (2) science, technology and higher education (the relation between knowledge production, power, and social justice; technology in everyday life; health), (3) politics of effect (how affects and emotions emerge through social and intimate relations, intersectional differences, bodily boundaries, cultural imaginaries, and representations) as well as (4) working life (changes, continuities and new forms of work). The aim of Gender Studies is to integrate students into ongoing research. At Tampere University, a wide network across disciplinary boundaries of gender researchers also organizes regular research seminars.
At the University of Turku, the Master's Programme in Gender Studies is organized by the School of History, Culture, and Arts Studies. Main research areas include feminist media and cultural studies, queer and trans studies, history of gender and sexuality, memory studies, art and politics as well as affect and emotion studies.
Structure of studies
Studies in specialization Gender Studies in the Master’s Programme in Social Science Research consist of the following elements:
- Advanced Studies in Gender Studies (85 credits) form the core of the degree. They enable the students to acquire in-depth theoretical, methodological, and conceptual knowledge in Gender Studies. The studies include a Master’s thesis (40 credits) which is an individual research project that enables the student to demonstrate his/her in-depth knowledge in an area relevant to the content of this specialization.
- Joint Studies (17-22 credits) focus on general orientation to studies, research methods, language studies, and academic writing skills.
- Free Choice Course Units (13-18 credits)
Program Outcome
After completing the specialization in Gender Studies in the Master’s Programme in Social Science Research you will have
- Gained an interdisciplinary understanding of gender, sexuality, and racialization in society.
- Learned skills and knowledge to work independently with key theoretical and methodological traditions of feminist knowledge production.
- Comprehended how inequalities organize and shape social life and practices, institutions, bodies, affects, and identities.
- Learned to design, conduct and report critical feminist academic research.
- Gained expertise in promoting and practicing equality and equal opportunities in various contexts in society.
Scholarships and Funding
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships
Tampere University tuition fee scholarships awarded at admission cover 100% of the tuition fees for the program duration. The program duration is
- three years for Bachelor’s degrees
- two years for Master’s degrees
- five years if the study right is granted for both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree.
Finland Scholarship
Finland scholarships awarded by Tampere University are part of the national Finland Scholarship program. Applicants to Master's programs are eligible to apply. Finland scholarships are awarded at Tampere University to the most merited applicant in each Master's program.
Finland scholarships cover the program tuition fee for the first year of studies and include a 5000 € relocation grant, paid to the student's Finnish bank account after the student has arrived in Tampere and started studies at Tampere University.
In addition, Tampere University awards a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship for the second year of studies to all recipients of the Finland scholarship. The scholarship covers 100 % of tuition fees in the second year of studies.
Early bird offer
In addition to scholarships, an early bird offer is available at admission to all fee-paying students, excluding students who have been awarded a Tampere University tuition fee scholarship or a Finland scholarship at admission. The early bird offer gives a 50 % reduction on the program tuition fee during the first year of studies.
Students may take advantage of the early bird offer by accepting the offered study place and paying 50% of the first-year tuition fee within two weeks after receiving information on admission.
This offer is valid only for the first year of studies. During consecutive years of study, all fee-paying students are eligible to apply for Tampere University Scholarships awarded during studies.
Program Tuition Fee
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Career Opportunities
Gender Studies is especially suited for students aiming at careers in national and international research, politics, equal opportunities policies, and human rights institutions and organizations in the private and public sectors as well as in non-governmental organizations and civil society, and the media. Gender Studies teaches written and oral communication skills, collaborative work skills, and skills to critically examine power relationships.
Postgraduate study opportunities
The degree provides eligibility for doctoral studies in Social Sciences and Humanities. At Tampere University, students can continue, for example, to doctoral studies in the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences.