25 BEST VALUE SMALL COLLEGES FOR A GENDER STUDIES DEGREE

Most schools on this list require a senior thesis or paper, but Hamilton offers another option for its seniors to demonstrate their intellectual growth: a performance. For example, a recent graduate wrote a play that examines the millennial generation's approach to dating and relationships, incorporating both creative writing and women's studies topics. Hamilton also encourages undergrads to pursue research, and faculty help interested students pursue grants and stipends to fund summer work. By incorporating performance-based projects and encouraging hands-on research, Hamilton offers one of the best colleges for a gender studies degree with a non-traditional bent.

If you enjoy shaping your own learning experience, you'll appreciate Wellesley's Women's and Gender Studies major. At this all-women school, WGS students design their own concentrations based on their areas of interest. Examples provided by the college include Global/Transnational Feminism; Health, Science, and Bioethics; and Gender and American Cultural Studies, to name a few. Concentrations require only four classes to fulfill, making it relatively easy to find courses that support your interests. And when it's time to complete the capstone project, Wellesley again lets you choose your path: you can participate in a seminar, conduct field work, or write a thesis. These options make Wellesley's program one of the most flexible on this women's studies undergraduate degrees ranking.

There's a lot to like about Wesleyan's top feminist studies undergraduate program. From the ability to design your own concentration to the impressive speakers who visit campus for symposia and lectures, the program has lots to offer undergrads. But students interested in animal issues and how speciesism relates to matters of gender, sexuality, race and class will find something else to like: the school's ecofeminist internship grant. The $3,000 award - sponsored in partnership with Wesleyan's animal studies program - goes to a student who's pursuing experiential learning in that topic through an internship or research project. It's a unique opportunity and worth a close look if you're interested in this precise set of issues.

Augustana has serious gender studies credibility: the school hosted Betty Friedan back in 1973, before WGS was even an official major. Today, the department offers an intersectional approach to the topic, making sure that students understand the relationship between sex, gender, race, class, religion, and more. And the effects of Augustana's affordable small college gender studies program extend beyond the classroom. The school's Safe Zone initiative (led by the Women's and Gender Studies program) aims to make the campus an inclusive, safe, and affirming place for all students. Participants (which can be individuals, clubs, or whole departments) attend workshops and receive a Safe Zone sticker to let others know that theirs is a welcoming environment.

Davidson boasts a plethora of student-led organizations all over campus dedicated to gender and sexuality issues. This feature makes it one of the best small colleges for women's studies majors with an interest in activism and social change. One such organization is Davidson Women's Committee, which supports women's and gender identity issues by offering frequent lectures, fundraisers, discussions, and even theater productions. A second group, known as the Women's Leadership Conference Planning Committee, puts together an annual conference to address intergenerational issues affecting women. A number of social and support clubs are active as well, including Queers and Allies, For Loving Yourself (which promotes body positivity), and a confidential LGBTQ+ meeting group.

Franklin and Marshall's affordable feminist studies undergraduate program may be new (the college added it as a major/minor in just 2015), but that means its core principles reflect the most modern thinking on gender and sexuality studies. You can expect the program to take a global perspective, broadening its focus far beyond the Western Hemisphere. In addition, its sexuality-based courses embrace the full range of identities (like "Constructing Sexualities: LGBTIQ Life, Theory and Culture," for example). If you want to study abroad, F&M recommends focused programs in countries like Chile and the Netherlands, where you can study topics like cultural identity or international perspectives on gender and sexuality.

Although many colleges on this women's studies undergraduate degrees ranking feature small classes just by virtue of the campus's small enrollment, Bowdoin goes a step further, capping its intermediate-level seminars at only 16 participants. This means that you can expect intense discussions, collaborative work, and an overall personalized learning experience - no matter what class you are taking. For women's studies majors, these classes ultimately help shape their chosen concentration (general women's studies or the more narrowly defined sexuality studies). Finally, a capstone seminar during the end of your junior or beginning of your senior year gives you the chance to synthesize your knowledge in a rigorous research-based project.

As a women's college, Barnard offers an especially fitting environment for undergrads who wish to study the social constructs of gender and sexuality. One of the program's primary strengths lies its dedication to interdisciplinary education. Between a partnership with the Africana and American Studies departments and a conjugate concentration in Race and Ethnicity, Barnard emerges as one of the best small colleges for women's studies majors whose interests traverse a wide range of social justice and cultural issues. The college also offers some unique opportunities by way of its connection to resource-rich Columbia University. This includes access to the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality, where students can attend seminars and participate in salon-style discussions.

Trinity's Women, Gender, and Sexuality program includes comprehensive study of the interplay between sex and gender, making it one of the best colleges for a gender studies degree that includes a strong LGBTQ+ focus. Indeed, one of the program's learning goals is to empower students to apply both feminist and queer theory to their studies. You can also expect to explore issues of race, class, and nationality, showing Trinity's commitment to offering an inclusive and intersectional degree. And if you'd like to continue your studies outside the classroom, Trinity encourages undergrads of all majors to pursue internships and study abroad opportunities for course credit.

The top small college gender studies program at Skidmore requires just nine courses for the major, but you'll likely want to take more. That's because the school offers a variety of intriguing course options that allow students to examine this vexing topic from just about any angle. For example, you could study the social history of body modification in "The Social Skin: Gender, Beauty & Body Modification" or the way culture influences the perception of female bodies in "Too Fat? Too Thin? Women and Eating Disorders." And particularly ambitious students can graduate with honors in the major by maintaining a required GPA and completing a thesis or senior paper.

Founded in 1855 by abolitionists, Bates was the first coed school in New England. It was also one of the first to admit students of all races and religions. With this liberal history, it's no wonder it evolved into one of the best small colleges for women's studies majors today. Indeed, the curriculum clearly demonstrates Bates' familiarity with social and gender issues. Courses emphasize the myriad ways that bias and culture influence gender relations in daily life while highlighting the systems of privilege that affect us all. And if you're planning to pursue graduate work in the field, Bates' senior thesis requirement will give you solid practice researching and writing long-form papers.

The interdisciplinary and affordable small college gender studies program at Lafayette is committed to inclusivity and diversity in viewpoint. As such, the school provides a number of resources to both support students and challenge them academically. One example is the Women's and Gender Studies Library and Resource Room, a designated "safe space" where undergrads can work on projects and spend time together. Professors also use it as a meeting spot to check in with students who are studying independently or interning off campus. And speaking of internships, Lafayette is a great place to go for real-world experience. In addition to local community organizations, there are a wealth of relevant opportunities with national groups in the area - including several options in nearby New York and Philadelphia.

Southwestern has the smallest undergraduate population on this women's studies undergraduate degrees ranking, which manifests in a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and an average class size of just 15 students. The Central Texas-based school offers a minor and a major in Feminist Studies, and you can also choose to combine your degree with coursework in a related subject. This "mix and match" curriculum, along with Southwestern's diverse range of classes, is ideal for individuals who want some control over the actual disciplines that make up this interdisciplinary program. You could take "Gender and Sexuality in the British Empire" as part of your Historical Perspectives concentration, for example, or "Feminist Disability Studies" as part of your Difference, Power and Resistance in the U.S. concentration.

Ambitious students, take note: Clark recommends that students who major in Women's and Gender Studies double major in a related field (think psychology or sociology) to build on shared themes. But that doesn't mean the program is somehow flimsy in curriculum or too small to function on its own. In fact, the degree offers five unique, targeted concentrations that range from the expected (like Gender, Identity and Sexuality) to the surprising (like Gender, War, and Militaries or Feminist Critiques of Globalization). No matter which concentration you choose, you can feel proud of the program's history, which dates back to the 1970s. In the midst of the decade's political upheaval, student activists demanded - and received - feminist-related coursework at this top college for a gender studies degree.

Mount Holyoke's affordable feminist studies undergraduate programs challenge the tired notion that a gender studies degree doesn't lead to a career. In fact, a required field placement gives you the chance to work for a nonprofit, business, or other community organization, putting theory into practice. Every week, you'll meet with your fellow undergrads to discuss and reflect on your experiences. And if you're eager to focus on LGBTQ+ issues, you can pair your major or minor in gender studies with the Certificate in Queer and Sexuality Studies, offered jointly by Mount Holyoke and the four other local colleges in its consortium. Requiring just seven courses, it's a great way to augment your degree and broaden your career prospects.