Subject overview

Academic activities

Gender studies research at Sussex is particularly active. There are many lively research fora including NGender, a weekly student-led open seminar. The Centre for Gender Studies, the Sussex Centre for Cultural Studies and the Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence offer faculty research events including international speakers and conferences focused on gender and sexuality to which students are warmly welcomed. 

Recent seminars have covered ‘Being Barbara Streisand’, feminist working-class autobiographies, gendered militarisms, queer mental health, the aftermath of violence, and the politics of beauty. 

Programmes

• PhD in Gender Studies (Humanities)
• PhD in Gender Studies (Social Sciences)
• MPhil in Gender Studies (Humanities)

There are two doctoral pathways in gender studies: 

• Gender Studies (Humanities) for those seeking to do research in areas that are primarily, but not exclusively, cultural 
• Gender Studies (Social Sciences) for those seeking to do research in areas that are primarily sociological. 

With traditional entry, research projects are planned and designed in the first year of study. If you are planning to undertake empirical research, you will conduct an initial literature review and design your methodology. At the end of the first year, you are usually required to submit a research outline (for 1+3 students – see below – this can be the MSc dissertation), which is reviewed by expert faculty. This can take the form of an extended research proposal or a chapter from the planned thesis, or a combination. The second year is usually when fieldwork is conducted, if any is required, and writing up of the final thesis begins in the third year. You are supported throughout by two expert supervisors, and can also access a variety of additional training and support. 

Research and teaching in gender studies crosses the subject boundaries of anthropology, art history, sociology, English, history, international relations, law, media, film and cultural studies, and there is a wide range of potential research supervisors for PhD students in gender studies. 

Coursework

There are two common modes of entry for research students. First is traditional entry to an MPhil or PhD. Second is the MSc plus PhD pathway, which is the 1+3 route supported by ESRC or AHRC studentships (visit Doctoral training). All new research students will be required to participate in a programme of research training modules and to take other modules that may be recommended by their supervisor. (Exemption from research training modules can be granted to those who have already taken such modules at postgraduate level.) 

Recent thesis titles: Gender Studies (Humanities)

Changing media, changing feminisms 

The older woman’s body as a source of horror 

The queer uncanny 

Recent thesis titles: Gender Studies (Social Sciences)

Breaking the silence – lesbian clients speaking out about their experiences of counselling 

Honour killings in Turkey 

Lone mothers and social policy in Korea 

Entry requirements

MPhil in Gender Studies (Humanities)

UK entrance requirements

A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree or equivalent. Applicants should submit an outline (two to three pages) of their research interests.

Overseas entrance requirements

If your country is not listed below, please contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

Country	Overseas qualification
Australia	Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
Brazil	Bacharel, Licenciado or professional title with a final mark of at least 8
Canada	Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3/4.0 (grade B+)
China	Bachelor degree from a leading university with overall mark of 75%-85% depending on your university
Cyprus	Bachelor degree or Ptychion with a final mark of at least 7.5
France	Licence with mention bien or Maîtrise with final mark of at least 13
Germany	Bachelor degree or Magister Artium with a final mark of 2.4 or better
Ghana	Bachelor degree from a public university with second-class upper division
Greece	Ptychion from an AEI with a final mark of at least 7.5
Hong Kong	Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
India	Bachelor degree from a leading institution with overall mark of at least 60% or equivalent
Iran	Bachelor degree (Licence or Karshenasi) with a final mark of at least 15
Italy	Diploma di Laurea with an overall mark of at least 105
Japan	Bachelor degree from a leading university with a minumum average of B+ or equivalent
Malaysia	Bachelor degree with class 2 division 1
Mexico	Licenciado with a final mark of at least 8
Nigeria	Bachelor degree with second-class upper division or CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0
Pakistan	Four-year bachelor degree, normally with a GPA of at least 3.3
Russia	Magistr or Specialist Diploma with a minimum average mark of at least 4
South Africa	Bachelor (Honours) degree or Bachelor degree in Technology with an overall mark of at least 70%
Saudi Arabia	Bachelor degree with an overall mark of at least 70% or CGPA 3.5/5.0 or equivalent
South Korea	Bachelor degree from a leading university with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
Spain	Licenciado with a final mark of at least 2/4
Taiwan	Bachelor degree with overall mark of 70%-85% depending on your university
Thailand	Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or equivalent
Turkey	Lisans Diplomasi with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 depending on your university
United Arab Emirates	Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
USA	Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3-3.5/4.0 depending on your university
Vietnam	Masters degree with CGPA 3.5/4.0 or equivalent

If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas qualifications, contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

PhD in Gender Studies (Humanities)

UK entrance requirements

A Masters degree in a subject relevant to your research. Applicants should submit an outline research proposal (three to four pages) indicating their topic, including possible chapters, methodology, research context and a short bibliography of relevant sources.

Overseas entrance requirements

If you are an international student and wish to find out if you have the necessary qualifications for this degree, please refer to Overseas qualifications.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

PhD in Gender Studies (Social Sciences)

UK entrance requirements

A Masters degree in a subject relevant to your research. Applicants should submit an outline research proposal (three to four pages) indicating their topic, including possible chapters, methodology, research context and a short bibliography of relevant sources.

Overseas entrance requirements

If you are an international student and wish to find out if you have the necessary qualifications for this degree, please refer to Overseas qualifications.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

Related subjects

• Media, media practice and cultural studies
• Sociology

Fees and funding

Fees

MPhil in Gender Studies (Humanities)

Home UK/EU students: £3,900¹
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,900²
Overseas students: £13,000³

¹ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
² The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
³ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

PhD in Gender Studies (Humanities)

Home UK/EU students: £3,900¹
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,900²
Overseas students: £13,000³

¹ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
² The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
³ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

PhD in Gender Studies (Social Sciences)

Home UK/EU students: £3,900¹
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,900²
Overseas students: £13,000³

¹ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
² The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
³ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

Faculty interests

Gender studies at Sussex has clusters of expertise but we welcome proposals that fall outside of these themes as our supervisory expertise is very broad. Research interests of our faculty are briefly described below. For more information, visit the Centre for Gender Studies. 

Gender activism, gender politics

Our scholars map women’s and LGBTQ movements both historically and in the contemporary context, in this country and abroad. A number of faculty also work on current ‘hot topic’ areas such as abortion, trans* issues, sex work and sexual violence, and many engage in grassroots activism themselves. 

Professor Andrea Cornwall Participation, development, gender, sexuality, citizenship. 

Professor Beate Jahn Classical and contemporary political and international theory. 

Dr Margaretta Jolly Life history narrative, oral history, feminist history and writing. 

Dr Alison Phipps The politics of the body: sexual violence, sex work, and reproduction. 

Professor Cynthia Weber Gender, media and culture in an international frame. 

Gender and culture

Gender research at Sussex includes all aspects of culture and everyday life – art, literature, film, social and digital media, representation and narrative, high culture and popular culture, the institutional level and the micropolitics of the everyday, including the ordinary, and the extraordinary. Gender infuses all aspects of human communication and this is reflected in our work. 

Dr Caroline Bassett New media technologies, working on narrative and new media. 

Dr Denise DeCaires Narain Postcolonialist writing; feminist cultural theory. 

Professor Liz James The representation of women in the classical and medieval world. 

Dr Kate Lacey Gender, media and the public sphere. Current work focuses on listening publics. 

Dr Claire Langhamer 20th-century British history, gender and mass observation. 

Professor Vicky Lebeau The convergence of psychoanalysis, literature and cinema. 

Dr Monika Metykova Gender and globalisation, journalism and migration. 

Professor Sue Thornham Feminism, film and cultural theory. 

Janice Winship Women’s magazines, advertising and consumption in the 20th century.

Gender, society and state

Our faculty work on issues to do with the social relations of gender, with interests ranging from how gendered norms and values shape everyday life to the gendering of state institutions, policies and legislation. Our work focuses on social policy issues such as education, reproduction and violence, in national and international contexts. 

Professor Gillian Bendelow Sociology of pain, health promotion, gender and new technology. 

Dr Ben Fincham Injury, death and suicide; mobilities; peripheral labour; work and danger. 

Dr Tamsin Hinton-Smith Inequalities and social exclusion. 

Dr Pamela Kea Gambia, West Africa; globalisation, child labour and education. 

Dr Filippo Osella Kerala, South India; migration and globalisation; masculinity; consumption. 

Dr Lizzie Seal Women who kill, gender and crime, capital punishment, criminology. 

International/global feminisms

Our faculty conduct research in many countries, and we have a number of anthropologists who engage in ethnographic fieldwork all over the world. We benefit from the opportunity to interrogate our assumptions – and our feminisms – through crosscultural comparisons and a diversity of theories and politics. 

Dr Anne-Meike Fechter Gender and ethnicity in the context of global inequalities. 

Professor Jane Cowan Gender, nationalism, memory and identity. 

Dr Elizabeth Harrison Discourses of gender and development. 

Dr Maya Unnithan India, Rajasthan; fertility and reproductive health; medical anthropology. 

LGBT and queer studies

Sussex has the largest concentration of queer studies scholars in Europe. We are a key hub for research in gender and sexuality and queer theory. Our faculty work on many cutting-edge funded projects. Our proximity to Brighton provides many opportunities for you to explore LGBTQ culture in Brighton and in London. 

Andy Medhurst Popular culture, sexuality, gender, and Englishness. 

Dr Sharif Mowlabocus Digital cultures, gender, sexuality and representation. 

Professor Sally R Munt Queer studies, cultural studies, identity and emotion. 

Dr Kate O’Riordan Cultural studies of science and technology. 

Dr Niall Richardson Representations of gender in film and popular culture. 

Dr Vincent Quinn Lesbian and gay studies, the history of sexuality, and 18th-century studies. 

Dr Michael Lawrence Queer film, animals, children. 

Careers and perspectives

Our degrees aim to cater equally for those seeking to develop an existing research interest, those in a career in which issues of gender play an important role, and those who simply wish to explore a broad range of issues concerning gender.

Our graduates have gone on to careers as researchers, administrators and communications officers for charities and NGOs. 

School and contacts