Delivery: A mix of daytime, evening, Saturday, and online courses.
Start: Fall or Spring Semester, Summer Session, Full- or Part-Time.

About the Program

To what extent are our attitudes shaped by the media, government, schools, and our families? What barriers still exist to full equality between the sexes, and why? These are just a few key questions you will explore in Century’s Gender Studies program. Our Gender Studies program will help you learn about yourself as you explore new ways of looking at the world and reflect on your beliefs, values, actions, and relationships.

The Gender Studies Certificate program offers an interdisciplinary field of study focused on the rich diversity of experiences across gender, time, cultures, and social/economic classes. In Gender Studies courses, students and faculty examine and evaluate assumptions about the role of gender in society, uncovering the central role in the human experience.

The program is a valuable addition to any academic field and provides a career advantage in many areas. In addition, the Gender Studies Certificate is an excellent preparation for transfer students wishing to major or minor in Gender Studies at other institutions. The Century College Gender Studies Certificate has articulation agreements with Gender Studies departments at:

All courses are part of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC).

Potential Transfer Bachelor’s Degrees

  • Gender Studies
  • Gender and Women’s Studies
  • Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
  • Women’s Studies
  • LGBTQ Studies
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Social Justice Studies

Request for Information

Cost & Financial Aid

As a two-year public community and technical college, Century College receives funding from the State of Minnesota, keeping tuition rates significantly lower than private colleges and universities. With affordable tuition rates and financial aid and scholarship opportunities, our students avoid student loan debt.

Financial Aid

Century College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and our programs qualify for financial aid including grants, loans, and college work-study. Eligibility for financial aid is determined annually based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Century College’s Federal School Code is 010546.

Scholarship Opportunities

Each year, the Century College Foundation awards more than $300,000 in scholarships to Century College students involved in several areas of study. Students are encouraged to create an account and apply for scholarships online.

Tuition Cost per Credit Comparison: Century College $206.41, University of MN - TC $555.13, Priva...

Ready to get
started?

Apply today

Transfer

Instructor presenting to the class.

Additional Requirements

A maximum of two courses transferred from other institutions can be used to help fulfill the 16-credit Gender Studies Certificate.

Apply Today
    

    Program Faculty

  • Experience: Melissa has been an educator for over 20 years. For 15 years she led summer programs at the Burren College of Art in Co. Clare Ireland. Recently she has served as a mentor at Minneapolis College of Art and Design and San Francisco Art Institute’s MFA Programs. Melissa is currently a full-time faculty member in Art and Gender Studies and Exhibitions Director at Century. It was through her position at Century that she partnered with a local Somali Artist to create the Young East African Artists Project. Funded by an MN State Arts Board Arts Learning Grant the project provided opportunities for high school students from East African immigrant communities to learn photography as a creative tool. The program culminated in an exhibition at the Quater Gallery at the University of Minnesota Department of Art.
    Education: Masters of Fine Arts in Visual Art, San Francisco Art Institute
    Notable: Melissa’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally. She is a recipient of the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative and Creative Support Grants, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grant, and Rochester Art Center’s Jerome Emerging Artist Award. She has self-published three artist books, two of which are in the Rosemary Furtak Artist Book Collection at the Walker Art Center.
    Melissa Borman
    Faculty/Exhibition Coordinator
    Bio
    Art
    W 1107
    651-779-3201
  • Experience: Susannah Dolance grew up in Dallas, Texas and discovered her passion for Sociology early in her undergraduate studies at Texas Tech University, where she earned a BA in Sociology in 1997. She earned her Master’s degree and PhD in Sociology at the University of Michigan. In 2004, Susannah moved from Michigan to Minnesota in order to teach Sociology and Gender Studies full-time at Century College. Her areas of interest are gender, sexuality, race, education, and social change. She lives with her partner in Northeast Minneapolis, where in her free time, she enjoys reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), biking, and cooking and eating good food.
    Teaching Approach: See bio above
    Education: BA, Sociology, Texas Tech University; MA & PhD, Sociology, University of Michigan
    Hobbies: See bio above
    Susannah Dolance
    Faculty
    Bio
    Sociology
    W 3461
    651-779-3459
  • Experience: Dr. Engelen-Eigles has been teaching at the college level for over 25 years. Prior to joining the faculty at Century in 2004, she taught at the University of St. Katherine, St. Olaf College, and the University of Minnesota. From 2013-2015, she co-directed the task force that designed a comprehensive Honors Program for the College and brought it to the eve of implementation. Dr. Engelen-Eigles has extensive experience teaching online and blended courses, and currently mentors other faculty in online teaching strategies.
    Teaching Approach: “I believe every student benefits from exposure to a broad range of ideas–in terms of subject matter as well as viewpoints. It is my hope that students leave my classes feeling like they have been challenged to think in new ways, to question taken-for-granted knowledge about the world around them, and to not just state–but to support–their arguments in discussions and essays.”
    Education: Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Minnesota; MS in Consumer Studies, Virginia Tech; Graduate Certificate in European Studies, Université Libre de Bruxelles; BA in Studio Art, Wesleyan University.
    Notable: 2011-2012 Fulbright Research Scholar, Seoul, Korea “Women with Disabilities in Korea: Experiences with Health Care”; “Why Honors is a Hard Sell in the Community College” (with Jan Milner), published in the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, Fall/Winter 2014, Volume 15, Number 2, https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nchcjournal/437/.
    Hobbies: Learning languages, fitness, water sports
    Debbie Engelen-Eigles
    Faculty
    Bio
    Sociology
    W 3460
    651-779-3451
  • Experience: Brian Lewis has 25 years as an instructor of composition and American Literature. 15 years as instructor of Gender Studies. Editor of MCTE Journal, three years. Current Assistant Chair of TYCA-Midwest.
    Teaching Approach: “I use a very interactive teaching approach. My writing classes are taught in a computer lab, so students can do writing in class and share their work with each other. My literature courses include a lot of discussion and presentation. And my gender studies courses include a social activism project in which students do work in their communities related to gender studies issues.”
    Education: BA, MA, English, Wayne State University; PhD, Critical Studies in the Teaching of English, Michigan State University
    Hobbies: Reading (especially memoirs), writing, working out, eating good food, listening to 80s music
    Brian Lewis
    Faculty
    Bio
    English
    W 3387
    651-747-4056
  • Experience: Ruth Wollersheim teaches Humanities, Film Studies, and Gender Studies, and is the current Gender Studies Program Director at Century College. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in an interdisciplinary program called Modern Studies where her areas of concentration were feminist film and media studies, feminist theory, and cultural studies. Her dissertation examined the popularity of the desperate housewife character in innumerable films, television shows, and cooking blogs. Ruth has been teaching at Century for over 10 years.
    Teaching Approach: Ruth’s philosophy for teaching and learning comes from her strong commitment to social justice and equity as well as her background in interdisciplinary teaching and learning in the broader humanities, such as in film and critical media studies, gender studies, and English literature and composition. In other words, she believes in the transformative power of storytelling across disciplines, identities, and cultures. She also considers teaching and learning a matter of continual trial and error. Ruth loves the energy of the classroom and is always concerned when you are not there. Additionally, she really, really, really wants you to succeed and find strength in your journey and your unique identity.
    Education: PhD, Modern Studies, (focused on culture, media, and theory); Women’s Studies Graduate Certificate
    Hobbies: Her other passions include craft beer, saunas, lake swimming, canoes, Bernese Mountain Dogs, vintage dresses, and human rights.
    Ruth Wollersheim
    Faculty
    Bio
    Humanities
    W 1103
    651-779-3232

Contact Century College