The Department of Women's & Ethnic Studies (WEST) at UCCS offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in WEST that can be completed completely online. Women's & Ethnic Studies (WEST) emphasizes cultural responsiveness, critical and cross-disciplinary thinking, creative and innovative teaching, community engagement, and local and global awareness.

This program aims to create an equitable and sustainable world by analyzing structural inequality from historical and cultural perspectives and exploring practical strategies for change. WEST offers one-on-one mentoring, including virtual mentoring, small classes, travel courses, and a range of scholarship and internship opportunities.

The undergraduate online WEST degree program centers on the histories, experiences, and cultural expressions of women and racial or ethnic groups not only in the United States but also across the world. The curriculum takes an intersectional approach, exploring the connections among race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and other hierarchies.

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of WEST coursework, including at least 21 credit hours of upper-division WEST courses, with a grade of C or better in each course. These courses must include the following 10 credit hours of core requirements:

• WEST 1010 Introduction to Social Justice Studies (multiple online sections every semester and most summers)
• WEST 3400 Contemporary Theory and Methods in WEST (offered online in alternate falls)
• WEST 4995 (Summit 1 credit course) AND one 4000-level WEST Capstone-flagged senior-seminar course. At least one senior-seminar is offered online each semester. Online students can also consider travel senior-seminar courses to complete their capstone requirement.
• Of the remaining 18 credit hours of electives, students must successfully complete one course each from the following three substantive areas: Transnational/Global Studies; Creative and Artistic Expression; Social Movements, Communities, and History, plus at least nine credit hours of upper-division WEST courses.

Many WEST courses are offered in the online asynchronous format, including but not limited to:

• WEST 1010 - Introduction to Social Justice Studies
• WEST 2080 - Foundations of Latinx Studies
• WEST 2500 - Social Justice through Film
• WEST 2900: Special Topics – Intimate Partner Violence
• WEST 3030: Dis/Ability Studies in Education
• WEST 3050: The Chicano Community
• WEST 3060: Multi-Racial Identities
• WEST 3290: Perspectives on Race and Ethnic Relations
• WEST 3310: Sociology of the Family
• WEST 3360 U.S. Latina/o Literature Lecture (online synchronous)
• WEST 3380: Caribbean Literature, History and Theory (online synchronous)
• WEST 3400: Theory and Methods in WEST (online alternating falls)
• WEST 3470: Criminology
• WEST 3660: WEST Internship
• WEST 4270: Artivism (online synchronous)
• WEST 4470: Intersections of Privilege  - Travel course
• WEST 4480: Racial Storytelling - Travel course to Montgomery, Alabama  
• WEST 4530: Advanced Power & Privilege
• WEST 4700: Global Feminisms
• WEST 4900: Advanced Special Topics -  Mad Studies
• WEST 4900 : Advanced Special Topics -  Body, Culture and Power
• WEST 4960: Juvenile Delinquency

For more information on program coursework, please visit the Academic Catalog.

To learn more about admission requirements and the application process, please visit the UCCS Admissions page.

Additional resources for Admissions:
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•    Scholarships