Georgia State University eliminates gender studies major

“When universities eliminate gender studies programs, students are denied pathways to learn about themselves and the world around them, and are less prepared to succeed, think critically and confront inequities,” said Gaylynn Burroughs of the National Women’s Law Center.

GSU’s move aligns with public universities in other conservative-leaning states. The New College of Florida ended its gender studies program in 2023, with Wichita State University following suit in 2025. The University of Iowa announced in February it plans to close its program, along with five others, citing low enrollment. Texas A&M University ended its women’s and gender studies programs in January after a school policy prohibited courses from advocating “race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.”

“Gender ideology” has become a frequent target of conservative lawmakers, including President Donald Trump. On Inauguration Day last year, he issued an executive order requiring federal agencies stop the “funding of gender ideology.” Less than a month later, the U.S. Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” letter threatening to cut federal funding for schools that engaged in “discriminatory” diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Beverly Guy-Sheftall, founding director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center at Spelman College, the private all-women’s school in Atlanta, said she believes GSU’s decision was the result of political pressure.

“I don’t think colleges and universities would be doing this if they were not receiving Dear Colleague letters and Executive Orders threatening to shut down (federal) grants,” Guy-Sheftall said. “It’s very disturbing, it’s unprecedented, and I think the motive is unapologetic, clear and a huge violation of academic freedom.”

The Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at GSU was chartered in 1994, although its history reaches back to the 1970s. GSU’s website says the major leads to careers in advocacy, health care, media, business and education. It’s described as a “cutting-edge program.”

GSU said students currently enrolled will be able to finish their degrees and it doesn’t expect to terminate any full-time faculty as a result of the deactivation. The school will still offer its graduate and certificate programs in the discipline.

According to Todd N. Rosenstiel, dean of GSU’s College of Arts & Sciences, the program was discontinued because it did not have high enough enrollment and did not confer enough degrees. Falling short of those benchmarks — set by the USG, which oversees the state’s public universities — makes a program “subject to discontinuance consideration,” Rosenstiel said in a statement. In fall 2025, the major enrolled 12 students and conferred one degree, according to school data.

But although the program had low metrics, it did not have the lowest. In the fall semesters 2020-2025, it outpaced German, French and geosciences in enrollment. For conferrals, it tied French while topping German, geosciences and religious studies. The school declined to say if it is discontinuing other majors or just WGSS.

Jennie Burnet, director of GSU’s Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, emailed students and faculty about the discontinuation on March 18. She wrote that the institute was “disappointed” by the decision, which followed a “recent meeting” between the school and the University System of Georgia.

A student taking classes at GSU’s Dunwoody campus, Beth Chandler said she learned of the move during Women’s History Month. “I’m just astounded that the state of Georgia continues to demonstrate their disregard and disrespect for women in this state,” she said.

It is not clear who specifically decided to deactivate the degree. In a statement, GSU said decisions about academic programs are made through “established shared governance and administrative processes at the institutional level” and “guided by Board of Regents policies.” The University System did not respond to requests for comment.

Burnet’s email said supporters could advocate for the discipline by explaining WGSS develops essential skills, “including complex problem‑solving, close reading and textual analysis, critical thinking, communication, data analysis, intercultural competence, and ethical reasoning.”

Those “human‑centered skills,” Burnet wrote, “are increasingly needed in an AI‑driven economy.”

Carson Prince, who graduated from the B.A. program in 2019, said he was saddened to hear of its demise. Now the owner of an estate sale company, Prince said that if not for the GSU program, he likely would have studied out of state.

“If you wanted that as your undergraduate degree, it was pretty much the best option, especially one that was accessible and affordable to the diverse student body that Georgia State attracts,” Prince said.

Georgia State’s enrollment is roughly 60% female. The university has more than 53,000 students.

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Undergraduates hoping to get a women’s and gender studies degree in Georgia may now have to look at private colleges. Guy-Sheftall said privates tend to be more insulated from political pressure, particularly in Southern states where legislatures and regent boards — often dominated by conservatives — wield significant power over public universities.

“They would be much more likely to support executive orders coming from the White House,” Guy-Sheftall said.

Among Georgia’s public schools, the women’s and gender studies bachelor’s degree at UGA now stands alone. Gina Abelkop taught some of those classes while getting her Ph.D. from Georgia, and said the discipline is highly applicable to many careers, including medicine and law.

Beyond that, she said it builds an important community for many students across campus. Losing the program at GSU means “losing an entire culture within the university system,” Abelkop said.