In this Guide
Learn the many ways you can extend your classroom experience to the real world.
- Take Introduction to Women and Gender Studies and explore other programs of interest.
- Learn about co-op – apply at the end of your first year.
- Enhance your academic experience at Laurier through professional one-on-one, online and peer-to-peer resources available through Academic Advising and Support.
- Enrol in a Community Service-Learning (CSL) course to engage with the local community.
- Connect with a faculty member to complete a directed studies course in your final year.
- Get involved with roundtable discussions, research panels and conferences.
- Attend film screenings organized by the department and student groups.
- If you’re thinking about applying to graduate school, talk with your professors and visit the Career Centre.
- Learn about Research and Instructional Assistantship opportunities in Women & Gender Studies.
- Enrol in the fourth-year seminar to study one area in depth and conduct independent research in an area of your choice.
- If you’re applying to graduate school, sign up for a scholarship proposal writing workshop and book a further education application appointment.
As a Women and Gender Studies student, you can:
- Join student clubs such as Laurier Women’s Health Advocacy Association (LWHAA), For The Girls, Her Campus Wilfrid Laurier, hErVOLUTION Laurier or Women Leading Politics Association (WLPA) and build leadership and organizing skills as part of an executive team.
- Get involved with the Laurier Students' Public Interest Research Group (LSPIRG).
- Join Women’s, Gender and Social Justice (WGSJ) as a student member and attend the WGSJ Annual Conference.
Outside of your program, there are many co-curricular opportunities for you to participate in.
- Check out the Experience Catalogue for a full list of co-curricular experiences that are currently offered across campus.
- Volunteer with the Students’ Union (e.g., Laurier Orientation, Hawk Walk, EcoHawks, Food Bank, Emergency Response Team, Shinerama).
- Volunteer on campus with the Accessible Learning, Global Engagement, Sustainability Office, Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, WLU Student Publications and more.
- Get involved in the local community by volunteering off campus.
- Apply for on-campus jobs:
- Check Navigator frequently for job postings or contact individual departments directly.
- Search for job opportunities on the Students’ Union website.
- If you meet eligibility criteria, apply for the Laurier Work Study Program or International Student Work Experience Program.
- Attend Job Fairs to network with employers.
- Explore ways to get involved in research.
- Look into StartUp Lab opportunities for support in launching a new venture.
Job/Volunteer Search Tips
- While on-campus opportunities are posted year-round, recruitment often starts early! Start looking in the winter term for opportunities in the following academic year.
- Have your resumé and LinkedIn profile reviewed by Career Centre staff for both on and off-campus opportunities.
- Laurier offers a variety of co-curricular certificates that you can complete during your studies. Earn certificates in topics including academic development, professional development, wellness, leadership and career development.
- Participate in workshops, programming and events offered by the Career Centre, Gendered and Sexual Violence Prevention and Support, Laurier Library, the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and more.
- Engage in the First-Year Leadership Program including Campus Councils and House Council and the Leadership Certificate.
- Connect with Global Engagement to learn about international options available to you including opportunities abroad and language and culture sharing programs.
Design Your Degree
These are a few popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge. See undergraduate options, minors and courses for more information.
Develop Your Knowledge and Skills
As a Laurier student, you will develop the following competencies through your curricular and co-curricular experiences.
Competency Framework
Competencies are categories of transferrable skills that appear on your online Experience Record to help you reflect on what you've learned from your experiences. The competencies include:
- Adaptability and Resiliency
- Collaboration and Teamwork
- Communication
- Creativity and Innovation
- Critical Thinking
- Digital Literacy
- Diversity and Intercultural Understanding
- Functional Knowledge
- Leadership
- Problem Solving
- Professional Attributes
- Self-Awareness
Functional Knowledge
The functional knowledge you will develop in your program will help you:
- Conduct analyses of gender in relationship to power that recognize the intersectionality of privilege and oppression rooted in race, class, age, ability, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, and Indigeneity.
- Engage in interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge that allow for both creative thinking and the synthesis of these various approaches for productive debates.
- Locate feminist movements and their histories socially and politically as they pertain to a national and international context.
- Utilize key research methodologies, including textual and cultural analyses, to understand and apply both historical and contemporary theories relevant to feminist scholarship.
- Use feminist concepts, methodological skills and theory to understand and analyze both your own life and the world around you.
- Develop self-reflexivity about the politics and ethics of knowledge production, including the significance of social and political locations, and identify the inevitable gaps and partiality of knowledge.
Discover Career Options
All your experiences at Laurier can help you prepare for your future. Attend Career Centre events and workshops or book a career consulting appointment to explore career and further education options.
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628 Faculty of Arts Undergraduate respondents from the 2024 Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by the Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation. Other includes those travelling, volunteering or out of the workforce. 4% of graduates were looking for employment when survey data collection ended.
Alumni Careers and Pathways
Sample Further Education Programs Within the First Year After Graduation
- Master’s Degree - Cultural Analysis and Social Theory, Social Justice and Community Engagement, Applied Politics
- College Program - Human Resources, Marketing, Public Relations
Sample Jobs Within the First Year After Graduation
- community manager
- direct source recruiter
- film mentor
- insurance claims advisor
- marketing and fleet coordinator
- youth program facilitator
Careers Of Alumni Two to Five Years After Graduation
- adult education facilitator
- communications and engagement specialist
- data governance manager
- equity, diversity and inclusion manager
- human resources generalist
- lawyer
- partnership manager
- research assistant
- social worker
- web content specialist
Career Options and Resources
Recent changes in policies and practices in the public and private sectors have led to an increasing number of job possibilities for people knowledgeable about women and gender issues. Personnel offices, human resources, public policy, government, police forces, social services agencies and educational institutions are all interested in employees with such knowledge, especially for positions dealing with employment equity and sexual harassment.
Women and Gender Studies courses can also help to prepare you for careers in areas such as law, medicine, business, politics, community action, social policy and planning, fine arts, teaching and research.
Need some guidance on what you can do with your degree? Discover some career options and find resources to help guide you.
Career and Industry Options
- counselling/social work
- criminal justice
- digital media/social media/communication
- education/teaching
- equity, diversity and inclusion
- gender advocacy
- gender research
- government
- healthcare
- human resources
- journalism/writing
- law/legal field
- negotiation and dispute resolution
- non-profit/advocacy
- public policy
- public relations
- social services
Your Experiences Tell Your Story
Share your story through your Laurier Experience Record. An interactive, shareable and official record of your hands-on experiences and learning opportunities at Laurier – the first of its kind in Canada!
Share Your Feedback
We'd love to hear from you. Complete the Laurier Experience Guide Feedback Survey to share your thoughts.