Undergraduate Scholarships & Awards

The Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies (WGSS) has several scholarships and awards to support our undergraduate students as they pursue their education at UMass and beyond. Applications generally open each spring, but alumni and other friends of the department can donate to support these funds year round. 

WGSS in Action Award

This award was established in honor of Karen Lederer who graduated with a WGSS (then Women’s Studies) certificate/minor in 1981, and worked as an undergraduate advisor in the department from 1986–2020.

This award provides some funding for current WGSS undergraduate students to undertake a specific project related to their feminist studies or activism. Examples of eligible projects include: attending a scholarly or activist conference, either in or out of state; bringing a scholarly or activist speaker to campus; staging a performance (e.g., to defray venue and equipment costs); participating in an unpaid internship with a social justice organization; or a project for a class that requires more resources. Applicants should provide details regarding the project proposed for funding, including when it would take place. Preference will be given to applicants who, without the prize, would be unable to execute or participate in their planned project.

You must be a declared major or minor to apply.  

Apply (deadline Spring 24, 4/12/24)

Dr. Alex Deschamps Student Award

This award is established in honor of Dr. Alex Deschamps, a vital and vibrant faculty member of the UMass Amherst community. She joined the faculty of WGSS in 1995 before moving to the Commonwealth Honors College as a full-time associate dean in the fall of 2018. 

This award is for current UMass students doing work—preferably but not exclusivelyon black feminisms or women of color feminisms. The work could be related to current or planned coursework, internships, jobs, or activist projects. 

Apply (deadline Spring 24, 4/12/24)

Ann Ferguson Scholarship Award

The Ann Ferguson Scholarship Award through the Community Foundation is for students living in Hampshire, Franklin, or Hampden County. The award is for undergraduates who have declared a WGSS major or minor and graduate students accepted into the Certificate in Feminist Studies in WGSS at UMass Amherst.

Graduate Awards

WGSS has several awards intended to support our Graduate Certificate students' research. 

Joyce A. Berkman Award

The Joyce A. Berkman Award for Outstanding Graduate Feminist Scholarship is presented annually by the department in honor of Joyce Avrech Berkman, feminist teacher, activist, History Department faculty member for 48 years (1965–2013), and co-founder of WGSS.   

Essay submissions may be on any topic that falls under the broad rubric of feminist scholarship. Prize-winning essays will exhibit clarity, originality, and ambition.  Submissions may not exceed 25 double-spaced pages (including notes and references).   

Eligibility:

  • Applicants must be currently enrolled in or have completed the Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies.

  • Submissions must be unpublished essays, originally composed in (or fundamentally shaped by) a WGSS graduate-level course.

  • Only one submission per applicant will be accepted; applicants may not receive the Joyce A. Berkman Award more than once.

Submission Instructions:

  • Submissions may not exceed 25 double-spaced pages (including notes and references).

  • Submissions are anonymous. Essays with any identifying information will be disqualified.

  • Please append to your entry a brief description (500 words or less) of the ways in which your essay was shaped by your graduate coursework in the Department of WGSS.

Graduate Research Presentation Award

The WGSS Graduate Research Presentation Award supports WGSS Graduate Certificate students to attend a conference or workshop for the purpose of presenting their research. 

Applicants must be currently enrolled in or have completed the Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies

Ann Ferguson Scholarship Award

The Ann Ferguson Scholarship Award through the Community Foundation is for students living in Hampshire, Franklin, or Hampden County. The award is for undergraduates who have declared a WGSS major or minor and graduate students accepted into the Certificate in Feminist Studies in WGSS at UMass Amherst.