Universities across U.S. offering 'transgender studies' certificates

Many American universities are now offering various certificates in “transgender studies,” including curricula geared specifically toward the healthcare professionals serving children.

Southern Oregon University is offering graduate students the option to earn a “Certificate in Transgender Studies.”

This certificate is described as “interdisciplinary and intersectional” and “explores the importance of transgender lives and communities in society.”

“Trans voices are centered, and courses range from considering trans activism, trans histories, trans lives within social institutions, literary works by trans authors, decolonizing transgender experiences, and imagining trans futures,” the description continues.

“The certificate focuses on social change and social justice for trans lives, addressing inequities, inequalities, empowerment, and resilience. The certificate prepares students to work in a variety of fields addressing trans lives.”

Required courses for the certificate include “Trans Histories, Trans Futures,” “Decolonizing Transgender,” and “Trans*forming institutions.”

[RELATED: University paper, faculty decry legislation to protect children from underage sex changes]

Other universities have adopted similar programs.

The University of Minnesota offers a “Transgender and Gender Diverse Health Certificate” for those who “want to make a difference on the front lines of health care, patient advocacy, or education.”

“Those with a passion for serving in nursing, social work, family science, psychology, medicine, physical therapy, dentistry, or pharmacy,” would “benefit from a certificate in transgender health,” the certificate’s website states.

Students will learn “up-to-date, evidence-based practices in gender-affirming health care,” “how to approach transgender and gender diverse health through an intersectional lens,” and “real-life health considerations for transgender and gender diverse populations.”

The certificate is composed of four courses, including “Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults,” “Intersectional and Decolonizing Approaches to Transgender Health,” “Gender Diversity, Sexuality, and Sexual Health,” and “Considerations in the Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents.”

Lewis and Clark Graduate School offers an online graduate certificate in “Gender Diversity in Children and Youth: History, Science, Society, and the Implementation of Inclusive and Affirming Policy and Practice.”

The program is the “[first] of its kind in the country” and “prepares participants to actively engage within classrooms, school boards, and communities.”

The program is described as “beneficial” for “[school] teachers, administrators, counselors, and board members; support service providers, nonprofit employees, attorneys, early-childhood providers,” and “state and county professionals.”

Participants in the program are not required to be enrolled in Lewis and Clark’s graduate school.

[RELATED: Pitt lecturer calls laws protecting children from sex changes ‘a form of violence’]

The certificate program is composed of four courses, starting in fall 2023 and ending in summer 2024. These include “Patriarchy, Transmisogyny, and the Science of Human Diversity,” “Child and Adolescent Gender Development: Society, Healthcare, Education, and Maturation,” “Intersectional Discrimination and Disinformation in the US,” and “From Policy to Practice: Protecting Student/Staff Rights and Implementing Policy Change in Schools and Communities.”

Campus Reform has reached out to all individuals and entities mentioned for comment and will update accordingly.