Disability Studies
College of Arts & Sciences
Disability Studies examines how society understands and represents disability, and investigates issues of discrimination and social justice. Disability Studies enhances the understanding of disability by incorporating social, cultural, historical, legal and political perspectives, including the connections between disability and other identities such as race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Graduates of this degree pursue careers in a variety of fields, including public policy, nonprofit, health care, business, social work, psychology, education and law, among others.
Applicant type
Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)
Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman, including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).
Quarters of general admission to UW: autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring / summer
Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.
- Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
- Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
- Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
- UW college and school graduation requirements
Department admission information
Please contact the department for details about the application process.
Disability Studies is a minimum admission requirements major, accepting applications at any time.
To apply, you must have completed DIS ST/LSJ/CHID 230: “Introduction to Disability Studies” with a minimum grade of 2.0. In addition, you must have earned a minimum of 45 credits and have a UW GPA of 2.0 or higher. Please schedule an appointment to talk more about the major and/or minor.
You can also email the academic adviser at: disstadv@uw.edu
Learn more on the Disability Studies website.
Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.
Courses required for the major:
- DIS ST/LSJ/CHID 230: Introduction to Disability Studies
Entering transfer information:
Total undergraduates: 0
Total from Washington community colleges: 0