Department Overview
The Human Sexuality department at CIIS draws professionals from many disciplines who are interested in furthering the scholarship of sexuality studies.
We strive to provide an integral view of human sexuality that includes multiple perspectives and philosophies. Students are invited to explore desire, intimacy, identity, sexuality/gender, cultural influences, power and stigma, sexual response and practices, and reproduction.
Graduates of our Human Sexuality Ph.D. program are prepared for professional careers in research, education, clinical and organizational settings, advocacy, policy, and more. Our faculty have a wide range of research interests, among them social and economic justice issues for the LGBTQ community, feminist conversations on power and gender, the biopolitics of HIV-prevention, reproductive journeys of transgender and nonbinary people, bioethics of sexual reorientation interventions, and bisexual representations in film and media.
In addition to the Ph.D. in Human Sexuality, CIIS also offers a Sex Therapy Certificate open to the public through our Public Programs department.
Learn More About Our Program
Our Approach
Our Human Sexuality Ph.D. is an interdisciplinary program in critical sexuality studies, exploring the intersections of power and sexuality. You will explore the urgent challenges in the field and their best theoretical and methodological solutions.
Students will be challenged to create new knowledge via a scholar-practitioner model that requires remaining situated in the complexity of life while deepening impact on scholarly insights and social change initiatives. The program provides a rigorous academic environment and a way for you to engage in subject matter that will position professional work after graduation.
The program’s model moves you towards a grounded, contextual engagement with current issues in sexuality that have real material impact on people’s lives. Some examples of real-world inquiries pursued are:
- Black women’s sexual freedom
- Sex trafficking amongst Indigenous girls and women in Canada
- Clinical approaches to polyamory amongst millennials
- Examining self-compassion techniques for women dealing with the aftermath of sexual violence and trauma
How to Apply
Application Open Dates
Apply for Spring 2023 starting September 15, 2022 - see a list of spring-admitting programs.
Apply for Fall 2023 starting November 15, 2022 - all programs accept fall applications.
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Questions? Contact us.
We are here to help! If you have any questions about applying to a program or registering for an Info Session, please reach out to the Admissions Office.
