Disability Studies Minor

The Disability Studies Minor at MSU Denver invites you to explore the political, social, and cultural aspects of disability and neurodiversity through an interdisciplinary curriculum spanning nine departments across the University. Students develop critical frameworks for understanding disability as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon rather than simply a medical condition. This 18-credit program can be completed online and draws from 20+ courses across 9 departments. This minor is a great fit if you are interested in:

• Exploring how disability and neurodiversity shape and are shaped by politics, culture, and society
• Understanding disability not just as a condition, but as a vital identity and cultural experience
• Reframing disability as difference rather than deficit
• Building inclusive, accessible environments across professions
• Challenging assumptions and advocating for systemic change

A Different Approach

Most programs treat disability from an interventionist perspective: diagnosis, treatment, accommodation. Disability Studies takes a different approach — we center disabled people as experts on their own lives. We explore disability as identity, culture, and community, not deficit. The goal is not to eliminate difference. It is to build a more accessible, equitable world for everyone.

Students who pursue the Disability Studies Minor go on to careers in fields such as:

• Education
• Healthcare/Public Health
• Social Work / Human Services
• Law / Criminal Justice
• Policy and Government
• Journalism / Media
• Technology / UX Design
• Architecture / Urban Planning
• Product Design
• Human Resources
• Recreation
• Nonprofit Management
• and more

The minor draws from courses across nine departments, including:

Required Core (3 credits): ENG 2513 Disability Rhetorics OR SLHS 3000 Foundations of Disability Studies through Media

Electives (15 credits): Choose from 20+ courses including:

• GWS 3230 — Bodies and Embodiment
• GWS 3270 — Beauty Cultures
• GWS 4240 — Gender and Violence
• JMP 1450 — Media Literacy
• JMP 3630 — Producing Digital Documents
• MUS 3390 — The Inclusive Music Classroom
• SWK 3120 — Unraveling Inequalities in Social Work Practice
• HIS 3463 — History of American Education
• ASL 1010-1030 — American Sign Language
• and more

The Disability Studies Minor offers you opportunities to build critical perspectives and professional skills through an interdisciplinary program spanning nine departments across the University. Furthermore, the program’s interdisciplinary structure allows students to tailor the minor to complement virtually any major at MSU Denver. Students gain practical skills in accessibility, advocacy, and inclusive design while building meaningful connections across departments.

Interdisciplinary Coursework — Choose from 20+ courses across English, Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, History, Journalism and Media Production, Music, Social Work, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Special Education, and American Sign Language

Career-Ready Skills — Develop expertise in accessibility, inclusive design, and equity frameworks valued across industries

Complement Any Major — Disability Studies does not compete with interventionist programs like Social Work, Nursing, and Human Services. Instead, it enhances them by adding critical perspectives on disability identity, culture, and justice.