Mar25
A Faculty-Led Info Session with Penny Harvey
Department of Human Sexuality
Grounded, contextual engagement with current issues in sexuality to drive positive change
Our degrees in critical sexuality studies explore the intersections of power and sexuality. Students explore the urgent challenges in the field and the best theoretical and methodological solutions to meet them.
What Our Faculty and Students Have to Say
Learn about our new Master of Science degree program that can be completed in a minimum of two years.
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.
The rigorous coursework invites students to create new knowledge via a scholar-practitioner model that allows for a deepening impact on scholarly insights and social change initiatives while remaining situated in the complexity of life. The department 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
Our Programs
CIIS offers a M.S., Ph.D., and a certificate in Sex Therapy to advance your understanding of human sexuality.
Department of Human Sexuality
Our master’s degree program is designed to introduce students to critical sexuality studies and support their development as scholars in the field.
Department of Human Sexuality
Our Ph.D. curriculum is designed for individuals who wish to gain further expertise after having obtained a master’s degree.
Public Programs
CIIS offers a Sex Therapy Certificate through our Public Programs department. The certificate program is open to all.
Faculty Research and Scholarship
Our faculty explore a wide variety of topics, including social and economic justice issues for the LGBTQIA+ community, the biopolitics of HIV prevention, and the reproductive journeys of transgender and nonbinary people.
An Inclusive Future for Sexuality Studies
In this conversation from the CIIS Public Programs podcast, faculty member Ericka Burns interviews sexologist Bianca Laureano about her new guide, The People’s Book of Human Sexuality, and centering the knowledge of minoritized scholars, educators, and therapists to create a liberatory future for the field.
On Critical Sexuality Studies and SexTech
Listen as Department Chair Michelle Marzullo discusses the M.S. in Critical Sexuality Studies and its emphasis in SexTech with the podcast Technology and the Mind. She explains the meaning of “critical” for the program: scholarship that brings nuance, history, context, and intersectionality to questions of sex, sexuality, and gender.
Medical Racism and Black Women’s Sexual Health Care
Professor Katharina Azim, alumni, and students of the Ph.D. program co-authored this important study on how medical gendered racism impacts Black women’s experiences with sexual and pelvic health. The analysis underscores the need for culturally specific approaches to ensure compassionate, just care for all.
Our Upcoming Events
Mar25
Join us for a transformative celebration of Black sexuality as part of the CIIS Human Sexuality Department's Decennial Celebration Series.
Apr02
A Faculty-Led Info Session with Shawn Mendez
Apr02
A Free Online Event with Admissions Counselors
Apr16
A Faculty-Led Info Session with Aaron Norton
Apr24
A Free Online Overview with Jennifer Gruczelak, Nikole Moffett and Dennis Spears
Apr26
Join us as we wrap up a year of celebration honoring 10 years of the CIIS Human Sexuality Ph.D. Program and wish the department continued success for many years ahead!
Oct11
Attend the Fall Open House on October 11, 2025 to get to know your admissions counselors and learn more about CIIS' bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. programs.
Our Department in Action
Alumni News
A panel hosted by the Department of Human Sexuality gathered notable alumni from the Ph.D. program to discuss their change-making work and research.
Faculty News
Groundbreaking collection of essays reveals how Critical Sexuality Studies and Lavender Languages and Linguistics combine to analyze language use, sexuality and gender, and discourse on authority and power.
Campus News
Decennial Kickoff Event:
10 Years of Mindful Contribution to Critical Sexuality Studies
San Francisco, CA