Here are the colleges offering 'social justice' degrees

Social justice warriors can now get degrees for their activism.

Multiple colleges and universities are now offering advanced and undergraduate degrees in social justice, which can be defined as “the virtue which guides us in creating those organized human interactions we call institutions.”

“Social justice also imposes on each of us a personal responsibility to collaborate with others, at whatever level of the ‘Common Good’ in which we participate, to design and continually perfect our institutions as tools for personal and social development,” the Center for Economic and Social Justice definition reads. 

Campus Reform has been covering the social justice movement on college campuses for years. 

Here’s a list of the universities that are training the next generation of social justice warriors: 

Undergraduate Degrees

1. Brandeis University

At Brandeis University, students can receive a minor in social justice and social policy as part of an interdepartmental program at the school. 

According to the school’s website, the objective of the minor is to examine “essential connections between social values and practical policies.” The school also notes that “concepts of justice play a profound role in clarifying human needs for health and well-being” and that “such basic social problems as inequality, poverty, and discrimination pose a constant challenge to policies that serve the health and income needs of children, families, people with disabilities, and the elderly.”

The minor is open to all undergraduates. Students must fill out a declaration form and meet with a member of the program committee to enroll in the degree. In order to complete the minor, students are required to do a “Social Justice, Social Policy Internship” and take multiple courses, including one titled “Protest, Politics, and Change: Social Movements.”

Campus Reform recently reported on the school’s “Oppressive Language List,” which discouraged students from using words and phrases such as “policeman,” “picnic,” and “trigger warning.”

2. Dominican University of California

“If you are inspired to work with diverse communities to promote equity and meaningful change, the Social Justice major is where you begin your journey.”

That’s how the Dominican University of California is advertising its major in social justice on its website.

According to the private school, students “will critically analyze social structures and act creatively and collaboratively with diverse communities to promote meaningful change.” The university also highlights different careers that students can obtain with a social justice degree, including “nonprofit organizations, government agencies, think tanks, human rights and peace organizations, legislative advocacy, religious institutions, education, law, criminal justice, entrepreneurship, healthcare, journalism, and the arts.”

One “Program Learning Outcome” is that students will “apply critical theories to larger social justice contexts.”

3. Eastern Kentucky University

Students at Eastern Kentucky University can earn a bachelor of science in social justice studies. The program encourages students to study “where human dignity, equality, and solidarity are at stake,” including in instances of “economic inequality and poverty; institutional racism, classism, sexism, and heterosexism.”

4. Hamline University

At Hamline University, students can either major or minor in social justice. To obtain a bachelor of arts in social justice, students must take 12 courses using the guidelines provided by the university. Approved courses include “Gender Politics,” “Diversity and Education,” “Feminist Philosophy,” and “Philosophy of Nonviolence.” For students looking to minor in social justice, they are required to take a minimum of six courses selected from the catalog mentioned above. 

The private school claims that “students who complete a social justice major will gain significant practical experience doing social justice service and/or advocacy work.”

5. University of Buffalo

The University of Buffalo is offering a minor in social justice within the department of sociology. Students at this public university can obtain this minor after completing 18 credits worth of coursework, including the required course of “Social Problems” and a required internship. 

Graduate Degrees

6. Arizona State University

Graduate students at Arizona State University can receive a master of arts in social justice and human rights. The public school states that “around our communities and around the world people can be oppressed or exploited for any reason and sometimes no reason at all.” Students can “gain hands-on experience with advocates and aid workers to better understand the problems in order to work toward solutions.”

In the program, students are given the option to focus on specific issues, such as racial justice, indigenous rights or animal rights, or they can focus on “regional contexts” such as “the Middle East, Central Europe, East Africa or Central America.”

7. George Mason University

Students at George Mason University have the option to complete a concentration in social justice and human rights as part of the master of arts in interdisciplinary studies at the school. 

The concentration will consist of “imagining and applying strategies for creating and sustaining a more equitable, just, and humane world.”

Other concentrations offered by the public school include “Women and Gender Studies,” “War and the Military in Society” and “Energy and Sustainability.”

8. Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago is offering a master of arts degree and a certificate in social justice from Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. 

According to the private school, the program “is an ecumenical and interfaith degree program that offers a blacked, integrated approach that engages both theory and practice.”

“The degree program educates students to lead societal transformation in a variety of contexts, from local neighborhoods to international settings, with a focus on improved economic, racial, cultural, and gender equity and ecological health,” the description reads. “As an aspiring “change agent,” you will study the spiritual and theological foundations of social justice, key contemporary social justice issues, the tools of analysis in addressing social justice issues, best-practice strategies for effective work in advocacy and community development, and the practical skills of successful leadership.”

9. San Francisco State University

Students at San Francisco State University can concentrate in equity and social justice as part of the master of arts in education graduate program. According to the public school’s website, “the program focuses on the theoretical, historical, and political perspectives of race, class, gender, language, and sexual orientation as they apply to the theory and practice of education.” The school states that “equity and social justice become key end goals for the educational process.”

The university claims that “a major component of this program is social activism” which is facilitated through “critical thinking, critical reflection, demonstrations, simulations, dialogue, and other methods of instruction to gain insight into issues related to equity and social justice.”

10. University of Central Florida

The University of Central Florida is offering a graduate certificate in Social Justice in Public Service from the College of Community Innovation and Education. 

The program is looking to “develop leaders who can understand how public policies influence social justice.” In the program, “students will obtain a background in social justice, exploring topics such as human rights, income distribution and the role of markets.” Students are required to complete a minimum of 15 credit hours beyond the Bachelor’s degree to obtain a minor in Social Justice from this public school. 

11. University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is offering a Master of Arts in Higher Education with a focus on Diversity and Social Justice in Higher Education. 

In this program, students at the public school will be given “the tools for increasing their knowledge and skills regarding diversity and social justice in higher education.”

Students are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits obtained from courses such as “Race, Racism, and Anti-Blackness in Higher Education” and “Power, Privilege, and the Politics of Difference in Higher Education.”

12. The University of Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma is offering a Master of Human Resources in Diversity, Equity and Social Justice. The online program at the public school requires students to take a minimum of 33 credit hours to obtain the degree. 

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