Want to make a difference in your community and the world? The Social Justice degree gives you the tools to understand society, stand up for equity, and create positive change.
Learn how people and communities fight for rights, justice, and freedom.
Explore ideas like diversity, inclusion, equity, and collaboration.
Study movements, protests, and resistance that have shaped history and continue today.
Build skills in communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking that can help you in law, politics, social services, and many other fields.
This degree is all about helping you grow into a thoughtful leader, effective communicator, and strong advocate for justice and change.
Leaning Outcomes
Social Inequality
Legal & Political Impact
Discrimination Analysis
Social Justice Movements
Equity and Inclusion
Civil Right Understanding
Conflict Resolution
Cultural/Ethical Insight
Interests and Skills Match
Finding the right program starts with knowing what you enjoy—if these skills and interests sound like
you, you
might enjoy studying Social Justice
Law and JusticePublic relationsPublic speakingStrategy
Certificate, Degree and Other Learning Options
Social Justice Studies, AA-T
The Associate in Arts for Transfer degree in Social Justice Studies is intended to meet the lower division requirements for a variety of related majors at a CSU campus (e.g., Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies, and majors related to the study of particular marginalized identity groups; majors related to language, cultural studies, regional studies, or interdisciplinary studies; Global Studies (Concentration in Latin America); History (Latin American History Option); Human Communication (Africana Studies Concentration or Chicano Studies Concentration); International Business (Emphasis in Spanish & Latin America); Labor and Employment Studies; Liberal Studies (Option in Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture & Society or Border Studies Option or Concentration in Ethnic Studies); Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding; Sociology (Concentration in Critical Race Studies or Concentration Race, Class, and Gender); Sociology with Inequalities and Diversity Option; Social Science with Emphasis in Islamic and Arabic Studies. Students completing this degree are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, although not necessarily to a particular major or campus. Students may also transfer to non-CSU campuses where transfer requirements are met. The Social Justice Studies AA-T is an interdisciplinary degree that empowers students to be critical analysts of social phenomena, culturally competent communicators, and effective agents for change in law and society. Courses engage students in learning about concepts and values of civil rights and liberties, community, cooperation and collaboration, culture, diversity, ethics, equity, freedom, heterodoxy, human rights, inclusivity, justice, and solidarity, as well as about related legal, political and social movements, protests and resistance, socio-legal studies, law and social change, and conflict analysis and transformation for social justice, equity, and liberation. Courses facilitate open inquiry and the critical examination of issues related to social justice and oppressive structures, systems, and institutions within society. This degree is designed to appeal to the student who is interested in learning about the experiences of marginalized groups. Students gain important foundational knowledge that prepares them to critically examine power dynamics in society through a social justice lens and to address injustices through civic activism or careers in a variety of fields, such as advocacy, arts, business, child advocacy, clinical psychology, community organization, conflict resolution, criminal justice, disability rights, drama, education, environmental justice, human relations, human rights groups, immigration, international agencies, law, law enforcement, lobbying, media, music, nonprofits, politics, public policy, religious organizations, social science, and social work.
