Top Degrees for a Career in Social Justice
Being passionate about inspiring change is important for a career in social justice, but you’ll need more than drive in your personal toolkit. Learn how having the right degree can equip you with the skills and techniques to make a positive impact on your community and the world.
You’ve probably heard “social justice” used a lot in recent years. Between network news and social media, the term has become something of a buzzword, but what exactly does it mean? Simply put, social justice refers to the belief that every person, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or socioeconomic status, deserves equal access to all the rights and opportunities enjoyed by others. It’s an ambitious goal to achieve, but there are a variety of avenues one can take to begin to make a difference.
If you want to enter the fight for equality for all, you’re not alone. In fact, a study by the Harvard Business Review found that 90% of people said they would take a lower salary if it meant having a career that helps others. From teachers and lawyers to social workers and healthcare professionals, a career in social justice can take many forms. Deciding which degree makes sense for your social justice aspirations is the first step on the road to change. Keep reading to discover which degrees can prepare you to fight for justice and get expert advice on how you can increase your impact.
Access to Quality Education
A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that those with higher education levels typically live longer. However, students from low-income families and those who experience social discrimination are less likely to finish high school or pursue higher education—a gap that could possibly shorten their lives. Ensuring from the earliest age that students have equal access to quality education is one of the most important things we as a society can do to improve our country’s overall health and prosperity. Here are of the best degrees to pursue if you’re passionate about education for all.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Teaching
Many in-person online education and teaching degree programs are available in every corner of the U.S., with many schools offering dozens of degrees and concentrations to help you focus on early childhood, elementary, or secondary grades or favorite subjects such as math or literature. You’ll gain the skills needed to meet learners where they are and ensure they get the necessary support not only to graduate but also to move on to higher education.
Elementary Education
Whether you pursue an in-person or online elementary education degree program, these help you become specialists in K-6 education. By working with students just as they’re beginning their educational journey, you have the opportunity to make sure all are treated equally and have the same chance to learn. Most elementary education teachers possess a bachelor’s degree, but some decide to pursue a master’s degree to take on more leadership positions.
Secondary Education
With a focus on educating students in middle and high school, an online secondary education degree puts you in good stead to fight for quality educational access. If students are going to attend college, they need a solid secondary education. By working in this area, you can ensure they learn the skills and knowledge required to qualify for higher education. You can also act as a mentor and cheerleader for students considering this path but unsure if they’re good enough. Both bachelor’s and master’s degrees can qualify you for these positions.
Homelessness & Housing Insecurity
Almost half a million Americans experienced homelessness in America in 2022, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. The rate varies widely across the country, with 93 of every 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in the District of Columbia and 4 of every 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in Mississippi. This issue affects individuals of every age, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Helping house homeless individuals and creating housing security changes the trajectory of countless lives. You’ll make a difference by working in advocacy, resource management, temporary housing, or transitional services. These degrees can help you on your road to helping others.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Social Work
You’ll have many online social work programs and schools to choose from, making it easier to find one that offers courses specialized in serving homeless and housing-insecure clients. These programs teach you how to serve diverse populations, connect them to meaningful resources, and help them find stable housing. A bachelor’s degree provides the skills needed for administrative positions. If you want to provide any clinical and/or counseling services, plan to pursue a master’s degree.
Human Services
A broad degree, human services programs look at ways of improving clients’ emotional, mental, and physical health through public outreach initiatives. Working with social workers, community service managers, and medical professionals, human services professionals connect clients with necessary services, including housing and transitional programs. Some schools may offer specializations in topics such as public policy and advocacy or community service management.
Adult Education
When working with individuals experiencing homelessness, you’ll find that many didn’t graduate from high school. Pursuing an a degree in adult education provides you with the skills to help nontraditional students pursue their GED. That opens many more job opportunities to help them become more housing secure. You may also decide to teach career and technical courses to adult learners, providing both practical and professional skills.
Poverty and Income Gap
The percentage of Americans facing poverty had been inching downward in the five years before COVID-19 hit. While final reports on how the pandemic will affect the number of Americans living below the poverty line are still forthcoming, early studies show an increase. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sets poverty guidelines each year. The last few decades have also shown a shrinking middle class and growing upper and lower classes. If you’re serious about lessening the poverty and income gap, enrolling in one of these degree programs can be a smart first step.
Counseling
Pursuing a master’s degree in counseling allows you to help clients address behavioral, emotional, mental, and social challenges and create change in their own lives. When addressing poverty, your role as a counselor could include helping individuals develop a plan of action or address emotional and mental health concerns brought about or exacerbated by the stress of poverty. Unlike psychologists and psychiatrists, counselors focus on changing behaviors and finding coping methods rather than dispensing medications.
Law
If you want to become a lawyer and focus on helping low-income individuals, plenty of opportunities exist. Completing a Juris Doctor provides the qualifications needed to help ensure those in poverty receive equal and fair treatment under the law, can fairly access government assistance programs, and have their civil rights protected. After completing a bachelor’s degree, Juris Doctors require an additional three years of advanced study. You must also pass the bar exam administered in your state.
Urban Planning
Whether working in the United States or developing countries, an urban planning degree helps you revitalize impoverished neighborhoods and ensure every person has access to affordable and quality housing, regardless of income. Most urban planners spend approximately two years after their bachelor’s degree completing requirements for a master’s level qualification. They work for local, state, and federal governments, community development nonprofits, and as consultants.
Discrimination and Racism
When looking at the numbers, there’s no denying America has a problem with discrimination and racism. Black students are far more likely to receive disciplinary measures in their schools when compared to white peers. Similarly, 88% of the individuals New York City police stopped in 2018 were Black or Latinx. Discrimination and racism have long roots in the U.S., requiring dedicated professionals who understand what it will take to fight for civil rights extending to all people, regardless of their skin color or where they come from. Below are just a few of the educational paths you can take to help put an end to discrimination and racism.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Criminal Justice
Online criminal justice degrees allow you to be the change from the inside out, fighting for criminal justice reform and ensuring every person receives equal treatment under the law, no matter who they are. Whether working as a police officer, detective, probation/parole officer, or in a nonprofit capacity at a criminal justice organization, these degrees offer many professional opportunities. Degree options range from associate through doctorate programs.
Public Administration
If you want to work in a governmental or nonprofit capacity to address racism and discrimination, a public administration online degree offers training for both pathways. With a focus on understanding how these institutions function and training in business skills, public administration degrees provide a well-rounded curriculum. Some schools also offer electives specific to working with various populations, including those affected by discrimination and racism.
History
Before people can fight to ensure everyone gets treated equally, they need to understand the gravity and depths of racism in America. Completing a history degree focused on marginalized populations can help you take on job titles such as history teacher, historian, director of programming at a museum, or education director at a historical site. History degrees exist at every academic level, with those who complete doctorates taking on research and/or professorial positions.
LGBTQ+ Rights
While LGBTQ+ individuals gained the right to marry in 2015 and President Biden recently repealed the ban on transgender military members, there is still much work to be done in ensuring those who identify outside heterosexuality enjoy the same rights as others, avoid discrimination, and aren’t victims of violence. Many LGBTQ+ people experience far higher levels of harassment, bullying, and violence, creating the need for professionals who fight for their rights, address mental health concerns, and ensure continued advancement in equality. If you want to become one of these valued professionals, these degrees can help you get there.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Psychology
LGBTQ+ individuals often face higher levels of discrimination and bullying, not to mention a lack of acceptance from family and friends and feelings of shame. Working in psychology and specializing with the LGBTQ+ population gives you the opportunity to help these individuals work through emotional pain, develop robust mental health, and feel at peace in their bodies. To provide clinical services, you must complete a doctorate degree. Many online psychology degrees exist to help you gain the required qualifications.
Cybersecurity
LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to experience cyberbullying than their straight counterparts, with 27% of this population reporting feeling unsafe online. Pursuing one of the many online cybersecurity degrees and programs gives you the training needed to protect the information and communities of vulnerable people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+. Your findings can also help bring justice to those who would seek to harm others.
Public Health
In addition to requiring specialized healthcare services, LGBTQ+ individuals also face increased mental health issues. Earning a public health degree prepares you to help reduce disease transmission, educate communities, and ensure this population has access to the care and services they need. Positions exist in nonprofit, governmental, and for-profit organizations, with most employers requiring a master’s degree or above. Many online public health degrees can be found these days, with some offering LGBTQ+ health specializations.
Domestic Violence
The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey published by the Centers for Disease Control found that one out of every four women and one out of every seven men experience severe physical violence from an intimate partner at some point in their lives. In 2020, The New York Times reported domestic violence was on the rise due to COVID-19. Addressing the realities of violent crimes committed by romantic partners requires the work of professionals in many different fields, meaning you can use a variety of talents and skill sets to help keep people safe. Below are some degrees that can help you make an impact in domestic violence.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Mental Health Counseling
As a mental health counselor, you’ll be equipped with the tools to help domestic violence survivors cope with their complicated feelings and navigate their trauma. You can help them build the inner strength to work past the abuse they’ve faced while giving them a supportive person to turn to when they need to talk things out. To help domestic violence survivors manage their mental health, you’ll need to pursue a master’s degree, so remember that your college journey won’t end with your undergrad.
Family and Marriage Counseling
While domestic violence experts do not encourage those in an abusive relationship to attend counseling sessions with their partner, family and marriage counselors can provide support and therapeutic services to domestic violence survivors and those who support them. These professionals help validate the feelings of abused individuals, help them work through emotional and mental health challenges, and gain the courage to take care of themselves. You’ll need a master’s in family and marriage counseling and state licensure to practice.
Gender Studies
According to New York State’s Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, 97% of domestic abusers are males with female partners. Understanding the gender dynamics at play in the abuse of a partner can play a critical role in preventative measures and understanding warning signs. Pursuing this degree can also help in furthering research on domestic violence.
Climate Change
Climate change concerns can take many forms, ranging from a warming planet, a proliferation of more diseases and viruses, higher carbon dioxide concentrations, and increased emissions. Opportunities for making a difference are varied, with some climate warriors focusing on the scientific side of things and others working on topics such as emergency preparedness for natural disasters, raising awareness, and fighting for better laws and policies. Positions exist in governmental, nonprofit, and private companies, making this a very versatile career path. If your passion lies in ensuring our planet is hospitable for generations to come, enrolling in one of the degree programs below can be a great start.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Emergency Management
As the globe continues to warm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency anticipates that more professionals will be needed to plan for and mitigate the effects of climate issues such as extreme flooding, heat waves, drought, and rising sea levels. Whether you decide to complete an in-person or online emergency management degree, these academic programs train you in topics such as humanitarian crisis management and critical decision making. You can pursue an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate.
Fire Science
As more parts of the world face drought and wildfires become a regular risk, understanding how climate change contributes to these phenomena is a valuable tool. If you’re interested in earning your fire science degree online, these programs can help you build skills in disaster response and recovery, fire mitigation, community risk reduction, and personnel management.
Forestry
Managing forests responsibly in a changing climate means understanding how to manage greenhouse gas emissions, handle carbon sequestration, and work toward sustainable natural resource development. By understanding the science behind climate change, forestry professionals are better prepared to make informed decisions and mitigate loss. Online forestry degrees exist at every academic level and allow you to work in research, management, and policy.
Healthcare Access
Healthcare access presents many problems in America, ranging from the high cost of services and lack of insurance coverage to culturally insensitive care and lack of hospitals in rural areas. A report from the Centers for Disease Control found that 8.3% of adult Americans do not receive needed medical care due to prohibitive costs. In 2018, 27.5 million people lacked health insurance coverage. While a complicated, multifaceted problem, there are many ways to be involved in helping every person, regardless of age, income, race, or location, gain access to necessary medical care and preventative services. These degrees can place you at the forefront of the fight for quality healthcare access for all.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Healthcare Management
Using their leadership skills and managerial oversight, graduates with healthcare management degrees can introduce new protocols to their hospitals to help support more patients. Whether expanding telehealth services or looking for ways of increasing efficiency, these professionals can make significant changes and improvements. While some roles allow for bachelor’s degree qualifications, most employers look for candidates with a master’s degree or higher.
Health Services
These interdisciplinary, multifaceted degrees help students understand how the healthcare industry works; the cultural, environmental, legal, and regulatory factors that guide it; and the tools needed to create change. Graduates tend to go into nonclinical roles as healthcare administrators, informatics professionals, and program directors. As health services graduates move into leadership roles, they effect change in their facilities and beyond to make healthcare more equitable.
Nursing
In addition to helping patients every day, nurses play an essential role in advocating for greater healthcare access for all. Whether fighting for policy change or engaging in more community-based nursing services, nurses use their voices and training to ensure that diverse communities, regardless of income level or insurance, receive the health services needed for healthy lives.
Refugees & Immigrants
Because the president decides how many refugees and immigrants can enter the U.S. each year, numbers fluctuate as presidential administrations change. Former President Trump significantly reduced these numbers, while President Biden plans to expand admissions. Refugees flee their homes due to persecution, civil unrest, and other threats. Immigrants move for opportunities to better their own lives and the lives of their families. Whether you want to act as an interpreter for newly settled refugees, handle immigration cases in the legal system, or connect newcomers with services that can help them feel more at home, many opportunities exist to assist those new to the nation and these degrees can help you get started.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Foreign Language
Whether studying Arabic, Spanish, Russian, or Somali, becoming fluent in a foreign language can help you make newly arrived refugees and immigrants feel understood and at ease. Nonprofits and governmental agencies are always looking for fluent speakers to work in schools, community organizations, resettlement agencies, and other settings where immigrants and refugees seek help and support.
Communications
Because immigrant and refugee rights have become so politicized, much is misunderstood about why people flee to the United States and what their motivations are. By completing a communications degree, you can help educate others on why refugees want to come to America, what they bring to their new communities, and how they prove to be assets to their new home. You can work in for-profit, nonprofit, and governmental settings.
Nonprofit Management
While you may know the names of organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and World Relief, the reality is that thousands of nonprofits focused on supporting immigrants and refugees are dotted across the U.S. and the world. Pursuing a nonprofit management degree gives you the skills needed to manage functions such as fundraising, personnel management, finances, marketing, and messaging for large and small nonprofits.
Voting Rights
While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 did much to erase voting discrimination, those determined to limit the voice of every American from being heard have found workarounds. From gerrymandering to disenfranchisement, many people don’t vote because it’s too purposefully confusing or hard to do. In the most recent presidential election, only 61% of those eligible actually voted. Out of 35 democratic nations, America ranks 26th in voting participation. Whether you want to encourage young people to make their vote count, fight against voter fraud disinformation, or keep the public informed on their rights, this dynamic area requires professionals from many different fields of expertise. Pursuing one of the degrees below can be a great way to start making a difference.
Degrees That Make a Difference
Political Science
Studying political science gives you insight into how governments work alongside the theories and practices that govern the U.S. system. Understanding the laws around who is allowed to vote is key to make real change and further voting rights. Pursuing a political science degree puts you in good stead to work in myriad roles focused on advocacy, access, and awareness-building.
Journalism
Journalists play an important role in investigating voting rights stories, educating the public on laws being passed in regard to voting rights, and ensuring voters know where to go to cast their vote. Whether you work in newspapers, magazines, podcasts, video, television, or YouTube, working as a journalist allows you to empower voters and uncover unjust voting policies.
Public Policy
Completing an online master’s in public policy is an excellent choice if you want to work with policy and legislation to create more robust voting rights laws. Whether working at the local, state, or federal level, you can take on titles such as government relations manager, program analyst, or community relations manager. Your in-depth knowledge of policy development and passage will make you attractive to nonprofit and governmental hiring managers.
Insight from the Expert
Tori Ford
Q: If someone wants to work in a social-justice-focused career, what can they do while still in school to achieve this goal?
A: I would highly recommend seeking out majors that speak to you! I completed a B.A. in Gender, Sexuality, Feminist, and Social Justice Studies from McGill University and then an MPhil in Health, Medicine, and Society from the University of Cambridge. In both these degrees, I was able to explore social inequities from a historical, sociological, and practical perspective. If you’re already majoring in another topic, there are still ways to educate yourself. Taking electives on social justice topics or writing a research paper on the topics that you are passionate about are great ways to learn more. I would recommend signing up for newsletters and following social media pages of social justice groups and organizations at your school; they often will have free events and workshops.
Q: What should students expect when working in these fields? What might surprise them?
A: Social justice work is extremely fulfilling but very hard. The issues we are tackling are big and you can doubt if you’re making a difference. But the more you stick with it, the more you’ll see your direct impact!
Q: What are your best tips for breaking into social justice fields and finding work?
A: Don’t be afraid to approach people! I highly recommend reaching out to people whose careers you admire and meeting them. I recommend checking out social media for pages that share your passions and figuring out what specific aspect of social justice speaks to you.
Q: What role do internships and volunteering play in securing work after graduating?
A: Internships and volunteering are amazing ways to gain practical experience! Medical Herstory has over 70 volunteers across 20 universities and 7 countries. Even as the founder of Medical Herstory, I still intern with other female founders! It’s such an enriching experience and extremely valuable.