Union has launched the Master of Arts in Social Justice (MASJ). This online 36-credit master’s degree can be completed in as little as two years. Building upon our 186-year legacy of social justice and working with Union’s dynamic faculty, the MASJ empowers students in the program to reimagine the work of justice.
Throughout history, religion has been a driving force for social justice. Gaining an understanding of the religious underpinnings of social justice is critical to advancing its causes and to collaborating effectively with faith-based people, partners and organizations active in the social justice arena.
Students in the program will be equipped to think critically, intersectionally, and creatively about human and planetary flourishing and the ongoing pursuit of a more just society and equitable world. The program emphasizes social justice’s religious, spiritual, and theological roots. In keeping with Union’s unique approach to theological education, it underlines the importance of interreligious engagement with diverse religious traditions.
Review the Application Procedures and Deadlines before you apply. Have questions? Review the MASJ Frequently Asked Questions page here.
View the Program Guide for a detailed overview of the degree including requirements: Program Guide
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Students Will Learn To:
- Build theological, theoretical, historical, ethical, critical, practical and contextually accountable foundations for the work of pursuing a more just and equitable world
- Integrate knowledge and critical awareness of existing power dynamics and structures in terms of gender, sexuality, race, class, and identities targeted for oppression, and how they shape, and are shaped by, religion, spirituality, and theology
- Effectively and constructively engage the world’s serious issues such as racial and sexual/gender injustice, mass incarceration, and the climate crisis, in ways informed by deep theological, historical, and critical study
Social Justice at Union:
Union is a unique and exceptional place to pursue a graduate degree in social justice. It was established in 1836 as a special type of educational institution; one intentionally designed in an urban context so that academic excellence and personal faith might respond to the needs of the community. Over its nearly 200 year history, Union faculty have been leading scholars and public intellectuals exploring the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and theology as well as critical issues facing our society and planet like the climate crisis, poverty, and criminal justice. Union students, coming from a diverse array of faith traditions and identity backgrounds, have been active in a variety of social causes and engaged with ethical issues through student caucuses and other initiatives.
Union hosts a wide variety of social justice programming, including Just Conversations with Kelly Brown Douglas and online and in-person webinars, lectures, and special events throughout the year.
Union is the home of several centers focused on social justice issues:
Center for Earth Ethics
The Center for Earth Ethics envisions a world where value is measured according to the sustained well-being of all people and our planet. We work to cultivate the public consciousness needed to make changes in policy and culture that will establish a new value system that is based on this vision of the world.
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Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice
Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice is a national organization committed to building a movement to end poverty, led by the poor. Kairos was founded at Union Theological Seminary in 2004 and today is a fiscally sponsored project of the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice
Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice is creating an environment where community activism and engagement of pressing social justice issues is integrated into the life of Union and the local community. The Center also leads Union's anti-racism work.
Learn MoreA Unique Curriculum Designed To Advance Social Justice
The curriculum is specifically designed to provide opportunities for students to pursue their intellectual and/or professional interests and take full advantage of the breadth and depth of the Union curriculum and the strength of the Union faculty. In addition to social justice colloquia at the beginning and end of the program (the only required courses in the program), the MASJ includes distributional requirements in the religious, spiritual, and theological foundations of social justice and interreligious engagement along with courses in racial and ethnic justice, ecojustice, and gender and sexuality justice. Beyond that, students build their program of study with a faculty advisor, taking additional coursework in the distributional areas of the degree and other courses taken by students in Union’s other graduate programs.
Course offerings at Union, both on-campus and online, rotate and change based on faculty research, emerging topics, and critical issues in theology and social justice. The MASJ has no required courses (other than Colloquia 1 and 2), so students will be able to complete degree requirements through the diverse array of courses offered. This includes up to three Supplemental Unit (SU) courses, which are designed to promote integrative and applied learning as well provide students with opportunities to dig deeply into important social justice topics and build professional skills.
A Program Structured To Meet The Needs Of Part-Time Students
All elements of the program have been designed to make it possible for working professionals and others seeking part-time study to be able to pursue a social justice-focused degree at Union. Coursework towards the degree can be completed fully online without any required on-campus attendance.
Nearly all classes are scheduled on weeknight evenings (generally Monday and Thursday) beginning at 6pm and 8pm EST, with additional options to enroll in courses that meet on weekend days or over intensive, extended weekends. The program combines flexibility and predictability, both of which are important to part-time students who seek to accommodate personal and professional commitments.
A Learning Experience With World-Class Faculty
Coursework in the program will be taught by the same diverse Union faculty that is known around the world for its rigorous and groundbreaking scholarship, teaching excellence, and commitment to religious and spiritual communities working to advance inter-religious engagement and social justice. Courses in the program will be taught by a combination of full-time research faculty and leading religious scholars and social justice practitioners serving as lecturers and adjunct faculty.
Online courses are designed for virtual learning, combining the best elements of live class engagement with readings, multimedia resources, and activities that can be completed in a more self-paced format. Union is committed to creating online experiences that best utilize technology–including Zoom, Moodle (our learning management system), and other applications–to promote engagement and learning. Class sizes are small (most fewer than 20 students) to ensure that students and faculty have opportunities for robust engagement and community-building. For those students requiring technical support, Union’s IT department is available to respond via email or arrange for a 1:1 appointment. Additionally, Union has a Writing Center that provides highly customized support for students at all stages of the writing process and degree progress.
Students have full access to the Burke Library, one of the largest theological libraries in North America, with over 700,000 items and extensive special collections, and the rest of Columbia University Libraries. Many of the resources of Burke Library and Columbia University Libraries are available online.
An Engaging And Supportive Community
Union is committed to creating an environment where students, both those on our New York City campus and those attending courses online, will thrive as they become the leaders on the cutting edge of faith and justice. We offer an unmatched lineup of speakers and programming, daily Chapel services, spiritual support, meaningful advising and mentorship, engaging student groups, personalized career and professional development, and many opportunities for leadership at Union. Online students are invited to take full advantage of these opportunities even if they cannot join us in New York City. Many of these experiences are available to virtual participants through Zoom and other platforms, and Union is committed to making online students feel included and engaged despite geographic distance.
If students are ever in the New York City area or able to plan a visit, online students are always welcome on campus for in-person events, intensive courses, and tours of our Morningside Heights home. Students who live in the area are also able enroll in on-campus courses as their schedule permits.
An Opportunity For Professional Growth And Development
The Union seminary experience has always been designed to open up a range of possible career paths for our students. The paths emerge out of the sense of call each student brings, each student’s particular gifts, talents, and prior experience, and the unique experience that Union provides to discern which path to follow.
In addition to gaining a deep understanding of issues at the intersection of spirituality, religion, and social justice, graduates of the MASJ program will build highly developed skills in critical and creative thinking, ethical and intersectional analysis, and written communication. They will be well-positioned to move into new roles or expand their roles to include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) promotion, leadership for social impact, and social justice advocacy as well as many of the career pathways common for graduates of other Union programs. In addition to personalized career support services, Union maintains a job finder site for current students and alumni/ae, and its highly engaged alumni/ae community, working in a wide variety of social justice-focused areas, is a valuable resource for current students and graduates.
The MASJ Program of Study
The MASJ can be completed in as little as 24 months, but students may choose to go at a slower pace, taking up to 33 months to complete the program. The design of the program makes it possible for a student to go at a pace that best fits their needs, interests, and realities. A total of 36 credits is required. Coursework is available in fall, spring, and summer terms. Students looking to graduate in 21 months will complete 2 courses each of the fall, spring, and summer terms. Those completing the program in 33 months will take 2 courses each fall and spring term.
- Introductory three-credit social justice colloquium (first term)
- Three credits in each of the following six required areas:
- Three credits in Social Ethics
- Three credits in Ecojustice
- Three credits in Gender & Sexuality Justice
- Three credits in Racial & Ethnic Justice
- Three credits in Interreligious Engagement
- Three credits in Social Movements and Activism
- Twelve elective credits in courses relevant to the student’s goals
- Optional three-credit contextual education practicum course
- Can be additional courses from distributional areas or other courses from across the Union curriculum
- Concluding three-credit colloquium (final term), which includes the completion of a final applied integrative paper
A Program Structured To Meet The Needs Of Part-Time Students
Nearly all classes are scheduled on weeknight evenings (generally Monday and Thursday) beginning at 6pm and 8pm EST, with a very limited number of courses meeting on Saturday mornings/early afternoons (EST). In many cases, students can opt to take courses in a single evening, if desired. A limited amount of in-person elective coursework may be available to those doing the degree over 33 months.
The program combines flexibility and predictability, both of which are important to part-time students who seek to accommodate personal and professional commitments.
A Unique Curriculum Designed to Advance Social Justice
The curriculum is specifically designed to provide opportunities for students to pursue their intellectual and/or professional interests, while also providing a structured, integrated program of study that facilitates a cohort-based learning experience. In addition to social justice colloquia at the beginning and end of the program, the MASJ includes carefully designed, MASJ-specific distributional requirements in the religious, spiritual, and theological foundations of social justice and interreligious engagement, along with courses in racial and ethnic justice, ecojustice, and gender and sexuality justice.
Beyond that, students work with their faculty advisor to select elective coursework, which can include a contextual education or, internship-like practicum. Elective course offerings at Union, both on-campus and online, rotate and change based on faculty research, emerging topics, and critical issues in theology and social justice.
Students also benefit from opportunities to audit up to 2 courses after the first year in the program and to participate in all professionally-focused and curriculum-expanding Supplemental Unit (SU) courses as non-credit learners. Both at no additional fee.
Click here to learn more about the Lenape Scholarships for our MASJ Program!
Program Leadership
Faculty Director: Dr. Sarah Azaransky
Dr. Sarah Azaransky serves as the Faculty Director of the Master of Arts in Social Justice program at Union Theological Seminary, where she brings deep expertise in religion, ethics, and movements for racial and social justice. In this role, she guides students in exploring the intersection of theology, activism, and public life, grounded in her longstanding commitment to examining how religious thought and practice can inform transformative social change.
She is the author of This Worldwide Struggle: Religion and the International Roots of the Civil Rights Movement (Oxford University Press, 2017), which identifies a network of Black Christian intellectuals and activists who, from the 1930s to the 1950s, looked abroad—including to other religious traditions—for ideas and practices to transform American democracy. The book illuminates the rich intersections of global resistance movements, American racial politics, and interreligious exchanges that crossed national borders and disciplinary boundaries.
Dr. Azaransky’s other publications include The Dream is Freedom: Pauli Murray and American Democratic Faith (Oxford University Press, 2011) and the edited volume Religion and Politics in America’s Borderlands (Lexington, 2013). She is also the co-author of the successful application that secured National Historic Landmark status for Pauli Murray’s childhood home in Durham, North Carolina.
Her current projects include a book on mid-century campaigns to desegregate New York City public schools and a spiritual biography of Bayard Rustin, continuing her work at the intersection of faith, education, and civil rights.
Dr. Azaransky earned her B.A. with High Honors in Religion from Swarthmore College in 1998. As a Watson Fellow, she conducted research on cross-community women’s peace organizing in Northern Ireland, Israel, the West Bank, and Sri Lanka (1998–1999). She received her Master of Theological Studies from Harvard in 2001 and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 2007. Before joining the Union faculty, she taught in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego.
Program Director: Rev. Janine Myrick ’20
Rev. Janine Myrick is a minister, educator, and student advocate who serves as the Director of Online, Integrative, and Field-Based Education at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In this role, Rev. Myrick is the central point of support for students throughout their entire academic journey—from initial inquiry to graduation. She serves as the primary student support lead, working closely with the program’s faculty director and Union’s Student Affairs and Academic Affairs teams to ensure students receive holistic guidance at every stage.
As the key source of mentoring and guidance for online students, Rev. Myrick helps learners navigate academic challenges, vocational discernment, and field education. She plays an essential role in shaping how students connect theological study with real-world practice and ministry.
Rev. Myrick began her career in financial services before discerning a call to ministry. She earned her B.B.A. from Baruch College and studied at New York Law School before receiving her Master of Divinity in Social Ethics from Union in 2020. She was awarded the Maxwell Fellowship for exceptional promise in parish ministry.
Ordained at Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, Rev. Myrick continues to serve there as Associate Minister. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to justice, spiritual care, and equipping students to lead lives of faith and purpose.
