What You Will Learn
- Explore the intersections between social ethics, religion and spirituality, and the ongoing struggle for a more just society
- Cultivate a basic understanding of the theological, theoretical, and critical foundations of one or more religious traditions
- Gain awareness and knowledge of existing power dynamics and structures in terms of gender, sexuality, race, class and identities targeted for oppression
The Advanced Certificate in Social Justice is a twelve-credit, four-course program that can be completed in as little as one year. Students pursuing this certificate take a required foundational course in Social Ethics, one course from either the field of Social Ethics or Religion and Society and two additional elective courses from other fields.
Course Requirements
Successful completion of four courses, including a combination of field-specific and elective courses from across the Union curriculum.
- Three credits in one of the two foundational Social Ethics (SE) courses:
- SE 208 – Moral Traditions and Social Ethics or
- SE 322 – Social Ethics in the Making
- Three credits from one of the following areas:
- Any Social Ethics (SE) course
- Any Religion and Society (RS) course
- Six elective credits from at least two of the following areas:
- A course in Theological Studies (TS), Church History/Historical Studies (CH), or Bible (BX/OT/NT)
- An Interreligious Engagement (IE) course of non-Christian tradition
- A course in Practical Theology (PT), Denominational Studies (DS), Preaching, Arts, and Worship (CW), or Religion and Education (RE)
Admissions
A student is eligible to apply for this program if they have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university, and a record of high achievement. Prior study in the field of religion is not required, but strong preparation in liberal arts studies is expected.
To apply, students are required to submit a $75 application fee, online application form, a statement of purpose, transcripts, CV or resume and letter of reference.
The total tuition cost for the certificate program is $10,000, which breaks down to $2,500 each for the four, required, three-credit courses. This tuition rate represents a discount of more than 35% off of our standard, per credit tuition. Students wishing to receive a physical copy of the certificate upon graduation/completion of the program will be charged an additional, minimal fee.