Justice Studies

Learn to address injustice and create change

You care deeply about the well-being of others and the environment. You want to make a difference in your community and career. Informed by Catholic social teaching, the program in justice studies empowers you to learn about the complex issues of our time and how to approach them. In this program, you will take courses in a variety of disciplines from religious studies and philosophy, to political science and business, along with many others.

If you want to be an agent of change, a minor in justice studies the right path for you. You can pair it with any major and you’ll learn how to think critically about contemporary and historical issues of injustice and inequality, both locally and on a global scale.

  • 15credit hours needed to complete the program
  • 40+classes offered in the program
  • 51%of students study abroad

Put your passions to work

Experiential and community-based learning are a critical part of this program. Students don’t just volunteer at area non-profits – they design and lead their own service projects. Students design projects that make meaningful and lasting changes. With options both on and off campus, students have served at the Center for the Homeless, worked with refugees in Rome, assisted immigrants with naturalization services at La Casa de Amistad,  investigated lead poisoning in a South Bend neighborhood, and started a campus-wide composting program.

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It’s important to approach the environment from interdisciplinary study because it allows me to understand our species and how we shape the environment and how it shapes us.

– Mikhala Kaseweter '17

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Career paths for justice studies minors

Graduates have gone on to pursue careers in education, law, business, and social work, among many others. They work with domestic and international non-profit organizations, and attend prestigious graduate programs. At Saint Mary’s, you’re empowered to make a difference in the world, and employers appreciate the confidence, initiative, and creativity with which Saint Mary’s women approach complex problems.