Academics

Students engaging in classroom discussion in the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice

Degree programs designed to address critical global challenges

With an integrative, challenge-centered curriculum and opportunities for community-led collaboration, the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice offers a unique educational space for future leaders, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Learning outcomes

Our graduate and undergraduate degrees ground students in interdisciplinary academics and professional practice and promote four learning outcomes:

Work across intellectual, professional, individual, and cultural differences.
Understand and address complex social-ecological challenges, transforming institutions and systems to produce more socially just, climate-responsive, and sustainable outcomes.

Act effectively in uncertain and unstable contexts.
Communicate, facilitate, collaborate, and co-create with a diverse range of stakeholders: communities impacted by social and environmental problems, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies and policymakers, donors, and businesses.

Undergraduate majors

Health, Science and Society engineers sitting around table looking over engineering plan of housing development

Health, Science & Society, B.A.

Reimagine the way you think about human health by exploring complex challenges and health equity through a multidisciplinary lens.

Two researchers interviewing local resident in Africa

International Development and Social Change, B.A.

Learn how to bring about positive change in the world by thinking critically, acting collaboratively, and engaging responsibly.

Students study water quality in the field

Environmental Science and Policy, B.S.

This track within Clark’s environmental science major prepares you for a career at the intersection of environment, development, society, and technology.

4+1 Accelerated Master’s

Gain the edge by earning a pathway to a master’s degree — with one year of additional study and available tuition scholarships.

Community Development & Planning, B.A.|M.A.

Environmental Science and Policy, B.S. | M.S.

Peace Corps Prep Program

Open to all Clark University undergraduate students with any major, including international students, the program combines carefully selected courses with intercultural experience and community-based project learning to help prepare you for global service work. This gives you a competitive edge if you apply to be a Peace Corps volunteer, but also provides skills that are valuable in broad range of international development roles.

Program website

Graduate degrees

Professor Laurie Ross works with a local family at the Center for Community Revitalization

Community Development and Planning, M.A.

Build more resilient and equitable urban communities by confronting social and economic injustice.

Environmental Science & Policy, M.S.

Co-create understanding and responses to the pressing environmental challenges, including climate change impacts, pollution, sustainable water-food-energy systems, and conserving biodiversity.

two students looking over geographic maps on computers

Geographic Information Science, M.S.

Work with top experts and use leading-edge technologies to forge a distinguished career in geographic information science and inform research and policy for social, environmental, and climate justice.

students participate in an International Development class

International Development, M.A.

Collaborate across disciplines and social groups to develop solutions to the challenges facing today’s world.

Sustainable Food Systems, M.S.

Contribute to innovative initiatives and social movements for food security, sovereignty, and justice.

Graduate certificate programs

Monitoring and Evaluation

Design monitoring and evaluation systems for organizational learning and policy development. Students will learn to work across a range of programmatic areas, including youth work, food systems, climate change impacts and adaptation, water stress, pollution and health risks, refugees and forced migration work, and natural resource management.

Refugees, Forced Migration, and Belonging

Gain an understanding of forced displacement and migration issues, taking into account the complex social, political, economic, cultural, environmental, and technological factors shaping population movement and integration in our societies.

Youth Work Practice

Learn the ethos, knowledge, and approaches needed to build trust-centered, authentic, mutually respectful relationships with young people, as well as how to design and manage youth development programs.

Sustainability and Social Justice