Graduate Studies

Our Unique Degree Programs

Justice and Social Inquiry offers both a Master of Science and a doctoral degree in justice studies. The focus of these programs is on the systematic and interdisciplinary social scientific study of justice in all its forms—social, economic, legal, political and cultural. Required courses for both degrees focus on providing students with a scholarly understanding of theories and philosophies of justice and with strategies for conducting research on justice issues and for evaluating policies that promote or undermine justice-related goals.

Our graduate programs are unique, compared with most other justice-related graduate programs, as they do not center on criminological or criminal justice concerns but focus, instead, on fundamental questions about how to identify and promote means to a more socially just society in the broadest sense.

Our programs are well-suited for post–Juris Doctor students and for those with substantive interests in fields that are strong at ASU, such as science and technology, Latina/o studies and the environment. Our goal is to attract intellectually curious, theoretically engaged students who are interested in academic, research or policy-making careers.

Areas of Specialization

Both our graduate degree programs are interdisciplinary and allow for specialization in one or more of five broad areas:

• Citizenship, migration and human rights.
• Globalization, sustainability and economic justice.
• Law, policy and social change.
• Media, technology and culture.
• Social identities and communities.

Our Graduate Faculty

Our graduate faculty includes more than 20 members within Justice and Social Inquiry, and 60 faculty members outside of the school who work with and offer courses of interest to our graduate students We also offer a joint master's degree program with the ASU School of Human Evolution and Social Change and a joint Juris Doctor (J.D.)/Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program with the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. The program involves earning a Juris Doctorate from the ASU College of Law while simultaneously earning an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in justice studies. ASU's Graduate College also permits our students to pursue concurrent graduate degrees in other fields (e.g., joint master's and J.D. degrees).

Alumni News

Justice and Social Inquiry graduate program alumni work and teach in many fields. Here is what some of them are doing: Alumni News (Word).

For more information, please contact:

Pat Lauderdale, graduate programs director
Phone: 480-965-6008 E-mail: graduate.justice@asu.edu

Nancy Winn, coordinator of graduate student support
Phone: 480-965-6008
E-mail: Nancy.Winn@asu.edu