Want to change the world? Our program fosters your ability to investigate and understand the root causes of the most pertinent social justice and environmental issues of our times. Through a combination of critical theory, methods, and an individualized community placement our Master of Arts (MA) program in Social Justice and Community Engagement (SJCE) engages students in the active promotion of social and environmental justice principles within our communities and around the world.
120-hour community placement.
12-month full-time program (part-time available).
Choose coursework, major research project or creative project route.
The Master of Arts (MA) in Social Justice and Community Engagement (SJCE) is offered in person at Laurier’s Brantford campus. You can complete the degree through either full-time or part-time study. Full-time students normally complete the program within a year and part-time students normally take two or three years to complete the program. All students start in the fall semester.
You can complete the degree through one of three routes, outlined below.
For further information about the courses, visit our Course Offerings page.
All students admitted to the program are automatically admitted to this route. This completion route is recommended for students interested in obtaining employment in a social justice organization after graduation.
To qualify for the MA in Social Justice and Community Engagement degree through the coursework route, you must complete the following:
Fall term:
Winter term:
Spring/Summer term:
This completion route works well for students wanting more advanced research skills for working in the broad field of social justice and community engagement after graduation, or are considering completing additional graduate studies. Students apply in the fall term to complete the degree through this route.
To qualify for the MA in Social Justice and Community Engagement degree through the coursework plus MRP route, you must complete the following:
Fall term:
Winter term:
Spring term:
This option enables students to combine an arts-based creative work relating to social justice and community engagement with an accompanying written work to complete the program. Students can apply to complete the degree through the MRP route. During the fall semester application process, prospective students can indicate their interest in this option.
To qualify for the MA in Social Justice and Community Engagement degree through the coursework plus MRP (with creative option) route, you must complete the following:
Fall term:
Winter term:
Spring term:
Through coursework, an individualized community placement and either practice-focused courses or a major research paper (MRP), you'll develop knowledge that contributes to your own understanding of how to make change in the world, as well as the skills that facilitate the development of communities to undertake social justice and environmental work.
Your community placement is an opportunity for you to gain practical experience applying theoretical ideas about social and environmental justice in a community setting. Placements are determined by taking into consideration your interests and needs, including any accommodations, while ensuring that the community organizations receive benefits from the placement. The placement experience can provide valuable networking opportunities and job references, and can lead to potential employment.
Students work with a placement coordinator to secure a 120-hour community placement. Students often undertake their placements in Brantford and Brant County, but it is also possible to undertake a placement at organizations throughout Ontario and beyond. If you have an idea for an organization with which you would like to serve your placement, we will work with you to see if that is possible.
Here is a brief list of some of the types of organizations our students have served their placements:
Our faculty offer a diversity of research expertise. A sample of their interests includes:
Visit Scholar’s Commons @ Laurier to review past Major Research Projects completed by Social Justice and Community Engagement students. A selection of recently completed projects include:
"The Laurier Brantford campus has a warm and inviting learning environment — the small campus and class sizes encourage an immersive and rewarding learning experience. I would highly recommend the SJCE program to activists, frontline workers, and academics interested in viewing the world through a social justice lens."
Alyson Young, class of 2018
Take the first step in your graduate education and apply to one of our graduate programs. Follow our three-step admission process — we’ll walk you through how to apply and prepare for your first day as a graduate student.
If you are interested in learning more about the Social Justice and Community Engagement program, or have questions about the application process, watch our Virtual Open House. The video includes information about:
After you have submitted your OUAC application, paid the non-refundable application fee, and Laurier has received your application, you'll receive an email from gradadmissions@wlu.ca advising you to upload the additional required documentation to Laurier’s Online Registration and Information System (LORIS).
Please note, the application process and the uploading of supplemental documentation, which includes references, typically takes two weeks. To avoid disappointment, please apply early.
An application for admission to the MA program in Social Justice and Community Engagement must include:
Students applying to the MRP route are not required to have confirmed a supervisor prior to applying.
Visit our Graduate Admissions Toolkit for more information about applying.
Proficiency in written and spoken English is essential to graduate studies at Laurier. Applicants whose language of instruction during their previous postsecondary education was not in English must submit evidence of proficiency in English. If applicable, results from accepted testing services must be uploaded to LORIS.
If you are an international applicant, you will find more information about English proficiency, international student fees and financial aid on our International Graduate Student Admissions page.
Questions? Contact Celine Taillefer-Travers, academic program administrator, at ctravers@wlu.ca.
"This program challenged me to explore the complexity of social justice issues through theories of intersectionality, privilege, economics, Indigenous studies, and much more. I took what I learned in the classroom and successfully applied it to my master’s practicum at a legal clinic. Now that I am in law school, I am humbled to have the knowledge to bring the critical intersectional lens into my classroom and work discussions."
Tahwila Husaini, class of 2020
Regardless of the type of graduate degree program you intend to pursue, financial planning is important. At Laurier, we want to provide you with as much information as possible about a variety of scholarship and funding opportunities and equip you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.
Our graduates have gone on to work in the not-for-profit sector, government, community organizations, education, corporate social responsibility and a variety of other sectors. A considerable number of our graduates have also gone on to further schooling, including law school, doctoral studies and bachelor of education.
Here is just a sample of jobs held by our graduates:
Watch our Alumni Career Panel to hear more from some of our previous students.
ASPIRE is Laurier's professional skills development training program for graduate students. The program helps you craft an individualized, extracurricular learning plan tailored to your professional journey and entry to the workplace.
Learn about the interests of our faculty members. If you are looking for more information about this program, have questions, or want to set up a meeting, contact a member of our team.
Ehaab D. Abdou
Assistant Professor
Bree Akesson
Associate Professor
Tarah Brookfield
Associate Professor
Kelly Gallagher-Mackay
Associate Professor
Rebecca Godderis
Associate Professor
Todd Gordon
Associate Professor
Maurita Harris
Assistant Professor
Rob Kristofferson
Professor
Janet McLaughlin
Associate Professor
Brenda Murphy
Professor
Graduate Coordinator, Social Justice and Community Engagement
Marcia Oliver
Associate Professor
Jennifer Root
Associate Professor
Kate Rossiter
Associate Professor
Ellen Russell
Associate Professor
Kenneth Werbin
Associate Professor
