Master of Arts in Advocacy and Social Justice

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(Note: This program is not enrolling new students at this time.)

Program Overview

The MA program in Advocacy and Social Justice is designed to provide advanced studies on advocacy and social justice theory, research and practice.  Students will develop the skills to create, employ and evaluate models for change regarding the motivations and implications of injustice, disparity, inequity and systems of dominance.  Students learn to implement and assess practices and theories grounded in principles of social justice, advocacy, respect for diversity and multi-culturalism, and the uniqueness of each person.

Students are immersed in an advanced multi-disciplinary curriculum that uses research, experiences and coursework to develop a holistic lens of empowerment, inclusion, multi-culturalism, equity and social impact. The attainment of applied experience is critical to students who are committed to and engaged in their communities.

Concentrations are additional areas of focus which are designed to immerse students in a more specific area of advocacy and social justice.  The MA in Advocacy and Social Justice offers concentrations in Legal Studies, Culture & Communities and Education.

The attainment of applied experience is critical to students who are committed to and engaged in their communities. Field Experiences at an approved site are part of the MA degree program in Advocacy and Social Justice. Fieldwork experiences are to occur while student is registered in ASJ 667  Advocacy in Action: Fieldwork/Internship.

Contributions to the wider body of intellectual, experiential and applied knowledge are critical and the completion of a Social Impact and Participatory Action Research Master’s Project is required for successful fulfillment of the MA degree program in Advocacy and Social Justice.

Graduates are prepared to effectively apply advocacy and social justice theories and principles in their roles as policy and research analysts, international humanitarians, advocates in governmental and non-governmental agencies, social service directors, program officers, community health workers and educators, leaders in nonprofit, social movement activists, civil liberties workers, disease & disability advocates, special interest lobbyists and LGBTQ activists. 

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Development: Students implement and evaluate advocacy and social justice theories impacting domestic and global systems to assess opportunities and strategies to shift systems of inequity through practices of inclusion and multiculturalism.

Diversity: Students are able to assess and address the dynamics and intersectionality of institutional and individual biases and how each manifests power to create measurable change in social, community and political systems.  They demonstrate through action, a value and commitment to diversity, social justice, equity and inclusion.

Communication: Students analyze and evaluate the qualities of communication tools used to fight injustice, maintain oppressive systems and empower individuals and communities to develop and implement, strategies for social impact.

Research: Students demonstrate skills to effectively consume, analyze, interpret and create scholarly, research based work grounded in social impact and participatory action paradigms and inclusive of social and personal contexts.  Students work to address how their lived experiences are connected to research and how issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-bias are imbedded explicitly and implicitly in the research.  Research will involve the completion of a Social Impact and Participatory Action Research Master’s Project.

Praxis: Students develop a philosophy of action and implementation based on advocacy and social justice theories, guided by reflective engagement and grounded in a lens of equity and multiculturalism. Students employ the knowledge, skills, attitudes and attributes of the advocate role to create and implement developmentally and culturally appropriate advocacy, inclusion and equity practices with individuals and systems. Students will observe, investigate and critically evaluate policies, practices and emergent issues from their fieldwork/internship.  Praxis will involve activities such as practica, internship, fieldwork or student teaching.

Program Specific Requirements

Prior to registering for classes each semester (fall, spring, and summer), it is recommended that students meet with their advisor to identify the appropriate classes to take and to review their progress towards degree completion.

The program requires 15 credits of core coursework; 6 credits of thesis coursework; and 9 credits of concentration coursework and other program electives necessary to fulfill a total of 30 credits for program completion.

Fieldwork Requirements

Each concentration has an advocacy fieldwork requirement. Fieldwork is study and learning that consists of practical and applied activities completed outside of the classroom or typical learning environment.  Each student is required to engage in 45 hours of service at an approved fieldwork/internship site during the semester enrolled in the three-credit fieldwork course (ASJ 667  Advocacy in Action: Fieldwork/Internship).

Thesis Requirements

Six credits of thesis are required: HD 688A Thesis Cohort Development (3) and HD 688C Thesis Cohort Project (3). Students who do not complete their Social Impact and Participatory Action Research Master’s Thesis by the end of HD 688A are required to enroll in HD 699C Thesis Continuation (0) until the Participatory Action and Social Impact Research Master’s Thesis has been completed and approved.

Thesis Submission

General Requirements

Your thesis should be written in a standard font and font size, such as Arial or Times New Roman 12-point font. It should be double spaced, with one inch margins. You must number your pages according to APA guidelines.

You must include a title page, table of content and Reference page. Your table of contents may be as detailed as you choose, but it must at least direct readers to each chapter of your thesis.  You should use APA formatted in-text citations and references, and follow APA standard formatting for headings, tables, etc.

Any images, including diagrams, charts, and photographs, must be created by you, or include attribution (reference) for reprinted materials. Please contact the library if you have any questions about copyright, or review information here and here.

Title Page
Your title page should contain the following elements:

• The title of your thesis.
• The statement “Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Human Development” or the equivalent statement for your degree.
• Your full name as it appears in the school’s records. Please do not use nicknames.
• The full names of committee members, with a line for each of them to sign on
• Month and year of submission (i.e. May 2012)

Submission to Library

• Complete thesis submission will include
  1) An electronic copy of the final version of your thesis, in either Word or PDF    
  2) A scanned (PDF) or photocopy of the title page with your committee’s signatures if it cannot be included in the thesis
• The electronic copy of your thesis should be a single document, and include your title page, a table of contents, the body of your thesis, and your references.
• Submit your thesis to POthesis@pacificoaks.edu, with the subject line “Your full name - Thesis submission”.  Submissions should come from PO student emails.  Emails with documents and attachments from unsecure (non-PO) emails will be deleted without review due to electronic security concerns. Photocopied title pages with signatures may be submitted in person or mailed.
• The library will make a good faith effort to check thesis to ensure they follow correct APA formatting.  Students will be notified via email if they need to re-submit making any necessary corrections.  It’s the student’s responsibility to review and correct necessary changes.  It is advised that all thesis students seeking help with APA make appointments with library staff well in advance of submission deadlines to ensure acceptance of completed thesis.

For thesis due dates, please refer to the Academic Calendar.