Social Justice and Community Engagement (MA)

All students admitted to the program are automatically admitted to this route. This route is recommended for students interested in obtaining employment after graduation in local, national or international social and/or environmental social justice organizations or government and non-governmental organizations. 

To qualify for the MA in Social Justice and Community Engagement degree through the coursework route, you must complete the following:

Fall term:

• SOJE601 Theories of Social Justice and Community Engagement
• SOJE603 Community Capacity Development
• SOJE690 Social Justice Research and Professionalization Forum
• SOJE621 Social Justice Community Placement

Winter term:

• SOJE602 Applied Research for Social Justice
• SOJE631 Special Topics in Social and Environmental Justice
• SOJE690 (continued)
• SOJE621 (continued)

Spring/Summer term:

• SOJE605 Social Justice Practitioner's Toolkit
• SOJE606 Changing the Political Terrain: Approaches to Organizing

For further information about the courses, visit our Course Offerings page.

This option offers students an opportunity to undertake an independent academic research project such as a scoping review, secondary data analysis, or primary data collection. Students apply to this route in the fall term, once they have started the program. Prospective students can indicate their preference for this option. 

To qualify for the MA in Social Justice and Community Engagement degree through the coursework plus major research paper (MRP) route, you must complete the following:

Fall term:

• SOJE601 Theories of Social Justice and Community Engagement
• SOJE603 Community Capacity Development
• SOJE690 Social Justice Research and Professionalization Forum
• SOJE621 Social Justice Community Placement

Winter term:

• SOJE602 Applied Research for Social Justice
• SOJE631 Special Topics in Social and Environmental Justice
• SOJE690 (continued)
• SOJE621 (continued)

Spring/Summer term:

• SOJE695 (MRP)

For further information about the courses, visit our Course Offerings page.

This route offers students a chance to combine courses with a community engagement project or arts-based practice and an accompanying written paper. Students can apply in the fall semester once they have started the program. 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:

• SOJE601 Theories of Social Justice and Community Engagement
• SOJE603 Community Capacity Development
• SOJE690 Social Justice Research and Professionalization Forum
• SOJE621 Social Justice Community Placement

Winter term:

• SOJE602 Applied Research for Social Justice
• SOJE631 Special Topics in Social and Environmental Justice
• SOJE690 (continued)
• SOJE621 (continued)

Spring/Summer term:

• SOJE695 (Creative MRP)

For further information about the courses, visit our Course Offerings page.

Here is a brief list of some of the types of organizations our students have served their placements:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Brantford Food Forest
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Centre for Community Based Research
• Child Hunger Brant
• Citizens Foundation Canada
• Ecology Ottawa
• Employment and Immigration Services, YMCA
• Friendship House of Brant
• Grand River Community Health Centre
• Homeslessness Services Association of BC
• John Howard Society of Hamilton / Niagara
• Justice for Workers
• Kahnekanoron: Indigenous Sustenance Reclamation Network
• Out on the Shelf: Queer Library and Resource Centre
• Plant that Seed
• The Ripple Effect Education
• Survivor's Secretariat
• United for Literacy
• Wisdom2Action
• Women's Centre of Halton

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:

• Routes through the program, courses, our faculty and the Brantford campus
• Admission requirements and who should apply
• The application process and timelines
• Tuition and funding

• A four-year (honours) undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in humanities, social science, natural science, education, social work or related interdisciplinary program. 
• A background in the concepts of social and environmental justice.
• A minimum B average in your last year of undergraduate study, or equivalent.
• Applications are reviewed by the SJCE admissions committee, which considers all prior university grades, the statement of intent form (downloaded from this website), a resume, a writing sample, and letters of reference.

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).

When first searching OUAC for the SJCE MA program, it is recommended to search by Faculty (Faculty of Liberal Arts) or by degree (Master of Arts) for ease of discovery.

Note that the application process and the uploading of supplemental documentation, which includes letters of reference, 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:

• The Application Summary, which is generated after you complete your OUAC application (log back in to OUAC to retrieve it).
• Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate institutions that you have attended.
• A completed statement of intent form. This form must be submitted with your other application materials to be considered for admission.
• A resume of your academic and work experience. If applicable, include a history of publications and/or relevant volunteer work.
• A sample of your scholarly writing (10-20 pages in length). This may be a paper written for a senior undergraduate course or another longer written work that demonstrates your critical thinking and writing skills.
• Completed reference forms. Two references are required, and one must be academic (i.e. from a professor or instructor who taught you at the post-secondary level). If you do not have academic referees, please contact the program to discuss possible alternatives. Note: Reference forms are electronically submitted to Laurier by the referee and do not need to be uploaded by the applicant. Applicants should indicate to non-academic referees that a strong letter of reference should include the reason why they support your application with specific examples of your skills and/or knowledge.
• A completed Authorization of Information Release (AIR) form is required if you have engaged the services of an education agent/agency. Upload it to your application checklist when you identify your agent in the OUAC application. Visit Step 2 for more information about the AIR.

Students interested in the Major Research Project route are not required to have confirmed a supervisor prior to applying, but they can indicate who they are interested in working with for their project.

Visit our Graduate Admissions Toolkit for more information about applying.

The MA in Social Justice and Community Engagement is a small graduate program that receives many applications and usually accepts fewer than 20 students a year. When considering whether to apply, please understand that the admissions process is highly competitive. 

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.

Please note that the SJCE program does not do pre-assessments for admissions. Any materials sent to the program outside of the application process will not be reviewed.