What you'll learn studying Social and Environmental Justice at UW-Platteville
Commit to addressing the world’s major challenges, including poverty, hunger, disease, and human and environmental degradation with the environmental and social justice program with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Society. UW-Platteville offers a minor and certificate in this program area.
The Social and Environmental Justice program is designed specifically for students who take seriously the idea that an educated person is one who embodies a sensitivity to the social, ecological, and moral challenges of our time. Moreover, it is centered toward individuals who, through structured study and practical field work, act to make a constructive difference in our world.
The program is open to students from any major or concentration and grounded in the conviction that in a world plagued by conflict, war, and manifold forms of degradation, both human and environmental, “true peace,” as Martin Luther King, Jr. put it, “is not merely the absence of tension — it is the presence of justice.”
Justice is not present where there is a disregard or contempt for human rights. For that reason, the Social and Environmental Justice program fully endorses the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. In addition, due to the indivisible link between humans and the environment, the program is committed not only to respecting and promoting basic human rights, but also to affirming and actualizing environmental imperatives.
The Social and Environmental Justice program aims to develop students who are aware of our world's major challenges such as poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, war, slavery, climate change, and environmental degradation, and who are committed to addressing these threats to the common good in the most constructive ways possible. As part of your studies, you'll complete a major project in which you will enhance the well-being of a place or people and deepen your understanding of the world in which we live. Pair this hands-on project with participation in our unique student organizations and award-winning internship program, and you'll develop a strong resume that will garner interest from potential employers.
Careers in Social and Environmental Justice
People who are drawn to careers in social and environmental justice are good communicators with strong foundational knowledge in science and human rights. Graduates who study environmental and social justice topics understand how political and economic power contribute to solutions of social and environmental injustices and are well-positioned to succeed in a variety of professional roles. Pairing the social and environmental justice minor or certificate with your bachelor's degree can lead to a career as a(n):
- Agricultural engineer
- Air quality engineer
- Conservation scientist
- Energy engineer
- Environmental engineer
- Environmental justice advocate
- Environmental lawyer
- Environmental scientist
- Environmental technician
- Geoscientist
- Human rights lawyer
- Hydrologist
- Lobbyist
- Natural resource specialist
- Policy analyst
- Program officer
- Social and community service manager
- Social service worker
- Soil and plant scientist
- Sustainability manager
Discover by doing
In the Social and Environmental Justice program at UW-Platteville you will learn both inside and outside of the classroom. Whether you are pursuing an environmental justice certificate or a minor, you can take advantage of experiential learning designed to bridge your college experience to your future career.
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