Social Transformation Studies

Careers in social transformation studies

An increasing number of high school and college students are interested in the social issues that are defining our society today; more specifically, this interest and investment extends beyond their participation in the electoral process and in their communities and into their choice of coursework and career fields.

Students in Social Transformation Studies will be well prepared to competitively pursue careers in education, law, medicine, public health, public relations, journalism, politics, social work, business, counseling, and more.

Related career titles

City and Urban Planning; College and University Professor; Community Development; Director and Producer; Educational Policy; Human Resource Manager; Lawyer; Marketing Manager; Multimedia Artist/Animator; Museum Curator; Nonprofit Manager; Physician; Policy Analyst; Public Health Educator; Political Activist; Public Relations Specialist; Reporter; Social and Community Service Manager;Writer; Youth Programmer and more...

For example, according to the 2020 NSHSS Career Interest Survey of more than 14,000 high school and college students:

  • Generation Z (those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s) is coming of age in an era marked by an increasing awareness of social issues, and they are “acutely aware of the injustices of the world around them.”
  • The report continues, “Unlike past generations, Generation Z does not separate these global challenges from their personal ambitions but rather see them as intertwined and interdependent.”

Also, in a 2021 BestColleges survey of 750 undergraduate students:

  • 48% reported that their involvement in social justice efforts has impacted their career choices, and 51% reported that their involvement had impacted their coursework choices.

And finally, the 2021 Pearson Global Learner Survey of 1,250 Americans (part of a total group of 5,000 people from around the world) found that:

  • 59% of the respondents had concerns about their lack of education on issues of social justice and equity.

The degree in Social Transformation Studies responds to interested students’ desires to choose a course of study that offers them the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to tackle the social problems facing their communities.

On the flip side, employers in a broad range of fields have indicated preferences for hiring candidates with broad knowledge and skills in the areas of equity and inclusion. For example, one of the eight Career Readiness Competencies identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers is Equity and Inclusion, and issues of equity and inclusion are integrated into two of the other competencies, Communication, and Critical Thinking, as well. (NACE 2021)

“Sustainers”

One broad career pathway for students with a degree in Social Transformation Studies is the “helping” professions; in the career literature, this group of students are referred to as “sustainers” (Radeloff and Berger 2021). Information available from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates strong employment prospects in a range of occupations and professions that fall under the category of Community and Social Service Specialists (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211099.htm ) for graduates with a Social Transformation Studies degree. Students graduating from this program will encounter opportunities in public, private, non-profit and community-based sectors of employment, including community organizing, education (both K-12 and higher ed.), public policy analysis, conflict resolution, human relations, international NGOs, political campaigns, environmental advocacy, religious organizations, international agencies, and domestic non-profit and social services.

“Evolvers”

Other students might be interested in pairing a Social Transformation Studies major with another degree program or secondary major. These students, called “evolvers” in the career literature, will bring cultural competency and knowledge of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) issues and best practices to a broad range of fields, thereby enhancing their employment prospects and distinguishing themselves favorably in application pools.

For example, a variety of business publications have noted the importance of multicultural competencies and diversity training (Business.com, 2018; Harvard Business Review, 2019; Inc.com, 2018), underscoring the desirability of hiring employees in the business world who already have these competencies and are in a position to support and develop a company’s DEI efforts. More specifically, employers in technology fields, including both smaller companies as well as industry leaders Apple, Google, and Microsoft, have recently begun investing in multi-pronged equity and inclusion efforts, which necessitates hiring and retaining employees with the knowledge to create products that don’t perpetuate systemic bias, and/or the skills to cultivate inclusive work cultures (Racial Justice and Equity Intitiative 2021; Addressing Racial Injustice 2020; Pichai 2020).

Students seeking careers in healthcare will also find that the knowledge and skills gained from a Social Transformation Studies major, in combination with another major, secondary major, or completion of pre-med requirements, could serve them in good stead. For example, the American Association of Medical Colleges has stated the need for applicants to medical schools to have cultural competency and an understanding of systemic inequalities, and suggested that medical school candidates with a knowledge of health disparities have an advantage over their peers without that knowledge (AAMC 2019; White and Ojugbele 2019; see also Garg et al. 2021). The content of the MCAT reflects this sea change; starting in 2015, the standardized test that weighs heavily in admissions to medical schools began assessing knowledge of the social determinants of health and how social stratification affects access to resources and well-being (Schwartzstein et al. 2013; Kaplan, Satterfield, and Kington 2012).