Non-Profit / Social Justice / Activism

The mission of non-profit, social service and activist oriented organizations are to give back to the communities and populations they serve. If this sounds like something you would like to do, there are a variety of jobs and opportunities available from direct service to oversight and management—and everything in between.

Behind the Leader: Michelle Chung

“I decided to come to UMass because of the major itself. The thing about SCD was the fact that it has sustainability built into the curriculum, and it’s at the crossroads of the social and scientific side of environmental work. …

By Alli Faust
Alli Faust Product Manager
Send Email
Read more

Sidebar

Relevant SBS Courses

Your major does not necessarily have to be in direct line with your career! Sociology majors can work in the business sector. Economics majors can work in government. Poli Sci majors can work on Wall Street. Many SBS departments offer courses relevant to various career paths. Here is a very small sampling of courses relevant to this industry from across the majors. Please speak with your academic advisor to explore all available courses, and remember that you need not constrain yourself to courses within your major. Study what is interesting to you!

191 STPEC 2 – Pioneer Valley Political Activism & Community Organizing

191 STPEC 2 – Pioneer Valley Political Activism & Community Organizing: In this seminar, you will attend four meetings with local…
Learn More

ANTHRO 104 – Culture, Society and People

ANTHRO 104 – Culture, Society and People: The nature of culture and its role in creating forms of social, economic,…
Learn More

SOCIOL 224 – Social Class & Inequality

SOCIOL 224 – Social Class & Inequality: The nature of social classes in society from the viewpoint of differences in economic…
Learn More

LEGAL 375 – Human Rights and Wrongs

LEGAL 375 – Human Rights and Wrongs: Introduction to humanitarian law. Topics include theory and history of international human rights law,…
Learn More

ANTHRO 380 – Grassroots Community Organizing

ANTHRO 380 – Grassroots Community Organizing: This course examines how marginalized communities organize to combat racial, economic, and political injustices. Student…
Learn More

COMM 352 – Group Dynamics

COMM 352 – Group Dynamics: The dynamics of decision-making groups. Topics include: leadership, networks, conformity, problem solving, mediation, and conflict resolution.
Learn More

COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication

COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication: This course introduces non-majors to a variety of competing theories of interpersonal behavior and everyday social…
Learn More

RESECON 121 – Hunger in the Global Economy

RESECON 121 – Hunger in the Global Economy: Explores the causes of hunger (chronic under nutrition) from an economic perspective. Focus on…
Learn More

LEGAL 497N – Environmental Justice

LEGAL 497N – Environmental Justice: This course provides an exploration of the environmental justice (EJ) movement. Central to our study is…
Learn More

LEGAL 465 – Globalization

LEGAL 465 – Globalization: The globalization of law, culture, and politics. Competing arguments about the meaning and effects of globalization.…
Learn More

LEGAL 391F – Law & the Family

LEGAL 391F – Law & the Family: Who has traditionally had the right to parent, and what has been the role…
Learn More

SOCIOL 222: The Family

SOCIOL 222: The Family: Historical transformations in family life (relationships between husbands and wives, position and treatment of children, importance…
Learn More

ECON 105: Intro to Political Economy

ECON 105: Intro to Political Economy: Facts and concepts basic to understanding the U.S. economy today. Topics may include: unemployment,…
Learn More

SBS College to Careers – SOCBEHAV 250

SOCBEHAV 250: College to Careers This class is all about YOU. • One credit, highly-participatory course • Learn about yourself…
Learn More
View All Classes

Skill-Building With Linkedin Learning Classes

See below for skill-building classes – visit LinkedIn Learning for more.

Build a Successful Career in Project Management

Taught by Oliver Yarbrough
Do you want to get into project management? Maybe you’re already in project management, but you want to grow. Either…
Learn More

The Core Competencies All Employers Seek

Some skills are universally sought by employers and are essential to a well functioning team.  Stand out from the crowd…
Learn More

Media Relations Foundations

Taught by Jessica Chen
View Jessica’s LinkedIn Newsletter If you want your business to succeed, you need as much brand recognition as you can…
Learn More

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

Taught by Corey Koberg
Google Analytics 4 provides the means to track, analyze, and report on the visitors to your site and app—who they…
Learn More

Nonprofit Management Foundations

Taught by Leslie Crutchfield
Thinking about leading a nonprofit organization? Internationally renowned author Leslie Crutchfield provides a primer on nonprofit management and leadership. She…
Learn More

Emerging Leader Foundations

Taught by Dan Schawbel
View Dan’s LinkedIn Newsletter Taking on a leadership role in the diverse, ever-changing modern workplace can feel both exhilarating and…
Learn More

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365) (2018)

Taught by Dennis Taylor
Get up to speed with Microsoft Excel, the world’s most popular spreadsheet program. Follow along with Excel expert Dennis Taylor…
Learn More

PowerPoint: Designing Better Slides (2017)

Taught by Heather Ackmann
Designed for non-designers, this course introduces average business professionals to key design components and requirements for purposeful PowerPoint slide design.…
Learn More

Learning Excel 2016

Taught by David Rivers
This beginner-level course will introduce new users to Excel 2016. Author David Rivers covers the interface, creating and opening workbooks,…
Learn More

You Need a Career Development Plan

Taught by Macmillan Publishers
You can’t navigate your way to career success without first plotting a course. Having a career development strategy can be…
Learn More

Creating a Business Plan

Taught by Mike Figliuolo
Looking to build a business or expand one you’re already running? You’ll need to build a business plan before you…
Learn More

How to Be More Inclusive

Taught by Madecraft
Creating an inclusive workplace, where every employee feels welcomed, valued, respected, and heard, requires both structural change to your company…
Learn More

Social Justice Education with College Students – EDUC 786

Taught by Dave Neely
This course provides conceptual, practical, and empirical foundations for SJE with college students in four areas: Justice, Diversity, Equity, &…
Learn More

PowerPoint Essential Training (Office 365/Microsoft 365) (2020)

Taught by Jess Stratton
You don’t have to be a designer to create a great visual presentation. Learn how to use Microsoft PowerPoint for…
Learn More

Business Analysis Foundations: Business Process Modeling

Taught by Haydn Thomas
When you’re trying to grapple with user demands and market changes, it can be difficult to mentally zoom out and…
Learn More

The Secrets to Success at Work

Taught by Nigel Cumberland
Regardless of your profession or career stage, you can excel and be successful at work. In this course, Nigel Cumberland—a…
Learn More

Six Sigma Foundations

Taught by Richard Chua
Learn how to apply Six Sigma to drive improvements in the performance of your processes, products, and services. Dr. Richard…
Learn More

Learn Emotional Intelligence, the Key Determiner of Success

Taught by Big Think
Explore the four domains of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management—as defined by psychologist and author Daniel Goleman.…
Learn More

Outlook Quick Tips (2017)

Taught by Nick Brazzi
Get quick answers to your most urgent Outlook questions. These short tutorials help users work faster and smarter with Outlook,…
Learn More

Public Speaking Foundations

Taught by Laura Bergells
Develop the skills you need to prepare and deliver an outstanding speech or presentation. In this course, Laura Bergells offers…
Learn More
View All Classes

Explore Outcomes

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

  • First Destination
  • Top Employers
  • Starting Salary
  • Job Titles
  • Employment Locations
  • Top Universities
  • Degree Types
  • Fields of Study

First Destination

SBS graduates pursue a range of plans after graduation, including employment, continuing education, and volunteering/service, among others.  This graph depicts what recent SBS graduates tell us they are doing within six months after graduation.

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts

Cristina Sunkel

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • Washington, DC
  • Independent Consultant
Learn more from Cristina >
View More

Student Success Stories

My SBS in DC Experience: Abby Keagle

A Look Back at My SBS in DC Experience: Lizette Sta. Maria

Why you should apply to SBS in DC

Learn more about our SBS in DC interns, and follow their summer adventures on Instagram!

Reif Larsen ’18 (Landscape Architecture) takes classroom knowledge into the field at internship

View More

Featured Resources

View More