Take a moment to review commonly asked questions about the MA in Restorative Justice program.
We live in a world of tremendous harm, conflict and polarization. Our level of trust in government, schools and faith-based institutions is terribly low. At USD, we believe the only way through is by creating opportunities for listening, understanding and collaborative problem-solving. At its core, restorative justice practices help us identify harm, people's needs in its aftermath, and find solutions that provide both accountability and healing.
USD offers a professional certificate and a masters degree in RJ facilitation and leadership. Basically, the certificate is three of the ten courses of the MARJ. Each of the professional certificate courses are similar to the equivalent courses in the MARJ, but a bit less work as they are not for academic credit. The certificate is completed in a year, one course at a time, and has a fully online option starting each spring. The MARJ is completed over 17 months, with more intensive back-to-back courses and there are three in-person seminars (two in San Diego and one international). It is a deeper dive, not only in RJ, but in program development, leadership, and assessment. Both programs are designed for working professionals and they do not require relocation to San Diego.
Our certificate program provides a foundation in restorative practices that will enable you to incorporate restorative justice into your work. This three course, 9-month option is ideal for professionals who already have an advanced degree (such as a MA, JD, MD or PhD) or those who are still deciding if they wish to pursue our MARJ. While the courses completed in the certificate do not count toward the degree, we greatly value the expertise developed in the certificate program and encourage students to deepen their experience and knowledge by pursuing our MARJ. To develop your competencies even further, students who have completed the certificate courses and taken EDU-X785R "Introduction to Restorative Justice: A Global Social Movement" will enroll in LEAD 540 (its equivalent) and undertake a research paper in their RJ area of interest. Students who have successfully taken EDU-X786R "Restorative Justice Facilitation Skill-Building Intensive" will enroll in LEAD 541 (its equivalent) and advance their skills by taking on a leadership role and participating as a member of the training team.
This program is primarily delivered online with short, in-person, immersive courses. Online courses are a mix of asynchronous and synchronous courses.
- Asynchronous courses are delivered online without class meetings to provide flexibility in your schedule.
- Synchronous courses have class meetings online using Zoom, generally on Tuesdays, 4:00-6:00pm Pacific Time.
- Campus immersion courses meet for one week, 9:00am-4:00pm, in January and in June.
Our students are a very diverse group. They reflect racial, ethnic and religious diversity. Students' work experience and ages vary widely and have earned bachelor's degrees across a wide spectrum of fields ranging a variety of disciplines and a broad spectrum of fields (e.g., human services, health care, education, criminal justice, faith-based, and other areas of civil society).
The program is designed for working professionals, with the majority of courses completed at your own pace and on your schedule. Immersion courses are designed to minimize the need to take time off work.
Graduates of the MA in Restorative Justice go on to leadership roles in a wide variety of settings, including in education, nonprofit organizations, and criminal justice agencies. Students and alums have access to the USD Career Development center as well as a vast array of alumni networking opportunities.
International students requiring an F1 Visa to study are not eligible for this program. For more details, please refer to the guidelines for further information.
In addition to the course tuition, you should plan for travel expenses and program coordination fees for the travel seminar. In 2025, the travel seminar to Jamaica included approximately $3,000 in travel costs. Please visit our Tuition and Financial Aid page to learn more. These costs will vary by destination.
The MARJ is a cohort program where all of the students take the same program of study together and there are no electives to choose from. We are also not able to allow any substitutions nor any transfer courses in this program.
If a student is unable to take one of the courses when it is offered for their cohort (for example, if they have a medical issue), they will likely need to take a leave from the program and resume the program with the next cohort when that course is offered again.