​About

Rooted in social justice, led by compassion, inspired by curiosity, driven by a shared vision.

Mother Rosalie Hill Hall on the University of San Diego campus is home to the School of Leadership and Education Sciences' (SOLES) vibrant and vision-driven collective of academic departments, centers and institutes. Here, we combine innovation with introspection, academics with real-world application, and study with social impact.

Our nationally-accredited programs span the realms of leadership, teaching and counseling, both at graduate and undergraduate levels. They're all approached with an emphasis on social justice, multiculturalism and a determination to forge a better world together.

SOLES' 2024

Mission

The School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego believes in academic excellence, innovation, and a strong commitment to equity and inclusion. We educate, engage, model, mentor, and challenge the campus community to promote social justice and ignite meaningful change in our diverse society.

Vision

SOLES shapes the future by educating and empowering professionals to enact social justice, enhance human dignity, and improve the quality of life of diverse individuals, families, and communities.

Core Values

  • Diversity, inclusion, and social justice
  • Excellence in teaching
  • Care for the whole person and common home
  • Community engagement
  • Excellence in scholarship

SOLES’ Strategic Goals

Goal 1:

Prepare students to lead purposeful lives with successful careers in leadership, education, counseling, and therapy in the 21st century.

Goal 2:

Expand access and demonstrate inclusive excellence to benefit the learning and success of all students and to advance educational equity and become a first-choice school of education sciences for underrepresented students. 

Goal 3:

Infuse the entire university with a spirit and practice of changemaking, where innovation and entrepreneurship lead to positive change.

Goal 4:

Encourage the integration of knowledge and research (scholarship) to address questions within and across the disciplines of leadership, education and counseling and therapy- impacting communities with local specificity and global implications.

Goal 5:

Engage our communities in deep, democratic and meaningful partnerships, with a shared vision and collaborative effort.

 

graduates in gown and mortar boards standing with friends

Nationally ranked, community minded.

SOLES is currently ranked by US News and World Report as one of the Top 100 Graduate Education Programs, as well as in the top 50 Best Online Graduate Education Program nationally.

faculty member talking to student in class Meet our outstanding (and engaging) faculty.

They're driven, they're dedicated, they're diverse—and their doors are always open. Our exceptional faculty are here to guide, inspire, and mentor as students pursue their own paths toward a great career and a better world.
mother Rosalie hill hall SOLES facts: how we make our mark, together.

The second-oldest academic unit at the university, SOLES stays true to its original mission to combine educational equity and compassionate service. Today, the school includes four academic departments, ten degree programs, two institutes, two centers and seven credential and certificate programs—as well as nearly a thousand students.