About SOLES
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.
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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
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.
We invite you to review our current and aspirational strategic initiatives within the SOLES 2024 Strategic Plan.
Counseling & Marital and Family Therapy
- MA in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is 1 of 7 CACREP accredited programs in California
- MA in Counseling, School Counseling program is 1 of 4 CACREP accredited programs in California
- MA in Marital and Family Therapy program is 1 of 11 COAMFTE campus-based accredited programs in California
Master of Education (Online)
- Ranked #4 Online Master of Education program by BestColleges.com
- Ranked as one of the Best 20 Masters in Curriculum and Instruction Programs in 2021 by Best Value Schools
PhD in Leadership Studies
- In 1979, SOLES established the first doctoral program in Leadership Studies in the nation
Teaching Credential Pathways
- SOLES established the innovative Dual Credential Program to meet all state requirements for becoming a general education and mild-to-moderate special education teacher.