University of San Diego Launches California’s First Master’s Program in Restorative Justice

• Restorative justice is the practice of responding to harm with an emphasis on healing, social support, and active accountability.
• The University of San Diego, a private Catholic school, launched California's first master's program focused on restorative justice.
• The 17-month program will include online and in-person classes, along with one travel seminar.

The University of San Diego (USD) is breaking new ground in California with the launch of its master's program focusing on restorative justice.

Restorative justice is a communal approach focusing on healing, social support, and active accountability as a means to prevent or address harm, according to an announcement by the private, Catholic university.

Its practices can be helpful in K-12 education, criminal justice, or in nonprofit work, and higher education can use restorative justice in student conduct, Title IX, and discrimination or hate-bias cases.

"Restorative justice is a much needed approach to harm and conflict in our highly divided society," Dr. David Karp, director of the Center for Restorative Justice at USD, said in a press release.

"It is an emerging global movement that embraces personal and community empowerment, collaboration, and personal accountability to address harm and strengthen relationships."

The 17-month program will be housed in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at USD and include seven online classes, two one-week classes on campus, and one 10-day travel seminar.

The majority of the courses will be self-paced and asynchronous. Each of the in-person campus classes will last a week and occur during the intersession in the first year of study and spring of the second year.

USD's new program will be the fourth such restorative justice graduate program in the country and the first of its kind in California.

Tuition for the full-time, 30-credit program is estimated to cost around $26,400 in total, not including travel expenses to and from campus and for the travel seminar.

The inaugural cohort will begin classes in fall 2024. Applications are due by June 30.