Peace and Justice Studies Association

The Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA) is a non-profit organization formed in 2001 as a result of a merger of the Consortium on Peace Research, Education and Development (COPRED) and the Peace Studies Association (PSA). Both organizations provided leadership in the broadly defined field of peace, conflict and justice studies. PJSA is dedicated to bringing together academics, K-12 teachers and grassroots activists to explore alternatives to violence and share visions and strategies for peacebuilding, social justice, and social change. PJSA and HECUA formed a partnership in 2005.

PJSA works to create a just and peaceful world through:

• The promotion of peace studies within universities, colleges and K-12 grade levels
• The forging of alliances among educators, students, activists, and other peace practitioners in order to enhance each other's work on peace, conflict and non-violence
• The creation and nurturing of alternatives to structures of inequality and injustice, war and violence through education, research and action.

Membership within PJSA is a diverse network of professors, K-12 educators, nonprofit leaders, and other individuals and activists nation wide. A number of faculty and students at HECUA member schools are also members of PJSA. As an affiliate member of HECUA, PJSA has a seat on the HECUA board of directors. The current PJSA representative on the HECUA board is Mike Klein, faculty in Justice and Peace Studies at the University of St. Thomas, and a long standing colleague of HECUA.

The affiliate membership with HECUA seeks to serve these purposes: (a) to acknowledge the shared programmatic goals of HECUA and PJSA in offering unique international and domestic programs for students in higher education; (b) to provide opportunities for a national higher education community to learn more about HECUA programs and resources; and (c) to facilitate PJSA students--often advised by PJSA faculty members--in enrolling and receiving academic credit for participation in HECUA student programs.

Application Process

PJSA follows HECUA's deadlines for all programs. All pieces of the HECUA application are submitted directly to the HECUA office. No signatures on the application are needed by a board representative, though students from nonmember schools should inform and work closely with their respective off-campus study offices (a signature from that office should be secured).

Need more assistance?

To begin the application process and for more information about available programs, requirements, and fees, a HECUA representative is always available:
Pat Mulvhihill, Director of Operations at 651-287-3306 or [email protected].