The School of Social Innovation is for students who care about others: the born educator, the team player, the change maker, the advocate. The world needs more of these passionate and talented people to lead the future toward radical change—people like you.
At Champlain, you’ll be challenged to find your voice and use it to make a difference in the lives of others. And to make a difference, you have to break the mold. These majors focus on how to bring social, environmental, and economic justice into the future. If you’re drawn to fields that are in service to others, you’ll need a flexible, modular curriculum that will prepare you to make a measurable contribution to the world.
Get ready to put your degree into practice. Our partnerships with area-based organizations and agencies gets you working with your peers and people in the community right away and every year of your college career. Whether advocating for others, protecting the environment, or leading change—you’ll start getting involved in the community and learning how to make a difference in your first year at Champlain.
Work alongside fellow students and faculty to develop innovative solutions to societal issues in The Center for Community & Social Justice. This is our incubator, think-tank space where our community works together to develop next practice models of community engagement, social safety networks, and policing that support whole community health and safety.
Learn About the Center for Community & Social JusticeCollaborate on research projects with faculty who have extensive experience in their fields of study. Champlain’s Behavioral Neuroscience Lab—the only lab of its kind in Vermont—allows our undergraduate Psychology students to explore topics of interest using state-of-the-art tools such as EEG testing, physiology recording equipment, and a tDCS machine (to stimulate specific areas of the brain).
Prison Law Initiative allows Law and Criminal Justice students to put what they’ve learned in the classroom to work by providing 24 hours of legal education to incarcerated individuals at each of the six correctional facilities in Vermont.
of 2022 School of Social Innovation graduates graduated with at least one internship or other professional work experience.
of 2022 School of Social Innovation graduates were employed in positions related to their career goals 6 months after graduation.
by the Council on Social Work Education, Champlain’s Social Work program meets the national standard for institutions teaching students to promote health, well-being, and justice for all people in a diverse society.
Through our CSWE-accredited Social Work program, you can apply to a Master of Social Work (MSW) program that will allow you to earn a master’s degree in one year instead of two. If accepted, you will save a year of graduate tuition costs.
At Champlain, you’ll engage in field placements and student teaching starting in the first semester. By the end of your first year, you’ll have spent nearly 30 hours in a classroom—a number you’d likely reach in your senior year at other institutions. From there, you’ll progress from weekly one-day observations in classrooms to supervised field experiences, to full-time teaching
All students in the School of Social Innovation, regardless of their major, take two signature service learning courses that bridge the classroom with our surrounding community. These 1-credit courses are service- and action-oriented, designed with service in mind.
In EHS 100: Making Connections, students meet together in an interdisciplinary, seminar-style setting to build a foundational understanding of integrative thinking and learning and to begin to make connections among the various elements of the Champlain College student-experiences and competencies. Students will take part in a real-world community awareness or service experience as a class and then examine the experience from the perspectives of social work criminal justice, the law, environmental policy education, and psychology.
The way we think about the environment can’t be separated from the way we think about people, and vice versa. Learn the skills to cultivate a career in a growing field.
View MajorTailor your Education degree with a Computer Science Education concentration and learn the skills to teach students to use computer technology to solve problems at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationDevelop a practical way of mediating conflict in your workplace, community, and personal life with Champlain College’s Conflict Management Minor.
View MinorJustice at all levels is a keystone of a functional society. Learn the criminal justice process at multiple levels and how your knowledge of this system can benefit your career.
View MinorBuild a better system. Be an agent of organizational change.
View MajorDesign your own major through Champlain’s Degree Design Lab. You’ll combine courses and real-world learning experiences to personalize your own education.
View MajorTailor your Education degree with a Early Childhood Education concentration and develop the skills to educate children from birth to age eight at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationTeaching is the ultimate way to shape the future. At Champlain College, you’ll be in classrooms during your first year, building deep expertise that leads to licensure.
View MajorThe next generation of caretakers of a sustainable future need you. Be the inspiration for tomorrow’s leaders, change-makers, and community members with our concentration in Education for Sustainability.
View ConcentrationTailor your Education degree with a Elementary Teacher Education concentration and develop the skills to teach elementary children K through age 6 at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationInspire real-world change by developing the skills to articulate the complexities and scope of today’s environmental issues to the audiences who need to hear them.
View ConcentrationDive deep into environmental issues and solutions from different angles including environmental communication, environmental law, and environmental policy assessment and development. Build a toolkit of skills in each of these areas to prepare for a career that makes an impact.
View ConcentrationIn this broad concentration, you’ll explore the topics of climate change, energy policy, and environmental law. Further specialize your learning by digging deep into topics you’re passionate about.
View ConcentrationExplore concepts of the individual, family, and community. Further develop your understanding as you discover the connections between them within historical, political, and social climates.
View MinorTailor your Psychology degree with a Flex Path concentration and explore applications of psychology to the field of your choice at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationExamine the physical, mental, and sociological aspects of aging, including the ways that society changes with an aging population with the Gerontology minor.
View MinorExplore current issues, history, and languages of specific regions and countries around the world. Engage with theories and perspectives on political, economic, and social dynamics of globalization.
View MinorTailor your Psychology degree with a Health & Wellbeing concentration and explore the impact of biological, social, and physical factors at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationExamine the complex histories, cultures, political activities, and expressions of LGBTQ people while exploring larger social and institutional foundations like media representation and human rights.
View MinorStudy law as an undergraduate at Champlain College and start your legal education right away, during your first semester. Go on to law school afterward or choose a different path; either way, you’ll be ready.
View MajorView MinorTailor your Education degree with a Middle Grades & Secondary Education concentration and develop the skills to teach grades six through 12 at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationTailor your Education degree with a Middle Grades English Language Arts concentration and develop the skills to teach english and language arts at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationTailor your Education degree with a Middle Grades Mathematics concentration and develop the skills to teach mathematics and critical thinking at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationTailor your Education degree with a Middle Grades Social Studies concentration and develop the skills to teach the topic of social studies at the middle school level at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationStudy human motivations and the latest neuroscience in a career-focused Psychology major that prepares you for this dynamic field.
View MajorView MinorTailor your Education degree with a Secondary Level English Concentration and develop the skills to teach the topic of english at the high school level at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationTailor your Education degree with a Secondary Level Mathematics Concentration and develop the skills to teach math at the high school level at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationTailor your Education degree with a Secondary Level Social Studies Concentration and develop the skills to teach social studies at the high school level at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationTailor your Psychology degree with a Social Change/Social Impact concentration and explore the intersections of culture and social justice at Champlain College.
View ConcentrationSee your work through the lens of social justice. Learn how social, economic, and political issues influence each other and affect an individual’s or community’s essential rights.
View MinorUplift families, empower individuals, and heal communities with Champlain’s Social Work major.
View MajorView MinorIt’s ok not to know what you want to study or what career to pursue—we’ve got you covered. Our Upside-Down Curriculum lets you explore your options and interests, even if you’re unsure about a major.
View MajorThe School of Social Innovation is all about positive impact. Apply Undecided to explore how your career can improve livelihoods and build better futures.
View MajorNavigate today's demanding business environment while considering your ability to impact change.
Shape the way people view and interact with the world around them in a career-focused, diverse, and collaborative environment.
Expand your impact on society, helping to build a better future starting today with real-world experiences, dedicated faculty, and deep community connections.
Learn to balance technology and humanity through smart, ethical, and innovative contributions in our ever-expanding digital world.
Examine the world around you and develop essential skills to navigate it. Anything but gen ed, our Core Division equips you with the ability to ask the right questions, create solutions, and communicate effectively.
Champlain College Online helps you learn whenever and wherever is best for you, with more than 100 degree and certificate programs 100% online in 7-8 week terms.