College Is Going To the Dogs!

Canines all over town will want to sit up and take notice of reports coming out of the District’s newest degree-granting postsecondary institution. Beginning this fall, the Humane Society University (HSU) will offer undergraduate degrees and graduate certificates in Animal Studies, Animal Policy and Advocacy, and Humane Leadership. An affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States, HSU is licensed as a higher education degree-granting institution by the District of Columbia Education Licensure Commission and is applying for accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The HSUS is the first animal welfare organization in the nation to receive such authority and distinction.

Targeted to working adults and those wanting to complete bachelors’ degrees, HSU programs are designed to educate students to qualify them for employment with one of the more than 17,000 nonprofit organizations that protect, provide services to, or advocate for animals. For admission to the undergraduate program, students must have already earned junior status or completed at least 60 college credits including general education requirements at another accredited institution. Both online and classroom based courses are offered to students admitted to any one of the three undergraduate majors. In addition, library services are available through a partnership with American University and the Washington Research Library Consortium which includes Catholic University, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, George Washington, Georgetown, Marymount University, and the University of the District of Columbia.

Obviously, the University hopes to attract students interested in animals and animal advocacy. All degree programs are interdisciplinary and each major has a set of core course requirements, capstone and electives in the field of human-animal studies. “The programs are designed for students who seek to advance work on behalf of animals by gaining advanced skills and knowledge,” announced Robert Roop, Ph.D., president of Humane Society University. He adds, “The interdisciplinary curriculum is unmatched by any other licensed scholastic body in the world.” Applications are currently being accepted and registration is ongoing for classes starting October 24th.