Careers After Graduation

Peace studies encourages an imaginative quest for a world free from collective violence and respectful of basic human rights. These values can affect the content of any vocational choice.

Some common vocational choices of peace studies graduates include teaching and research (in a diverse array of fields), work in non-profit social change and service organizations, the practice of law and medicine, various forms of religious ministry, journalism, work in mediation and arbitration, international development and human rights work, government service, work in socially-conscious businesses, and many others.

Below are some links for post-graduate education and employment opportunities:

Graduate Programs in Peace Studies

Careers and Internships

Fellowships and Grants

Graduation Pledge Alliance

Students are invited to take the Graduation Pledge and join with others making the pledge: "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work." Students define what being "responsible" means for themselves.

Peace & Justice Programs at the Dorothy Day House has blank forms for you to make your commitment to the graduation pledge.

Students at over a hundred colleges and universities have used the pledge at some level, at schools which range in size from Whitman, to Harvard, to University of Wisconsin . This now includes some schools overseas, graduate and professional schools, and high schools. Graduates who voluntarily signed the pledge have turned down jobs they did not feel morally comfortable with and have worked to make changes once on the job. For example, they have promoted recycling at their organization, removed racist language from a training manual, worked for gender parity in high school athletics, and helped to convince an employer to refuse a chemical weapons-related contract.

Manchester College now coordinates the campaign effort, which has taken different forms at different institutions. At Manchester, it is a community-wide event involving students, faculty, and staff. Typically, fifty percent of students sign and keep a wallet-size card stating the pledge, while students and supportive faculty wear green ribbons at commencement and the pledge is printed in the formal commencement program.

The project has been covered in newspapers around the country (e.g., USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and Boston Globe), as well as being covered in magazines, national radio networks, and local TV stations.

The pledge helps educate and motivate one to contribute to a better world. Think of the impact if even a significant minority of the one million college graduates each year signed and carried out the Pledge.  Contact NJWollman@Manchester.edu for information/questions/comments; or write Graduation Pledge Association,  MC Box 135, Manchester College, 604 E. College Ave., North Manchester, IN 46962.

Choosing the Good Life

Wounded in battle, Inigo convalesced at the Loyola castle where he alternated between romantic day-dreams and hopes of following St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic in their quest for holiness.  After the thoughts of pleasure and romance, Inigo felt tired and dissatisfied. After dreams of following the saints, St. Ignatius felt at peace.  This was his first experience of discernment of spirits.

Meditating on the life of Christ at Manresa, Inigo decided to follow Jesus.  His journey had many twists and turns.  Sometimes he went backward.  Eventually, he decided that if he wanted to serve Jesus well, he needed a better education.  He went to school with children to learn the basics of Latin.  Finally, he entered one of the best universities of his day, the University of Paris .  One of the brighter students and teachers there was St. Francis Xavier. Inigo led Francis through the same Spiritual Exercises that he had experienced at Manresa.  With other fellow students, Francis and Inigo created their own opportunity.  Instead of joining the Franciscans, Dominicans, or Benedictines, nine students at the University of Paris together started a new and radical order, the Society of Jesus, and despite his objections, elected St. Ignatius as their first leader.

I suggest steps in choosing a good life.  Look around and discern the signs of the times. In the light of your study and experience, what structures would you like to see in our world in 2040?  What are the greatest needs? What is the most universal good? What would help more people? Can I serve others with my mind? My imagination? Visioning can help us to clarify the greatest and most essential needs and how new essential structures would complement one another and work harmoniously together. 

Look inside and discern your light graced story. How has God loved you?  How have you taken that love to others?  What are your strengths? Your values? Your religious convictions? What do you like to do?  What are your passions, desires, and ambitions? How can you best journey toward your vision? These questions can help us discern our long-range and short-range call from God.

Keeping a journal of one’s main insights and experiences can help both with envisioning essential structures and sub-structures and with honestly assessing one’s talents and strengths.

Match what you discern as the greater needs with your greater assets. What opportunities do you see? If you don’t feel comfortable with existing opportunities, can you create your own?  

Is the starting point of your reflection your love for God, your neighbor, and the earth? How can you make this a better world? Or do you begin with a desire for an expensive home, to be well-off financially, etc. and then say to yourself, “Surely God wouldn’t object to my ambition.”  

Each of our eyes has a blind spot.  Since the field of vision of our two eyes overlap, we have a large area of two-eyed vision. The blind spot in one eye is overlapped by a seeing portion of the other eye.  If both eyes are open and functioning, there are no gaps in our visual field. We can have blind spots in our conscience also.  St. Ignatius dealt with these with detailed procedures for spiritual discernment. We best do spiritual discernment with a companion or with a small discerning group for mission such as a Christian Life Community.  What we don’t see by ourselves, others can help us with.  Sometimes we may do too little.  At other times we can pretend we’re Paul Bunyan and try to do too much.  

Choosing the good life is an on-going process.  It’s one of the most distinctive traits of the human person.  Ignatian spirituality reflects on one’s light and dark graced story, how is God present to us in good times and bad.   Ignatian spirituality is a way to continually choose a good life.   

Peace and Justice Programs promotes a Graduation Pledge.  Humboldt State University (California) initiated the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility. It states, "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work." Students define what being "responsible" means to themselves. Students at well over a hundred colleges and universities have used the pledge at some level.  Students sign and keep a wallet-size card stating the pledge.   Dorothy Day House can provide these wallet-size cards. 

The pledge helps educate and motivates students to contribute to a better world. Think of the impact if even a significant minority of the one million college graduates each year signed and carried out the Pledge.  

Graduates who voluntarily signed the pledge have turned down jobs they did not feel morally comfortable with and have worked to make changes once on the job. For example, they have promoted recycling at their organization, removed racist language from a training manual, worked for gender parity in high school athletics, and helped to convince an employer to refuse a chemical weapons-related contract.  For further information see their web-site http://www.graduationpledge.org 

“The real measure of our Jesuit universities lies in who our students become.”  Very Rev. Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J. The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education.”  Santa Clara University, October 6, 2000.

Kudos to all those graduating seniors who have studied and worked for a peace with justice and who will continue the quest for peace after graduation.  Xavier Peace and Justice Programs is proud of the many Xavier alumni who have long worked and are now working for peace and justice.  (See my web-site under “Xavier self-evaluation” “Alumni” 

After graduation we encourage small faith-based communities such as the Christian Life Community (www.clc-usa.org) discerning communities for social justice, communities alert in faith to the signs of the times and eager to accept the challenge of God’s Word. 

Questions for discussion: 

1. How do you discern what is best for you as far as work or graduate studies?
2. What are some examples of unethical practices by corporations? How would you decide what an appropriate response would be to actions or policies by your place of employment?
3.  Do any of you keep a journal of your main insights and experiences?  How do you go about journaling?
4. Have any of you been part of a faith-based community discerning for social action?  Would you want to search out such a community after graduation?
5. Could you give examples of Xavier alumni who are working for a peace with justice?

Fr. Benjamin J. Urmston, S.J.  May, 2007.

Graduate Programs in Peace Studies

See also:

• Gradschools.com
• Graduate Education Guide

A Selected List of graduate programs in Peace Studies:

If you need further assistance in selecting a program that suits your needs, please contact:

Rev. Benjamin J. Urmston, S.J.
Dorothy Day House, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207-2910
513-745-3320 urmston@xavier.edu