There may be 50,000 paid professionals working in the animal protection field in the United States, and millions more people advocating for animals in their daily lives. Yet for them, there’s often no place to go for meaningful serious academic training on these subjects. Knowing that so many animal welfare professionals strive to do their work better, and to help animals in the most effective manner, The HSUS created Humane Society University to help achieve that goal.

Michelle Riley/ The HSUS
Jonathan Balcombe, HSU’s chair of Animal Studies,
at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary.

This weekend, the Washington Post Magazine ran a great feature on Humane Society University and the field of animal studies overall. The magazine highlighted photos of our faculty and students, as well as animals at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Maryland.

HSU's College of Arts and Sciences offers classes online and in Washington, D.C., for students seeking academic degrees including bachelor’s degrees, graduate certificates, and master’s degrees. You can find out more about degree programs and apply online on HSU’s website.

HSU's School of Continuing Education offers online professional development courses as well as in-person workshops on topics such as disaster response, illegal dogfighting, and animal cruelty that can be scheduled anywhere in the United States. The university’s programs teach important skills and information for animal sheltering professionals, law enforcement officers, humane educators, disaster volunteers, and many others.

There is a growing need throughout society―and especially within academia, industry, government, medicine, and in the corporate and nonprofit sectors―for individuals who understand and can act upon the myriad social, cultural, political, and scientific challenges associated with the treatment of animals. That need promises to expand the prospects for those seeking careers in animal care, animal welfare policy, and organized animal protection, and that’s the need that HSU is trying to meet.