Students studying social justice are generally interested creating the fairest relationship possible between each individual and the associated society. Programs offered worldwide may differ in the specific topics studied due to the various social structures among different societies.

The PhD is a doctoral degree, specifically called a "doctor of philosophy" degree. This is misleading because PhD holders are not necessarily philosophers (unless they earned their degree in philosophy!). That said, PhD recipients are able to engage in thought experiments, reason about problems, and solve problems in sophisticated ways.