History
Humane Society University (HSU) is the leader in providing unprecedented educational opportunities in the field of human-animal interdependent relationships. Education has been an integral part of the mission of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and in 1999 HSU was established as one of its departments. This department was a dedicated educational arm to help achieve The HSUS’s mission of creating a truly humane and sustainable world for all animals – a world that inherently benefits people. Answering the call for additional educational opportunities, this department expanded its curriculum and began to offer trainings nationwide to empower current and future leaders of the animal protection community.
As of 2007, these programs reached some 15,000 students through online and onsite instruction on such topics as: humane law enforcement and regulation, emergency management, career development, advocacy, shelter management, humane education, animal behavior, volunteer management, executive leadership initiative, and community issues. Partnering with colleges and universities allowed academic credit for some of its courses and the opportunity to pioneer online instruction in the field of animal protection.
In an effort to fill existing intellectual and scholarly gaps for human animal centric educational programs, HSU became an incorporated independent 501(c)(3) entity of higher education in 2008. HSU is licensed as a degree granting institution by the DC Educational Licensure Commission. HSU continues to work toward the distinction of becoming an accredited institution of higher learning.