BA in Leadership & Community Engagement

Lead the change in your community

This exciting and innovative Bachelor's Degree program integrates college courses with work in real world settings. The major helps students develop as culturally responsive and ethical leaders who collaborate with community partners to tackle society’s big challenges. The major builds on expertise in the School of Education to help you understand how people learn, how to bring about lasting social change, and how to measure impact.

As the only program of its kind in Colorado and part of a small number of emerging community engagement degrees nationwide, this degree places you at the cutting edge of social innovation. Pair your degree with any major from the College of Arts and Science. This degree and the experience you'll gain can help launch your career in nonprofit organizations, K-12 or higher education settings, international development, urban planning, social work, or government organizations, as well as further graduate studies.

Imagine yourself in a class where you...

learn about democracy and education by helping young people organize a public action project.
learn to facilitate difficult conversations across social differences.
learn to design and carry out participatory research with community members.
design and implement year-long senior project that makes a big public impact.

For more information about program requirements and courses, .

Features

A close-knit learning community, where you will receive personal support and experience small classes with the same group of classmates throughout your college experience
Community-based learning opportunities in each year of study
Focus on social justice.
Advanced coursework in community-based research methods and learning sciences.
The dual degree program, which allows you to combine your Leadership and Community Engagement Major with select majors from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Next Steps

To apply, visit the .
To visit campus, .
To stay connected, .
To talk with an education advisor, call 303-492-6555 or email edadvise@colorado.edu.

#1

College Town in America

American Institute for Economic Research

1/4

of the current class of students are from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

# 24

worldwide in education among 500 international schools of education.

ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking

200 + hours

of real-world experience working in the community and with local leaders before you graduate.

FAQs

Who can enroll as a Leadership and Community Engagement Major?

The Leadership and Community Engagement Major is a four-year degree program open to incoming first-year students and transfer students. Students interested in applying as a first-year or transfer student for fall 2018 should contact the ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Office of Admissions for more information.

The dual degree program allows students to major in Leadership and Community Engagement simultaneously with one of the following majors: Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Women and Gender Studies, Asian Studies, English, Jewish Studies, Philosophy, and Spanish or Portuguese.

When should I enroll in the major?

Choose this major when you apply to ��ƷSM��ӰƬ. Visit the to apply.

What is the difference between the Leadership Studies Minor and the Leadership & Community Engagement Major?

The major and the minor share a commitment to developing students as culturally responsive and ethical leaders through rigorous academics and real-world experiences.

The minor embraces a wide variety of approaches. After a common foundations course on ethical and culturally competent leadership, students craft their own pathway through disciplinary study or affiliated programs (ROTC, Multicultural Leadership Scholars,President’s Leadership Class, and INVST Community Studies). For the capstone experience, students from all tracks are asked to collaborate on a Leadership Challenge posed by a local non-profit, company, or government agency.

The Leadership and Community Engagement Major has a distinct approach and a more intensive curriculum. It focuses on developing students as leaders who work with communities to build the collective capacity to address public challenges. Because the focus is on working with people, students study the science of how people learn and are engaged in public life. This educational frame is then put into a larger context of investigating different approaches to bring about social change. In the senior capstone, students work in teams to design, implement, and evaluate a project that makes a major public impact.

Given these distinctions, students in the Leadership and Community Engagement Major are unable to declare the Leadership Studies Minor in addition to the major.

How is the leadership major structured?

The Leadership and Community Engagement Major is housed in the School of Education. For advising on the major, please contact the School of Education. Choose this major when you apply to ��ƷSM��ӰƬ. Visit the to apply.

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For more information about education courses and program requirements, .

Interested in exploring our programs?

We are dedicated to preparing educators and community leaders alike. Committed to advancing democracy, diversity, equity, and justice, we invite you to explore our bachelor's degrees and minors as important pathways toward transformative careers as a leader in the classroom and an activist in your community. We hope you will join us at our many upcoming virtual opportunities to get to know us.