Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Community Change

Earn your Urban Community Change Degree and Improve the World

If you're interested in a career working toward racial, social, and environmental justice, the Bachelor of Arts in Urban Community Change at West Chester University is for you!

Our interdisciplinary program in urban and community change studies is designed to provide a foundation in community organizing and give you the skills to understand the assets and challenges of urban resilience, well-being, and engagement.

You will study inspiring activists such as Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bayard Rustin, a national hero with local roots. Often referred to as the "architect of the 1963 March on Washington," Rustin was a gay, Black pacifist, artist and organizer from West Chester, PA.

Our program is housed in the Rustin Urban Community Change Axis (RUCCAS), in the College of Arts and Humanities, in his honor and our urban and community change program is proudly modeled after his legacy.

Benefits of Earning Your Urban Community Change Degree at West Chester University

Mentors with Firsthand Experience

Your faculty will share their personal expertise in how authentic community change happens. Some of your professors are current practitioners, bringing contemporary lessons in social change directly to small classes, where you have the benefit of intimate discussions with real world implications.

Real-World Advocacy

Our urban community change major connects you with affiliated campus, regional, and national networks, giving you expansive resources and contacts to further the social change you want to see in the world. These organizations include:

• Antiracist Liberation and Learning Union
• Aspiring to Educate with the Pennsylvania Department of Education
• Community Learning Partnership
• United to End Racism (a project of Re-Evaluation Counseling)

Significant Hands-on Work

To conclude your urban community change program, you will put all your classroom knowledge into practice to collaboratively build and sustain change during an in-depth practicum placement with an organization in Philadelphia or other urban area.

While continuing to learn about current research and practices within the community through weekly presentations on urban and community studies, you'll work to positively impact an urban community with one of our partners committed to social change.

What Can You Do with a Degree in Urban Community Change?

Many jobs in urban community change require a bachelor's degree in community development with no further study, setting you up for a successful career immediately upon graduating.

You may also choose to further specialize by pursuing graduate education in law, social work, health or another area. Our alumni report being consistently asked about their unique academic experience at WCU, which stands out to recruiters on their graduate applications and resumes.

Our alumni are thriving in a broad array of jobs, including:

• Community organizing and empowerment groups, such as Pennsylvanians Organizing to Witness Empower and Rebuild (POWER) and YouthBuild.
• Government agencies, such as Philadelphia District Attorney's office and the Veterans' Administration.
• Well-established national nonprofits, such as the YMCA.
• Youth development and school programs, such as the Dream Program and Breakthrough.
• Urban, rural, and suburban school districts and institutions of higher education.

What Will You Study as an Urban Community Change Student?

Our interdisciplinary urban community change program effectively prepares our students to be change makers across industries.

With flexible electives, you'll be empowered to specialize in the areas you feel most passionate about, including:

• Urban Contexts and Communities: Focus on local housing conditions and study Housing and Planning in America or follow an international track and choose Global Cities.
• Critical Consciousness and Grassroots Democracy: Study social movements and their impact on the consciousness of the nation and democracy as whole, including the civil rights movement, marriage equality, and sustainability.
• Race and Social Class: Delve into the impact race and social class have on the experiences of individuals and groups and learn more about expression through unique language variations.
• Methods of Research and Assessment: Develop your skillset in areas like community engagement techniques, sociological research, and digital research methods.
• Communication Skills for Justice Workers: Hone your skills in a variety of business and nonprofit related areas like grant and proposal writing, digital journalism, and activism and advocacy.
• Public Administration: Explore courses to help you move into local, regional, and even national government. You'll study topics like social welfare, labor economics, public service, and urban and regional planning.