The School of Public Policy (SPP) and the Community Scholars Program (CSP) have launched a new partnership that allows students enrolled in CSP to count coursework for the program toward a certificate in public policy at SPP as well.
Under the new collaboration, CSP students can apply the four courses they take in the program toward the eight courses required for the policy certificate.
鈥淭he Community Scholars Program and SPP鈥檚 Certificate in Public Policy both give students the skills to make a difference through public service,鈥 said SPP director Alasdair Roberts. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about this opportunity to collaborate with CSP.鈥
A program of the Office of Civic Engagement and Service Learning, CSP is a two-year academic program in which students work closely with community-based organizations to advocate for a more just world. In a four-semester sequence of courses, students learn about the tools for making democratic social change, including public policy, advocacy and organizing for social change. Outside the classroom, they work on long-term, intensive projects with local organizations; in recent semesters, those community partners have included the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, Safe Passage, the Amherst Survival Center, the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts and Nuestras Ra铆ces.
鈥淣ow more than ever, students are seeking opportunities to be engaged in social change,鈥 said Deborah Keisch, program director at CSP. 鈥淭his program allows them to do that work in a meaningful way, as part of a learning community that鈥檚 dedicated to social justice. Our new partnership with the School of Public Policy offers another opportunity for them to develop the skills that will help them succeed.鈥
Students who will be sophomores or juniors in fall 2020 are invited to to the Community Scholars Program. The application deadline for the fall 2020 semester is April 24.
The School of Public Policy鈥檚 certificate program is open to undergraduates from any major. Students in the program take required courses in policy, economics and statistics, plus electives from departments across the UMass campus, allowing them to develop specialties in areas including environmental, health and social policy.