Urban Semester Program
The urban semester program is a semester-long, credit-granting curriculum which focuses on the contemporary urban context, using the city of Philadelphia as a laboratory. All courses will relate directly to urban studies. Students enrolled in the program are required to be in residence at the Philadelphia Campus. The program is designed primarily for sophomore and junior students, though seniors may also enroll. The urban semester curriculum allows students to satisfy several general education requirements, as well as possibly some major requirements. This program is available in both the fall and spring semester and is open to students from other colleges and universities.
In this program, students will:
| • |
live alongside, learn from, and serve among people in one of America's major urban centers; |
| • |
observe at close range the social, political, and religious challenges facing a large city and become involved in seeking appropriate responses to these opportunities; and |
| • |
become aware of, reflect on, and respond to contemporary issues of justice - whether economic, ethnic, racial, or religious. |
| Core Requirement: |
URB 310 Urban Field Experience |
| Temple Electives: |
at least one three-hour course with an urban focus |
| Messiah Electives: |
at least two three-hour URB courses |
| One additional course: |
at least one three-hour URB course from Messiah or a three-hour course from Temple with an urban focus |
Completion of this fifteen-hour sequence results in the waiver of the General Education Cross-Cultural requirement.
The curriculum requirements for some major and minor programs lend themselves well to the completion of the urban semster program. Click on the following programs to discover how students can complete the curriculum of the academic programs using the Messiah College-Philadelphia Campus' Urban Semester Program.
