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Degree Requirements

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Community Studies and Civic Engagement Degree Requirements

  • These requirements apply to students entering this program in fall 2013 and thereafter. Students who enrolled earlier should consult the catalog in effect at the time they enrolled.
  • You can also reference the graduation requirements for the year in which you enrolled on the portal; view graduation requirements by year (PDF) in the right-hand column of your MyResources page.
  • Read the course descriptions.

General-Education Requirements
(43 credits)

Complete these courses with a grade of C- or better:

  • English Composition
  • Mathematics 
    CSCE 100: Urban Solutions or CSCE 200: Understanding Community is preferred.
  • Oral Communication
  • Literature
  • History or Philosophy
  • Fine Arts
  • Computer Literacy
  • Social and Behavioral Science 1
  • Social and Behavioral Science 2
  • Biological and Physical Science
    • Laboratory course, 4 credits
    • Non-laboratory course

Complete three courses with a grade of C or better:

  • Advanced Expository Writing (WRIT 300)
    completing WRIT 101 and either passing the writing placement test or successfully completing WRIT 200 required
  • Ethical Issues in Business and Society (IDIS 302)

and one of the following:

  • World Cultures (IDIS 301)
  • Arts and Ideas (IDIS 304)
    required if no lower-level general-education course in fine arts

Community Studies and Civic Engagement Program Requirements
(42 credits)

Core Courses (33 credits)

  • Understanding Community (CSCE 200)
  • Community Studies (CSCE 300)
  • Introduction to Nonprofit Leadership (CSCE 301)
  • Fundamentals of Grant Writing (CSCE 302)
  • Leadership for Social Change (CSCE 306)
  • Social Awareness and Ethical Responsibility
    (CSCE 311)
  • Community Organizations in a Digital World
    (CSCE 315)
  • Nonprofit Management (CSCE 400)
    CSCE 301: Introduction to Nonprofit Leadership or the permission of the program director is a prerequisite for CSCE 400.
  • Community Leadership and Decision-Making
    (CSCE 412)
  • Service Learning (CSCE 481) *
  • Service Learning Seminar (CSCE 482) *

* An original project tied to a 240-hour internship is required during these courses. Through this capstone endeavor, students integrate theory and practice in a project designed in consultation with the program director. These two courses are co-requisites; they must be taken together in the same semester, and they require successful completion of CSCE 301: Introduction to Nonprofit Leadership.

Major Electives (9 credits)

Complete three.

  • Topics in Community Studies (CSCE 297)
  • Economic and Community Development (CSCE 401)
  • Independent Study (CSCE 492)
  • Honors Seminar (CSCE 493)
  • Honors Project, 3-6 credits (CSCE 494)
  • Special Topics in Community Studies and Civic Engagement (CSCE 497)

General Electives

  • First Year Seminar: Introduction to University Learning (IDIS 101)
    freshmen only; transfer students replace this with a different elective

Complete as many courses as necessary from any discipline to fulfill your 120-credit requirement to graduate.

Information Literacy Requirement

Meet the UB Information Literacy graduation requirement by successfully completing one of the following:

  • Introduction to Information Literacy (IDIS 110)
  • Introduction to Nonprofit Leadership (CSCE 301)

as of fall 2013