Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences › Students › Undergraduate Students › Experiential Learning › Community Engaged Learning

Experiential Learning: Community Engaged Learning

Community engaged learning opportunities allow you to make a meaningful contribution while enhancing your academic experience.

This specific type of Experiential Learning allows you to actively work with a community partner as you apply your academic learning to analyze and meet community needs and goals. These opportunities can help you connect your interests and talents to social change.

Co-Curricular Service

Co-curricular opportunities, like those offered through Student Leadership, Involvement, and Civic Engagement, also allow you to contribute to the community in meaningful ways. These experiences can help you gain skills and experiences that will be useful in the professional setting. They can also prepare you for future community engagement through structured service learning.

Community Engagement Fellowship Program

Connect your academic learning and goals to authentic engagement in the community for the purpose of social change. Fellows receive a one-time $3,000 community engaged learning grant.

CMU Prison Education Project (CMU PEP)

Travel by bus to and from a nearby prison once a week to learn alongside incarcerated students. Each course provides full credit and follows a regular CMU curriculum.

Service Learning

Engage in community service that directly connects with the academic content of a class. The Gelfand Center provides a list of service learning courses, as does the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics, including an Alternative Break Project.