The URBAN SEMESTER PROGRAM offers students a tremendous opportunity for service learning and public service. For over 50 years, students from diverse backgrounds have participated in the classroom, internship, and urban living* experience, enabling them to assist Hartford in addressing its challenges. Nowhere in the United States are urban challenges greater than Hartford, Connecticut – a city full of both need and potential, struggle and hope, rich with diversity and urban culture, poignant in its contrasts between wealth and poverty.
*Student are highly encouraged to live in Hartford to immerse themselves in the urban experience, however, university arranged housing is not currently available. Students may choose to arrange housing with other participants in the program. For further information regarding housing, please contact the program director phil.birge-liberman@uconn.edu.
Students intern in human service agencies, government offices, and community and non-profit organizations. Urban Semester students involve themselves in issues facing the city from education, poverty, homelessness, youth issues, and crime, to the challenges of the changing economy. They intern in school-related programs, shelters, advocacy organizations, political offices, state and local government, and many other settings. Through two weekly seminars, they study and explore the issues in greater depth, taking part in thought-provoking discussions with community leaders and field trips into the city.
Samuel (Fall ‘17)
“Living downtown while you complete an internship and go to related classes provides for a rewarding, convenient, and exciting experience.”
“It is always a semester that I reference because it helped mold my path as a student and a professional.”
“I recommend the program to anyone looking for real work experience and a unique opportunity to get outside of the traditional classroom setting.”
“While the semester is short, it is ample time to get a sense of the community and spirit of Hartford.”
Skyler (Fall ‘17)
“Beyond enriching my educational experience, living in Hartford with my urban semester classmates also introduced me to new friends that, to this day, I remain extremely close with.”
“Urban semester afforded me a perspective I never could have gotten in a traditional classroom setting.”
“There is a significant difference between reading about
concepts in a textbook and interacting with them in the field, as I had the opportunity to do in Hartford .”
“I would recommend urban semester to anyone looking for both professional and personal growth.”
