Experiential Academics

Service-Learning is part of Northeastern’s ethical mission as an urban university. But more than good works, service-learning on our campus is an academically rigorous experience. Service-Learning is a form of experiential learning involving partnerships between courses and community-based organizations.

Cooperative Education  or co-op for short—is a key component to the Experiential Liberal Arts, an educational model that integrates experiential learning with the rigorous study of society, culture, and politics. Co-op enhances your understanding of human services by learning both inside and outside a traditional classroom setting. Learning occurs best when co-op and classroom experiences are considered two halves of a single curriculum. Develop professional, academic, and life skills on co-ops in a wide variety of industries. Depending on the job, you may find yourself gathering and analyzing data, supporting marketing campaigns, planning and facilitating events, teaching curriculum, supporting clients, or fundraising. Your experiences will enrich your academic learning when you see and experience themes and topics that you have discussed in class.

Internship is an opportunity for a practical learning experience in a human services organization combined with a concurrent weekly seminar and reading. Before a student graduates, they will be required to spend a semester in a human services organization in a comprehensive field placement.

Dialogue of Civilizations are Faculty-led programs, offered during the summer, that focus on critical issues facing students and their peers at both the local and global levels. Watch this video about a past Human Services Dialogue to Zambia here.

Student Research Pursuing research at the university level makes our students knowledge creators and develops their teamwork skills; and the discipline of mind that research requires is one of the best ways to learn to think critically.