The Urban College degree program’s conceptual framework originates from the College’s mission, vision, and values and is designed with an understanding that the most lasting way to empower people is through education. As a result, Urban College’s academic program sets high academic expectations while leveraging available resources to ensure that students not only have access to a college education but also have the social, economic, interpersonal, and academic support they need to be successful.
With these goals in mind, Urban College ensures that all curricula are consistent, integrated, and aligned with workforce and transfer needs. Building on the strengths that every student brings to the classroom, faculty at Urban College use instructional methods and teaching practices that recognize and value different abilities and learning styles; incorporate active and collaborative learning; promote strong academic and critical thinking skills; and ensure the application of knowledge gained.
The Associate of Arts Degree
All Associate of Arts degree programs require successful completion of at least 60 academic credits, which include the following components:
General Education Core
The General Education Core at Urban College includes courses in psychology, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, computer applications, and mathematics. Students are also required to take two courses in College Writing and one in Speech Communication. All associate degrees require 33 credits in General Education.
Upon successful completion of all General Education Core requirements, students will be able to:
- Engage in a reflective process of information discovery, articulate the value of information and its cycle of development, and conduct discipline-specific research using appropriate technology.
- Examine the diversity of the human experience to develop civic and intercultural knowledge and competence.
- Produce oral, written, and digital communication that best serves the setting and audience and imparts information to others, promotes understanding, and/or influences opinion.
- Utilize quantitative and qualitative reasoning or computational skills to make informed decisions.
Internships
Some degree programs include up to two 3-credit internship courses. Internship placements are directed by an onsite supervisor and are supported by a concurrent seminar at Urban College. Internships help assess professional capabilities and career readiness, apply acquired knowledge and skills in the workplace, and produce a product or portfolio as evidence of professional experience.
The Early Childhood Internship courses require students to spend at least 10 hours per week in a licensed early childhood program.
In order for a student to be eligible to participate in an academic, community, or clinical program that involves potential unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, the elderly, or other vulnerable populations, the student may be required to undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and/or a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check.
Electives
Program electives offer students the opportunity to enroll in courses of interest across various disciplines.
Certificate Programs
Urban College of Boston offers certificate programs that help prepare students for the workforce and further educational opportunities. Certificate program credit and other requirements range from 21 credits (7 courses) to 27 credits (9 courses). Specific course requirements for each certificate can be found in the college catalogue and each certificate’s coursework can be applied toward an associate degree.
Approach to English Language Learning
Urban College serves a diverse community of learners, many of whom are English language learners. The College has adopted an inclusive approach by translating a limited number of Urban College classes in languages other than English. This allows students to take classes in their native language while progressing through the sequence of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes.
Some restrictions may exist:
1. Not all programs or courses will be translated into languages other than English and Urban College students are strongly encouraged to complete English course requirements as early as possible in their program of study.
2. Students who receive placement into English courses ENG 096 , ENG 097 , or ENG 098 , must complete the English course sequence by the time they have completed 30 credits.
3. Students taking courses in languages other than English must take a minimum of one English (ENG) course for every two non-English courses they take.
Through a strengths-based, scaffolded approach, Urban College English courses focus on listening, speaking, reading, writing, and incorporating lessons and activities that provide students the opportunity to build college level skills such as presenting, reflecting, discussions, and writing at a college level. In teaching reading and writing as processes, students gain the critical thinking skills and strategies necessary to successfully complete college level work and apply what they have learned to courses across the curriculum. The College’s ESL and developmental classes scaffold material from the sentence and paragraph level to the formal essay, referencing texts that students need to succeed in College Writing I and II and in future courses and their careers.
Upon completion of the College’s English sequence students will be able to:
- Express ideas orally, fluently, and appropriately in classroom discussions, online forums, group activities, and one-on-one communication with teachers, administration, and peers.
- Process and respond appropriately to spoken American English, dictation, and academic discourse, including the use of academic vocabulary, note-taking, directions, and lectures.
- Apply various active reading strategies to engage with, analyze, respond to, explain, and expand on ideas in classroom texts.
- Write a variety of essays according to standard essay development format.
- Develop an essay by building sequentially organized and focused paragraphs, using proper academic and career-based vocabulary, transition words, and acknowledging the works’ audience and purpose.
- Use developed writing styles based on a fundamental essay format that produces clearly written, evidence-based, thesis-driven essays that employ the integration of introduction, thesis, body, and conclusion as well as research, and integrated and well-chosen sources.
- Cite texts when appropriate, acknowledge the difference between paraphrasing, summarizing, and direct quotes.
- Write, edit, and revise well-developed sentences, paragraphs, and essays.
- Use the internet to access information that is current, authoritative, and academic. Recognize and use scholarly or career-appropriate texts for references.
- Acknowledge and practice writing and reading as processes.
- Exhibit the use of critical thinking and higher order thinking skills in applying classroom strategies to individual work, brainstorming, pre-writing, and free-writing activities.
- Utilize, acknowledge, and respond to feedback from teachers and peers.
- Recognize rhetorical strategies and incorporate them appropriately into their writing.
- Complete formal and informal writing and oral assignments that require identification of the various aspects that contribute to issues or topics (ethics, civics, socio-economic, diversity, etc.).
- Participate in campus and classroom culture, follow school and classroom policies, and maintain academic integrity.
- Exhibit college and career readiness in meeting attendance requirements; email and spoken communication; participating in class discussions, online work, and group work; formatting and, submitting work in a timely manner; and general classroom preparedness.
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