Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA)

A consortium of mostly Upper Midwest colleges and universities, HECUA sponsors a wide range of semester and short-term off-campus field learning programs for undergraduates. Diverse in their content and geographic location, HECUA programs are designed so that a particular city or metropolitan area provides a window for exploring issues of the larger society. Issues discussed include contemporary life, the effects of globalization, links between poverty and inequality, and ways to bring about social change.

HECUA programs give you the chance to bridge your academic learning with direct experiences of the urgent social challenges facing our society. Programs take you into urban communities to test academic theories in the real world. You develop critical analysis and hands-on skills for creating social change through field study or internships.

Programs require all students to actively participate in their own learning and contribute to the learning of the whole group. Students meet frequently for group seminars and discussions. You complete an independent study project during the semester as part of the seminars.

Additional information about HECUA and all its student programs is available at www.hecua.org or through the Office of Global Studies. Programs are open to all majors. Also, designated HECUA programs have been approved to fulfill the GSJ requirement.