Program Description

The Boston Semester at Simmons is a 16-credit program that integrates course work, internships, and optional community service or service learning opportunities.

Courses
(4 credits per course)
Students enroll in courses offered to all Simmons students. The Simmons schedule provides a wide selection of courses with an urban and/or community service focus, including:

Politics of Cities
Schools in an Era of Change
Journalism
Urban Sociology
Principles of Microeconomics
Leadership and Women

Simmons also offers numerous courses that allow students to gain a unique perspective of Boston including:

Architecture of Boston
Art in the Age of Rembrandt
Creative Writing: Poetry
State of the Arts; Intro to Arts Administration
Politics of Cities

Simmons course catalogues http://www.simmons.edu/academics/catalog/

The Internship
(4 credits)
Students get hands-on experience through internships, choosing from a broad range of non-academic organizational and institutional placements. Greater Boston abounds with opportunities at major corporations, medical research facilities and hospitals, non-profit organizations, government-related institutions, international and domestic associations, community service agencies, and cultural institutions. Some of the excellent sites where Simmons places students include:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston Children’s Hospital
Greater Boston public schools
Head Start
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Make-a-Wish Foundation
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Radio and TV stations
U.S. Senators’ offices
Women’s Educational and Industrial Union

Internships require 8-10 hours of work per week for 4 credits. Students may arrange internships of their own choosing, although Boston Semester at Simmons staff must formally approve all sites.

Find out more about Simmons internships.

Community Service and Service Learning
(Optional)

Simmons was recently named one of the top twenty colleges for community service in the private college category. Our Scott/Ross Center for Community Service includes the Office of Service Learning which works closely with the faculty to incorporate service learning in our courses.

The Simmons Community Outreach Office is also located in the Center, and provides a wide range of volunteer positions in the city, partnering with nearby programs and organizations including schools, homeless shelters, community centers, elderly programs, and health centers.

Additionally, credit may be earned for community service projects available through an internship and/or specific courses. Students work with faculty and staff of the Office of Service Learning to design a service learning experience that fits their educational objectives.

For information, contact Professor Steve London at 617.521.2590 or stephen.london@simmons.edu.

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