Community Development BA/BS

The Portland area is an exciting place to enroll in our undergraduate major in community development. We understand community development as a process in which people act together to promote the social, economic, political, and physical well being of their community. Students graduating with a degree in community development will be citizen activists, empowered to take leadership roles in public affairs.

Community-based participation in all aspects of government planning and administration is an established part of the political culture of our region. Neighborhood associations are actively involved in land use, housing, and transportation issues. The City of Portland has been practicing community-oriented policing for several years. Public schools are establishing community-based management councils and involving local business firms in curricular design. Community development corporations are growing rapidly in the range and sophistication of their activities. New community-oriented financial institutions and public-private partnerships are emerging to build and maintain affordable housing and to create jobs. Portland has been designated an Enterprise Community by the federal government. We anticipate continued growth in these kinds of activities in the years ahead. Click below to see the PSU Career Centers profile of the CD degree:

http://www.pdx.edu/careers/majorcommunitydevelopment.html

Community Development majors often find careers in not-for-profit organizations, private consulting firms, advocacy groups, and state, regional and local governments. Locally, a graduate may find a career with the City of Portland, Portland Bureau of Housing and Community Development, METRO, or any of Portland's Community Development Corporations. Community development practitioners work on a range of issues including housing, community organizing, transportation, the environment, and economic development.

Admission Requirements

Students must be formally admitted to the Community Development program by submitting an application to the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning. Candidates are selected based on written statements of intention. Fall enrollment is strongly recommended to allow students to take core classes in sequence and to create a community environment among each group of students.