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Working together to build a better city.
The nationally recognized Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program offers dedicated Oglethorpe students an opportunity to hone their leadership talents, strengthen their ties to the community, and make an impact where it matters most. The goal: producing graduates who are active, engaged citizen-leaders in their communities and around the world, wherever they end up.
The Urban Leadership Program is open to students from all majors, and students can enroll at any time between their freshman and junior years. Upon successful completion of the program, students earn a minor in Urban Leadership.
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Real-World Experience
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Life After Oglethorpe
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Degree Requirements & Courses
The Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program includes academic coursework, seminars, workshops, and off-campus learning; it’s designed to take full advantage of all the resources that Atlanta has to offer. As an Urban Leadership student, you’ll find yourself exploring this diverse and fascinating city in a whole new way.
- The Urban Leadership Program includes a unique capstone course called Community Issues Forum. Students select their own topics of study, based on individual interests and goals; they then spend time gaining direct personal experience through volunteering, internships, and service learning. Past projects have included “Sex Trafficking in Atlanta,” “The Education Crisis in America,” and “The Faces of Homelessness.”
- Every year, Urban Leadership students benefit from an intense and immersive two-day off-campus retreat. These annual learning experiences focus on team building, service projects, and event planning.
- Field trips abound. During a between-semester “Exploration Week,” Urban Leadership students visit local public policy sites to learn about their focus and operation. There are plenty of opportunities to tour major organizations, attend off-campus lectures and events, and meet with high-profile leaders from around Atlanta.
- Students complete internships at organizations dedicated to social good, including the Atlanta Community Food Bank, the Dream Center Church, Hosea Feed the Hungry, the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Lynwood Park Community Development Corp, and Youth Spark.
Urban Leadership graduates are true citizen-leaders, with strong ties to their communities and a deep investment in community success. And, as citizen-leaders, their skills and knowledge equip them to make a positive impact wherever they go.
- Many alumni go on to law school or graduate study.
- Recent alumni are employed with high-impact law firms, local high schools, city government, and more.
“I majored in Business Administration and minored in Urban Leadership. Knowing how to advocate for yourself in a professional, direct manner is a vital skill which has proven useful to me in the workforce and my general, adult life.”
-Angel Cox ‘20
See degree requirements and course descriptions in the University Bulletin.
