Algoma University’s three-year Bachelor of Arts in Community Development provides students with both the practical and analytical skills needed to effectively work with a variety of communities to bring about societal change.

Our program offers an interdisciplinary learning opportunity, with required courses in Community Economic and Social Development (CESD) and Social Work. Students will work alongside people in the Sault Ste. Marie region to effect change by helping to identify common concerns and solutions, and build relationships with organizations and those in positions of power. Students will learn how to create opportunities for communities to learn new skills and, by enabling people to act together, foster social inclusion and equality.

In students’ third-year of study, they will complete a 150-hour work placement. Students have been placed in organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Children’s Aid Society, Batchawana First Nations, Garden River First Nations, NORDIK Institute, United Way, Ontario Trillium Foundation, and more. These placements will allow students to apply concepts, theories, and methods from their coursework in the community, advocate for change, and implement new analytical strategies, making the degree action-packed and very hands-on.