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Certificate for Civic Engagement
A Certificate for Civic Engagement recognizes Harvard College students who have demonstrated sustained participation in public service and civic involvement during their undergraduate experience.
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Certificate Requirements
The Certificate for Civic Engagement supports and recognizes students who integrate academic study with sustained public service to become more informed, engaged, and effective citizens. Students combine coursework that includes rigorous analysis of social issues and critical assessment of the policies, strategies, and practices designed to address them with direct involvement in community groups and/or policy and advocacy organizations. They are encouraged to relate what they learn in these different settings to their personal commitments and professional goals after graduation.
The certificate is awarded to students who have completed all three required elements:
Coursework
Twelve credits (generally three courses) for letter-graded coursework from an approved list, including at least one course designated as an engaged scholarship course;
Practicum
A 300 hour practicum involving direct service, policy, and/or advocacy work;
Reflection
A capstone retreat bringing certificate participants together to reflect on what they have learned across their coursework and practicum and consider how they will build on their learning as engaged citizens after graduation.
Learning Objectives
The Certificate contributes to students’ development as engaged citizens, capable of understanding complex social issues, evaluating policies or other interventions aimed at addressing problems, and acting constructively to build strong communities and a better world.
- In the coursework component, students will look at key social problems from multiple perspectives, considering the relationship between evidence, analysis, and action. Through reflection, students will be able to connect and extend knowledge from their classes to their personal engagement in communities.
- In the practicum component, students will further their intellectual and personal development by working and engaging in dialogue with communities and civic leaders.
- At the capstone retreat, students will synthesize their learning in the classroom and in the community and reflect on how they will apply their learning as citizens and citizen leaders.
Course Approval Process for Faculty
To propose a course for consideration as part of the Certificate for Civic Engagement, please complete the course proposal form. As part of the submission, you will need to upload a copy of the course syllabus and a brief statement about the course, explaining how they align with the learning priorities detailed below. To be eligible, instructors must be current members of the faculty and courses will need to be letter-graded and primarily for undergraduate students. Further details and information about proposing a course for consideration can be found on the Certificate Canvas site.
Course Suggestions by Students
If students believe a course is appropriate for the Certificate, they can (1) ask the course instructor to propose the course for inclusion on the approved course list, or (2) suggest a course to Certificate staff (who will reach out to the course instructor).
Coursework
Students must earn twelve credits (generally three courses) for coursework from an approved list, including at least one course designated as an engaged scholarship course. The courses are designed to help students develop more rigorous analytic perspectives on social issues and critically assess the range of policies, strategies, and practices designed to address them.
Approved Courses
Approved Courses
Courses are approved by the Educational Policy Committee according to the following criteria:
- A critical and/or synthetic focus on a compelling real-world issue or set of issues, including ones informed by historical and/or theoretical perspectives
- A commitment to engaging with multiple analytic perspectives or points of view on the issue or issues
- Assignments that require student engagement with questions about the relationship between evidence, analysis, and action; and/or asks how the analytic work of the course can be used to deepen engagement with real-world problems.
Faculty who would like to have their courses considered for the list of approved courses should contact civicengagement@fas.harvard.edu.
Engaged Scholarship Courses
Engaged Scholarship Courses
At least one course must be selected from among the course offerings curated by the Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship (MPES). All Mindich courses use engagement with communities and the public as a central pedagogical method, many of which include assignments aimed at responding to community-identified opportunities, challenges, and action areas.
- Foundational Courses provide an introduction to the questions and methods of engaged scholarship in a low-stakes classroom environment;
- Public Facing Courses teach students how to communicate with defined groups and communities through coursework;
- Community-Engaged Courses co-create knowledge and materials together with community partners.
Practicum
Meeting the Service Requirement.
To receive a certificate in civic engagement, students are required to complete a practicum of at least 300 hours during their undergraduate experience. To complete the required practicum, students must be engaged in sustained, ongoing service. Eligible service activities must be focused on the public good for the broader external community. The required 300-hour practicum can be fulfilled by completing one summer internship or through term-time volunteer experiences. A maximum of three programs can count toward the 300-hour requirement.
Public service work is defined as work that helps people in the broader community meet their needs for food, shelter, health; improves educational opportunities; educates people about legal or civil, rights; protects the environment; and/or promotes social issues affecting the general welfare.
Eligible Service Activities
Participation in the following activities would fulfill these requirements:
- Programs sponsored by the Center for Public Service & Engaged Scholarship and Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) are pre-approved while other programs should be cleared by contacting: civicengagement@fas.harvard.edu.
- Full or part-time public service internships and summer internships
- Sustained engagement in public service. Examples: participation in the Chan Stride Scholars Program, student leadership experiences, such as being the director or coordinator for a program that provides direct engagement with the larger community (i.e., Phillips Brook House Association (PBHA) officers and directors, Institute of Politics (IOP) directors and IOP advisory board); volunteering with homeless shelters, food pantries, after school tutoring and mentoring programs, hotlines, adult English as a Second Language (ESL) tutoring, citizenship test preparation, college access programming, projects managed by community partners, advocacy and organizing.
Ineligible Service Activities
The following is not eligible for counting toward practicum hours:
- Occasional community engagement such as one day service projects
- Community-engaged research projects
- Community engagement required for courses
- Fundraising
- Raising awareness of issues on campus
- Internships or jobs with offices on campus
- Volunteering while not matriculated at Harvard College (I.e. gap year, leave of absence, summer before first year)
- Partisan campaigning, consulting, or lobbying
If you plan to complete your service hours with an organization or summer internship that is not offered through the Center for Public Service & Engaged Scholarship or Phillips Brooks House Association, Inc., you must confirm the eligibility of your service activity by writing to civicengagement@fas.harvard.edu.
All community organizations involved must comply with Harvard’s anti-discrimination policies as defined by the University Provost.
For eligibility, confirmation of complete practicum hours must be completed before the degree application deadline:
– August 1st for November degrees
– December 1st for March degrees
– April 1st for May degrees
Reflection
Reflection is key element of this program.
Civic engagement is always rooted in the work that we do together to make change in a community–but what is “change,” and how do we know what a community needs? What does it mean for you–with your identity, your knowledge and experience, and your positionality as a Harvard student–to do this work? What do academic courses teach us that could shape our civic work, and when could our civic engagement shape our approach to academic work? Regular reflection allows us to ask questions, make connections, and understand civic engagement through new lenses.
For each course completed, students must write a brief reflection on how it contributed to their learning. Throughout the program, students will be invited to participate in peer-led reflection activities sponsored by the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship.
Finally, all students are required to participate in a Capstone retreat, which will bring certificate participants together to reflect on what they have learned across their coursework and practicum and consider how they will build on their learning as engaged citizens after graduation.
Interested in pursuing a Certificate for Civic Engagement?
Find resources to help you plan your courses, get advice, and formally declare your intent to pursue a Certificate for Civic Engagement.