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The Bachelor of Science in Community Development, offered by the Department of Architecture and Environmental Design (AED), prepares students to learn to understand and think critically about the social, political, economic, and cultural dynamics shaping various types of communities. Particular emphasis is given to empowering disadvantaged communities to address inequalities and improve their long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The program enables students to lead efforts to create and maintain healthy, sustainable communities by providing a broad-based understanding and awareness of multi-dimensional aspects of urban and suburban community challenges in a metropolitan regional context and the means of effecting change from both grass-roots and public policy perspectives.

Students will learn how to engage stakeholders; assess a community's assets, needs and opportunities; plan what the community wants to achieve; and develop strategies, programs, and policies to improve quality of life. Learning will extend beyond the classroom with hands-on experience through service learning, field research, informal gatherings, and workshops.