Live in New York City. Defend workers’ rights. Get paid and earn college credits.
For almost 20 years, New York Union Semester has successfully connected social changemakers with dynamic labor organizations. This unique semester-long program combines rigorous academic study with first-hand experience within the labor movement. Undergraduate and graduate students from across the country and around the world are paired with unions and worker-rights organizations to gain practical skills and learn first-hand the strategies these organizations use to fight for workers’ rights. Student interns must fulfill a 28-hour workweek in their field of placement. Students analyze the experience they gain in the area during class time through comprehensive studies of the US labor movement. Our renowned Labor Studies faculty teach the courses.
The Union Semester program subsidies your tuition and fees up to $7,000. Any amount in excess of tuition costs are issued to interns for living and other personal expenses. Upon completing the program, undergraduate students earn 16 credits and are awarded a Certificate in Labor Studies. Graduate students will earn 12 credits and an Advanced Certificate in Labor Studies, which can be applied to the MA in Labor Studies.