Urban Academy

Welcome Message

Join the Urban Academy for a college experience focused on: 

• social justice  
• academic excellence 
• career success 

Join while earning your AA in community college and then continue for your BA at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU). The Urban Academy Map to Academic and Career Success includes:  

• Dual admission to Urban Studies majors at community colleges and SLU; 
• Coordinated advisement and faculty mentorship for seamless transition from associate’s degree to bachelor’s degree;  
• Internship and scholarship opportunities through our Community Semester, Union Semester, fieldwork, diversity, and other scholarships;  
• Individualized career planning (resume development, mock interviews, etc.);  
• Courses and seminars by community college faculty and SLU faculty;  
• Small group discussions with union, community, and government leaders;  
• Digital badges for social media platforms 

The Urban Academy is a collaboration between the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and partnering community colleges. The Academy’s goals are: 

• Produce graduates who are advocates, organizers, policy makers and service providers for diverse urban populations
• Prepare students to compete for job opportunities in public, non-profit, and private agencies as well as community organizations and unions
• Give students sound preparation for graduate study in a range of urban-related, inquiry-based disciplines
• Foster social justice and humanistic values and critical-thinking skills

During their community and senior college experience, Urban Academy students will be connected to  the limitless learning and professional opportunities available in one of the most dynamic urban centers in the world. The Urban Academy links students with distinguished faculty at the cutting edge of the complex research and issues underlying today’s cities. The Academy exposes students to experiential learning through unique union partnerships, community organizations, and government agencies. Additionally, students will be able to partake in SLU’s nationally recognized public programming. Urban Academy students receive dual acceptance to their community college urban studies major for their associate’s degree and then are seamlessly transitioned into SLU for their Urban and Community Studies bachelor’s degree.

The SLU Urban and Community Studies BA is unique in its fusion of urban public policy and administration with civic engagement, community studies, and labor studies.  This interdisciplinary degree provides students with an integrated perspective that centers on the lives of working class urban populations in all its diversity.

The SLU Urban and Community Studies BA is unique in its fusion of urban public policy and administration with civic engagement, community studies, and labor studies.  This interdisciplinary degree provides students with an integrated perspective that centers on the lives of working class urban populations in all its diversity.

Requirements and Degree Programs Offered 

Eligibility: 2.5 GPA and enrolled in an associate’s degree program in an approved major: 

• Urban Studies (Guttman Community College) 
• Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice (Borough of Manhattan Community College)

Becoming an Urban Academy Student 

To become an Urban Academy Student, apply to one of the approved majors at a partnering community college. By enrolling in and successfully completing a degree program of the CUNY Urban Academy, you will also be admitted into the Urban and Community Studies BA degree program of the School of Labor and Urban Studies. The first 60 credits are taken at a partner community college and the student earns an Associate’s Degree. An additional 60 credits are taken at the School of Labor and Urban Studies for the completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Community Studies. 

Note: No additional application is necessary beyond registering for the eligible programs listed in the section above.  

How to Transition into SLU

1. Invitation: Receive a letter inviting you to continue your studies at SLU as a baccalaureate degree student. Students whose academic records indicate that they could complete the required coursework and graduate with an associate degree by July 2020 or sooner will receive a letter inviting them to CONFIRM their intention to continue their studies at SLU from the Director of Admissions. If you don’t receive this invitation by May 15, 2020, and you intend to transition to SLU College after your graduation from your community college this spring, please email us at admissions@slu.cuny.edu
2. Confirmation: Confirm your intention to start at SLU by June 1, 2020. To confirm, use the “Urban Academy confirm” link provided in the invitation. We will then start to evaluate your credits and get you ready for early registration. To speed up your credit evaluation, make sure you do not have any local negative Service Indicators (also known as “stops”) on your record; otherwise, we will not be able to access your transcript. Check your CUNYfirst account to find out what the negative Service Indicator is and contact the appropriate office on your campus to have it removed.
3. Credit Evaluation: Receive an email informing you that your credits have been evaluated. If you have previously attended non-CUNY colleges, you will have to request that your non-CUNY institution provide SLU with an official copy of your transcript.
4. Filing for Graduation: Make sure that you transition to SLU with your associate degree completed. The guarantee of enrollment at SLU in your “dual-admission” program is based on the completion of your associate degree. As you approach that major milestone, your community college expects you to file for graduation. So please remember to file for graduation in your final semester before transitioning to SLU.
5. Registration: Urban Academy students will receive an email notification of their registration eligibility from the SLU Registrar. Students will meet with their academic advisor as well as attend New Student Orientation before the new semester.