Office & Contact Information

Department of Human Ecology; 1303 Hart Hall; 530-752-1805; Community & Regional Development;Faculty

The Community & Regional Development major aims to provide a broad comparative understanding of theories, methodologies, and issues relevant to the study of communities and the people in them. The program focuses on the ways that economic, political and socio-cultural forces are transforming the world, countries, regions, and local communities, and it considers how knowledge can be used to improve the quality of community life.

The Program

Principal subjects of study within the major are community, regional, and organizational development; social change processes; community and regional research methodologies; the role of class, ethnicity, gender, and race in shaping social life; the impacts of innovation and technology on communities, and the effects of social, economic and political systems on regions. The major is organized to allow students to develop fields of concentration that meet their career goals.

Major Advisor

J. London

Internships & Career Alternatives

Community & Regional Development students are required to complete an internship in their field before graduation. Internships have been arranged with local, county, and state planning units, health departments, schools, housing offices, businesses, and education programs, among others. Community and Regional Development graduates are prepared for occupations in community development, social research, program evaluation, organizational and educational consulting, city and regional planning, and for-profit organizations. The major also provides effective preparation for graduate or professional study in the social and behavioral sciences or for professional degrees.

Honors Program

An Honors Program is available to Human & Community Development majors who have demonstrated excellence in their field of study. Entrance into the honors program requires that a student completes at least 135 units with a minimum grade point average of 3.500 in upper division courses counted toward the major. The program consists of a project whose specific nature is determined in consultation with the student's Honors Advisor. It may involve completing a research project, a scholarly paper, a senior thesis, or some comparable assignment. The project will have a minimum duration of two quarters and will be noted on the student's record by a variable unit course number or special honors course designation. Successful completion of the honors program requires that a minimum of 8 units of credit be earned in course work for the project. It is expected that a student participating in the Honors Program of the Community & Regional Development major will participate in the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference. Additionally, students participating in the Honors Program will be required to give a public presentation of their work in a departmental seminar program.

Honors Program Advisor

J. London

The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Requirements & College Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Community & Regional Development Bachelor of Science major is 97.