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Bachelor of Arts in Education

Learning, Equity, and Problem Solving for the Public Good (LEAPS)

A group of people stand together smiling around a ladder in a large workspace.

Learn. Connect. Lead. Make an Impact.

What if your college education didn't just prepare you for a career, but also prepared you to help solve the challenges facing communities, organizations, and society?

The innovative and one-of-a-kind Learning, Equity, and Problem Solving for the Public Good (LEAPS) bachelor's degree is for students who want to become effective leaders—leaders who bring people together, understand complex problems, and turn ideas into action.

LEAPS combines the academic resources of the University of Michigan with the people, places, and possibilities of Detroit. You'll live and learn with your classmates, engage with communities, work on real-world projects, and build an individualized path toward the future you want.

LEAPS Framework

LEAPS is built around five connected ideas that shape how you learn, where you learn, and what you do with what you learn. Together, they create an education designed to help you become the kind of leader who can bring people together and make a difference. Click through the pillars below to see LEAPS in action.
L Living and learning
Line in a small community with your peers for the 1st year on our Detroit campus.
E Equity and Engagement
Immerse yourself in the community through local activities and cultural events, gaining the perspective and relationships needed to understand how challenges affect everyone in a community. ONly then can you begin to create lasting solutions.
A Academics in Action
Take courses designed around real-world projects, including client-based projects that provide practical experience while earning your degree. Choose courses that align with your goals and equip you to address there societal problems you care about.
P Practice and Partnership
Complete multi-year internships as a part of your degree coursework. Don't just learn in the classroom, put your learning into practice.
S Societal Impact
Graduate uniquely positioned to lead and make a lasting impact in your chosen progression.

Careers

LEAPS builds the skills that remain valuable even as technology, industries, and job titles change: adaptability, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and leadership. Students in LEAPS prepare to identify problems, understand the people and systems behind them, and create solutions that matter. They learn to think critically, navigate complexity, work across disciplines, and turn ideas into action.

LEAPS graduates are ready not only to step into the jobs that exist today, but to help shape what comes next. They’ll have the experience and mindset to move between fields, respond to emerging challenges and, in some cases, create the jobs and opportunities that the future demands.

Curriculum

120 minimum credits
Students must also demonstrate suitable mastery of the program-wide learning goals.

  • Forum, 5 credits

    Students complete the following courses:

    • EDUC 101 – Lower Division Forum  (1 credit) (Taken Fall and Winter Semester in Year 1, and Winter Semester in Year 2)
    • EDUC 322 – Upper Division Forum (1 credit) (Taken Winter Semester Year 3, and Winter Semester in Year 4)

     

  • General Education, 12 credits

    Students complete all of the following courses:

    • EDUC 131 – Science in the City (3 credits)
    • EDUC 140 Writing WIth Detroit  (3 credits)
    • EDUC 251 – Mathematics and Society  (3 credits)
    • EDUC 331 – Strategic Communication (3 credits)

  • Core, 25 credits

    Students complete the following courses:

    • EDUC 100 – Learning Within and Across Settings (4 credits)
    • EDUC 107 – Preparing for Engaged Learning (4 credits)
    • EDUC 130 – The City as Identity (4 credits)
    • EDUC 202 – Design as Community Inquiry (3 credits)
    • EDUC 203 – Inquiry, Partnership, and Research (3 credits)
    • EDUC 481 – Education for Empowerment Capstone 1 (3 credits)
    • EDUC 482 – Education for Empowerment Capstone 2 (4 credits)

  • Research & Engagement, 12-16 credits

    Students complete the following courses:

    • EDUC 207 – Lower Division Community-Engaged Learning Internship   - degree requires 4 credits, maximum of 8 (variable credit 2-8)
    • EEDUC 393 Upper Division Community-Engaged Learning Internship - degree requires 8 credits, maximum of 8 (variable credit 2-8)

  • Concentration, 24 credits

    Students complete concentration-related courses.

  • Elective, 32-38 credits

    Students complete a minimum of 32 elective credits.

    NOTE: Students pursuing teaching certification must choose electives that meet state requirements for different teaching areas and levels. These students should work closely with an academic advisor to select appropriate elective courses each term.

Course offerings and requirements are subject to change. Plan your credits and course selections with an advisor.

Apply

Deadline November 1
Early Action
Early Decision

First-year admission only

Deadline February 1
Regular Decision

  1. Meet with us

  2. Prepare application materials

  3. Apply online

  4. Submit Video Interview