Choices . . . A variety of options are available at Pitt for people interested in community service as a career. These careers generally fall under the heading of "social services." The training needed for these fields can be found in a number of academic disciplines such as social work, public administration, and urban studies. The University of Pittsburgh is committed to providing the academic and experiential foundation for its students who are interested in these fields. If you are considering a social services or public administration career, you should think about which of these academic disciplines best fits your career goals: Social work. Social workers learn how to solve problems dealing with individuals, families, and communities. Your goal as a social worker would be to work with individuals in order to create a positive environment for personal and communal growth and to strive for social equity. Public administration. In public administration you learn how to implement the laws and regulations that govern our lives. Specifically, you would focus on domestic social policies and developing ways to implement these policies in an effective manner. Urban planning and development. As an urban planner, you would learn about the physical infrastructure of our cities and seek ways in which to create, recreate, and maintain those structures in dynamic urban environments. Urban studies. Urban studies is an interdisciplinary major which provides students with a liberal arts foundation including courses in areas such as anthropology, history, economics, political science, and sociology. This undergraduate major is well suited for students pursuing other social services fields on the graduate level, as well as preparing students for careers in law, government, and public health. How to get there from here . . . The path to all of these careers starts in the School of Arts and Sciences (A&S) at Pitt. The School of Social Work is an upper-level division school that students enter at the beginning of the junior year after two years of preparation in A&S. The School of Social Work is consistently ranked amount the top programs nationally on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students in urban studies spend their entire undergraduate careers in A&S. Urban planning and development and public administration are both graduate-level programs. Some students also graduate with a liberal arts degree before choosing social work as a graduate program. Students looking at these careers and graduate programs should spend their undergraduate years getting a solid foundation in the liberal arts, particularly the social sciences. Through a variety of possible undergraduate majors, A&S provides the preparation you will need to get into the graduate program you choose. Internship and volunteer opportunities . . . The University of Pittsburgh, located just three miles from downtown Pittsburgh, is an ideal location for students interested in a social services career. Pittsburgh provides students with volunteer and internship opportunities in a variety of social services fields outside of the classroom. You are not alone when you go to look for these opportunities. The Office of Experiential Learning in the School of Arts and Sciences keeps track of internships available to Pitt students in a variety of career fields. A Student Volunteer Outreach is also available through the Center for Public and Community Service. The Outreach connects students with service projects in their areas of interest.