Themed Housing & Learning Communities, Southeast Missouri State University

The Learning Community Program at Southeast Missouri State University is designed to enhance your academic success and your residential experience. This is accomplished through building a community in which you are surrounded by students with similar academic interests and career goals, conducting specialized programming that is designed by staff and faculty from your academic area and providing access to resources that will aid in classroom success.

The general goals and concepts of the Learning Community Program are as follows:

A community of students who support one another in their academic pursuits
A connection to the Southeast community, both academic and social, with an emphasis on retention and persistence to graduation
A strong out of classroom experience through experiential learning
An understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and the variety of human experience
A culture of student leadership which empowers civic responsibility.

Research has shown that students living in learning communities have a better understanding of the academic material, better interpersonal and critical thinking skills, and a stronger connection with faculty members and the institution (Shapiro and Levine). The university benefits by retaining more students that in turn persist until graduation (Shapiro and Levine).

The Office of Residence Life, in conjunction with our many academic partners, is pleased to offer Learning Community Experiences in the subjects or interest areas listed below. Click on a link to learn more about that specific program.

Business Learning Community

This learning community is located in the New Residence Hall and is designed to give students the opportunity to participate in various experiential learning and community activities with faculty, staff, and business representatives of interest to business students.

Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Learning Community

This learning community offers an environment supporting students with a shared interest in music, dramatic performance, and artistic expression.

Science Learning Community

This learning community is designed to give students the opportunity to participate in various experiential learning and community activities with faculty and staff of interest to students in the sciences.

Construction Management and Interior Design (CMID)

The CMID Learning Community is a dynamic community focused on building and enhancing skills for careers in the fields of Interior Design and Construction Management.

Service Learning Community

Students participating in this learning community will live within a diverse group and have hands on experience learning about civic responsibility and service learning.

Education Learning Community

The Education Learning Community prepares elementary and secondary education majors for upper-level coursework in the College of Education as well as for a career in teaching.

Honors Learning Community

Students living in the Honors Learning Community will live among other dedicated students with diverse academic ambitions and interests.

Global and International Issues

The International and Global Issues Learning Community is an inter-disciplinary program for international and American students seeking to broaden their experience in an increasingly global world.

Transfer Community

The Office of Residence Life is dedicated to providing a residential experience focused on transfer students to Southeast who, even though they are considered first year students, may be older than the traditional first year students and classified as a sophomore, junior, or senior.