The Institute for Civic Leadership promotes the civic and democratic purposes of education and sponsors programs and activities that advance the civic leadership capacities and commitments of women.

The two-semester program in civic leadership is open to women in their sophomore, junior, or senior years at Mills or the University of California, Berkeley.

The course of study combines discipline-based analysis of civic leadership and social policy with an internship in which students work on meaningful projects linked to public policy and social change.

Students examine the intellectual foundations of civic life and democracy while developing knowledge of the skills and strategies needed for civic leadership. Students learn to critically analyze social and political issues associated with their internships and, more generally, the ways academic knowledge can inform the design of desirable public policies.