Inside-Out Pathway-to-BA
Pitzer College’s pioneering bachelor of arts degree program in which currently incarcerated individuals learn alongside Claremont Colleges students
“The Pitzer Inside-Out Pathway-to-BA is at the heart of Pitzer College’s educational objectives and core values, particularly social and racial justice, social responsibility, and the ethical implications of knowledge and action.”
Melvin L. Oliver
Pitzer College President, 2016-2022
Pitzer is the first undergraduate institution in the U.S. to transform Inside-Out curriculum into a program that leads to a BA for incarcerated learners.
Read the StoryAbout
Pitzer College’s Inside-Out Pathway-to-BA is based on the Inside-Out curriculum model, developed by Professor Lori Pompa at Temple University. “Inside” students at Norco’s California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) and “outside” students from The Claremont Colleges learn side by side, gathering in the same classroom to take a course taught by a Claremont Colleges professor.
Pitzer’s Inside-Out classes were initiated at the CRC in 2014. Its Inside-Out Pathway-to-BA was launched in December 2020, making it the first college in the country to transform Inside-Out curriculum into a BA degree program for incarcerated learners.
Pitzer’s Inside-Out Pathway-to-BA is part of the Justice Education Center at the Claremont Colleges and was developed in partnership with the CRC and Norco College.
In the Media
Getting a bachelor’s degree in prison is rare. That’s about to change – NPR
Prisoners will soon be eligible for federal grants, opening new educational opportunities – PBS
Inside Student Voices
“We can interact with the professors and the students, and in doing so, we are given a sense of self-worth and humanity.”
Damian Busby ’22
Inside-Out student
Organizational Studies major
Graduate in Focus
Kenneth Butler
Kenneth Butler ’22, who pursued his Pitzer degree through Inside-Out courses while incarcerated in a medium-security prison, was awarded a 2022–23 Fulbright US Student Program grant.
Read Kenneth's StoryOutside Student Voices
“My Inside-Out Praxis class was the best class I will probably ever take in my life. We went to the prison once a week for a dance class, choreographing our stories. We worked together making dance pieces and sharing readings on activism and the history of dance. I learned so much and it truly changed every student in the class.”
Alley
Human Biology major
View the Launch
Recent Inside-Out News
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Featured
Pitzer Offers First Inside-Out Spanish Class in the U.S.
Incarcerated “inside” students and “outside” students from The Claremont Colleges redefine Latinx identity, power, and the Spanish language on their terms.
Contact Us
Justice Education Center at the Claremont Colleges