Wagner College gives its students the unique opportunity of linking experiential learning to academic courses. By virtue of its location in New York City, Wagner College is able to involve its students in the social, scientific and professional domains of the premier city of the nation. The basic theory of experiential learning is anchored in the work of John Dewey: the interaction of knowledge and skills with experience is key to learning. Students learn best not by reading the Great Books in a closed room but by opening the doors and windows of experience.

Experiential learning is a teaching methodology that uses meaningful practical experience to enhance the learning of abstract concepts. Through direct involvement with people and issues, students learn to apply their knowledge to real life situations. Students learn about different social and professional cultures by working directly within these communities. As active participants, students will also share their knowledge, ideas and perspectives with members of the on-site community and their classmates.

The Center for Experiential Learning is located in the Union and is an integral part of The Wagner Plan. Here, experiential learning is linked to the learning communities in both the freshman and senior years. The Dean of Learning Communities and Experiential Learning is the liaison between the faculty, the students and community agencies and coordinates all experiential learning placements.

During the First Year Program, all first year students are expected to complete approximately 30 hours of fieldwork related to their Learning Community and participate in the readings and discussions of these courses. The experiential learning component may take any of an array of possible forms: service learning, mentorships, independent study, field trips and community based research.

In the senior year, all students are independently engaged in an experiential learning activity that is housed within a learning community, and  linked to their major. This is the capstone course synthesizing knowledge accumulated over their academic career with fieldwork in their chosen area of interest / expertise. Upon graduating from Wagner, students discover that they have not merely 'done' civic engagement projects, but they have become, and are, civically engaged citizens.