Peace Corps

Anna Goldberg, RPCV Phillipines '08-10

Anna Goldberg, RPCV Phillipines '08-10

Peace Corps or Grad School? 
Why not both! 
Whether you have already served, or are hoping to serve, consider earning your master's in environmental policy or in climate science and policy from Bard CEP in coordination with your Peace Corps experience.

University Contact: Molly Williams
Fellows and MI Coordinator
Center for Environmental Policy
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Phone: 845-758-7071
Fax: 845-758-7636
E-mail: mwilliam@bard.edu

Before and During Service:    Master's International Program

Logo: Peace Corps The Master’s International (MI) program offers qualified candidates the opportunity to incorporate the internationally focused, hands-on experience of Peace Corps service into one of the Bard CEP master’s degrees: M.S. in environmental policy and M.S. in climate science and policy.

Through Bard’s MI Program, future Peace Corps volunteers gain valuable skills before starting their overseas assignment. The critical thinking, reasoning, and practical skills acquired at Bard, in addition to the themes and concepts learned, prepare MI students for meaningful service work, benefiting both the host community and the student.

MI students graduate from Bard with a master’s degree and enter the job market with the unique combination of an advanced degree plus two years of professional experience in an international setting. Peace Corps volunteers have the added benefit of receiving a stipend upon completion of service and one year of noncompetitive status to apply for federal jobs.

Pioneering Curriculum Design
The Bard CEP curriculum integrates the core disciplines of science, policy, law, and economics into a cohesive and comprehensive first year of graduate course work. Through close collaboration with faculty and an innovative program of study, students learn to think across disciplines to understand the complexities of today’s environmental problems and challenges. In addition to projects assigned in each course, students work with a professional writing instructor throughout the first year to hone their writing skills.

MI students engage in their Peace Corps assignment after finishing the first year of coursework at Bard. Upon completion of their service overseas, MI students return for a final semester of instruction at Bard and work on the master’s thesis. Successful completion of Communication Strategies and the Capstone Leadership Seminar and a public presentation of the thesis are the final requirements of the degree.

Focused Peace Corps Assignment
After successfully completing the first year curriculum from either of the degree programs mentioned below, MI students commence their Peace Corps service, a life-defining leadership experience. Before departure, students meet with their Bard CEP academic adviser to outline a communication plan for the 27-month period of service. Upon starting their assignment, students work with their adviser to develop a master’s thesis topic, and plan the necessary field research.

Peace Corps aims to assign students to areas that best match their skills with the needs of the communities in which they will serve. The Peace Corps assignment takes the place of the internship component of Bard’s M.S. degree and students receive a 10-credit tuition waiver for their service.

Assignments for Bard MI students include:
• Coastal resource management
• Protected areas management
• Ecotourism and economic development
• Agroforestry
• Biodiversity conservation
• Sustainable development
• Environmental education

Financial Benefits
Master’s International students accepted to the Bard CEP graduate program are eligible for a 10-credit tuition fee waiver in recognition of their volunteer work overseas - tuition discount of about $8,000. MI students are also eligible for all Bard CEP fellowships and project assistantships.

Peace Corps MI Video

Following Your Service:                  Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program

With climate change, renewable energy, and other critical environmental concerns at the forefront of public attention and policy discussions across the globe, Bard College and the Peace Corps have teamed up to offer the Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program for returned Peace Corps volunteers to earn a master of science degree in climate science and policy or in environmental policy. Both degrees are two years and consist of one year of interdisciplinary course work at Bard, followed a full-time internship and thesis in the second year.

The environmental and climate dimensions of the Center’s graduate programs and its commitment to civic engagement are of particular interest to students who have worked overseas on environmental issues and would like to pursue a career in policy. In recognizing the tremendous service Peace Corps volunteers provide to communities around the world, the Coverdell Fellows Program at Bard gives returned Peace Corps volunteers the unique opportunity to earn a master’s degree with the benefits of financial assistance, academic credit, and professional internship opportunities.

Pioneering Curriculum Design
The Bard CEP curriculum integrates the core disciplines of science, policy, law, and economics into a cohesive and comprehensive first year of graduate course work. Through close collaboration with faculty and an innovative program of study, students learn to think across disciplines to understand the complexities of today’s environmental problems and challenges. In addition to projects assigned in each course, students work with a professional writing instructor throughout the first year to hone their writing skills.

Fellows participate in a four- to six-month experiential internship during the summer and fall of the second year, and return to campus to complete a master’s thesis, supporting the development of deep individual expertise. In the final semester, students also enroll in a capstone leadership seminar. In this way, students develop broad knowledge of environmental issues; a suite of analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills; professional experience in their chosen field; and finally, they become experts on topics that they have selected. Our alumni/ae are making a difference in private, nonprofit, and public sectors around the world.

Financial Benefits
Earning either an M.S. in environmental policy or an M.S. in climate science and policy, selected Fellows are eligible to receive an award equivalent to 33 percent of tuition in the first year, and a 10-credit tuition fellowship in the second year. Fellows enter the program along with the incoming cohort and enroll as full-time graduate students. Applicants to the Fellows Program should apply normally for admission to either degree program, and are required to submit an official Completion of Service form to be eligible for the financial assistance listed above. Although not required, Bard anticipates that selected Fellows will have worked on environmental projects during their service oversees.

Download: Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program.pdf