BARD CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ESTABLISHES NEW MASTERS INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM WITH THE PEACE CORPS
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.— The Bard Center for Environmental Policy (BCEP) is continuing its tradition of providing unique opportunities for its graduate students by offering a new Master's International Program with the United States Peace Corps. The goal of the program is to help students incorporate the internationally focused, hands-on experience of Peace Corps service into the BCEP's innovative master's degree program. The Master's International (MI) Program allows eligible students to get a jump start on the job market by graduating with both an advanced degree in environmental policy and two years of substantive professional experience in an international setting.
"Choosing between graduate school and the Peace Corps can be difficult," said Joanne Fox-Przeworski, BCEP's director and former director of the United Nations Environment Programme for North America. "This new program offers the advantage of bringing together skills learned during the intensive first-year curriculum with hands-on experience in the Peace Corps. As a result, volunteers can contribute more effectively as valuable members of the Peace Corps."
Students admitted to the MI Program will typically complete their first year of graduate studies before starting a Peace Corps assignment. Peace Corps volunteers assigned through the MI Program complete BCEP's internship requirement through their service overseas, while also working toward completion of their master's project. Students graduate after completing Peace Corps service and the final semester of the BCEP's master's program.
The Bard Center for Environmental Policy promotes education, research, and public service on critical issues pertaining to the natural and built environments. Its primary goal is to improve the quality of environmental policies by incorporating the best available scientific knowledge into the policy-making process at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The Center's innovative graduate program, launched in 2001, trains future leaders who can translate the science behind environmental and natural resource problems into creative, feasible policies. The Center's unique modular program offers an intensive course of study, grounded in the sciences, as well as economics, law, politics, and ethics, and emphasizes communication skills, leadership, and financial training. After a period of internships, graduates are prepared for careers in nonprofit organizations, government, and the private sector. The program leads to a master of science degree or professional certificate in environmental policy, and the Center offers joint degree programs with Pace Law School and with the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture.
The Peace Corps offers Master's International Programs with more than 40 campuses across the United States. This collaborative effort provides host countries with highly skilled volunteers, while encouraging cross-cultural exchange on behalf of volunteers, the communities in which they serve, and the participating institutions.
For more information about BCEP or its graduate program, call 845-758-7071, e-mail [email protected], or log on to www.bard.edu/cep.