Fellows/USA

"A Graduate Studies Program that Follows Peace Corps Service"

 

MISSION STATEMENT


Fellows/USA advances the Peace Corps' third goal "to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans," by developing and maintaining educational partnerships that place returned Peace Corps Volunteers in internships in underserved U.S. communities. Through the collaboration of universities, public school systems, community organizations, funders and the Peace Corps, these volunteers are able to use the knowledge and skills they developed during their overseas service to improve people's lives in the United States. As Peace Corps Fellows, they earn graduate degrees and certification at reduced cost, advancing their professional development for careers in a wide range of fields.

About our Fellows/USA Program


The College of Natural Resources (CNR) welcomes and encourages returned Peace Corps volunteers along their life journeys to learn and serve in communities abroad and at home. Developed in partnership with CNR's Global Environmental Management Educational Center (GEM), we are proud to offer this program.

Pursuing a Master of Science degree in CNR will help you master a technical specialty in a natural resources field and give you a chance to practice that specialty in an internship with an underserved community. Many of Wisconsin's small rural communities are in economic and social transition, including 11 federally-recognized Native American Tribes. Many inner city neighborhoods are dealing with similar challenges. They all share the desire to improve the availability of education, the quality of their natural resources and, ultimately, their quality of life.

Our Master's program differs from many others in its depth of fields of study and its variety of internship opportunities available. CNR maintains partnerships with many organizations and agencies, including:


USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Trout Unlimited Inc.
USDA Forest Service
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE)
Stevens Point Area School District


These partners will help provide training and field placements for Peace Corps Fellows, including internships in areas of high need. Partners may also provide employment opportunities for Fellows upon graduation.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS


The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 30 semester credits and both thesis and non-thesis options are available. The graduate program provides opportunity for advanced study, research and involvement in professional activities. Each graduate student's course of study is individually designed to meet the student's needs and interests. Peace Corps Fellows/USA graduate students will be placed in an internship with an underserved community in the Midwest as they complete their master's thesis/project.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
You can visit the Peace Corps site at the following address: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol.eduben.fellows