Stephen Jones, AUNE president, and Carrie Hessler-Radelet, acting director of Peace Corps.
Now students can combine their passion for service in the Peace Corps with study for a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England (AUNE). Through an innovative agreement with the Peace Corps, AUNE will begin offering a Master’s International degree program this summer. Students would take coursework for a year to help prepare them for their Peace Corps experience, then serve and earn credits at no cost for their service and return to complete their degree.
Students earn twelve credits from AUNE, tuition-free, while serving as Peace Corps volunteers, saving them thousands of dollars. They learn to be successful and effective Peace Corps Volunteers, then graduate prepared to make a real difference in finding solutions to environmental challenges and opportunities around the world.
Peace Corps Partnership
Carrie Hessler-Radelet, acting director of the Peace Corps, signed the Master’s International designation for AUNE on May 16. The Peace Corps is pleased to sign this new partnership agreement with Antioch University New England to enable students to gain important hands-on work experience as they pursue their graduate studies, Hessler-Radelet said. In today’s interconnected world, employers are looking for highly trained and culturally competent professionals now more than ever. She also spoke at AUNE’s Commencement on May 17.
AUNE President Stephen Jones said the University is grateful for the Master’s International designation, and thrilled to have Hessler-Radelet on campus. ‘Because the world needs you now!’ is a message that lives profoundly in the spirit, intent, and practice of the Master’s International-designated degree, Jones said. The mission and values of our respective institutions are deeply compatible. We are eager to help entering Peace Corps volunteers apply what they will learn in the classroom to directly benefit the global community, and to further refine their knowledge and skills through that service.
AUNE has a history of welcoming returning Peace Corps volunteers into the classroom, due to its focus on environmental studies, sustainability and social justice. The University is also part of the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program and offers scholarships for students who have completed a Peace Corps experience.
How the Master’s International Program Works
AUNE is offering the program through its Department of Environmental Studies, from which students earn an MS degree. Students will first take two semesters of coursework on campus, followed by twenty-seven months of Peace Corps service. They will return to the AUNE campus to complete their degree requirements, leading to a master of science degree in Environmental Studies in one of three concentrations:
•Conservation Biology
•Environmental Education
•Sustainable Development and Climate Change
or a master of science degree in
•Resource Management and Conservation.
Find out more at www.antiochne.edu/masters-international, or contact Jason Rhoades, program coordinator, [email protected], 800-552-8380.
