The Peace Corps and Iowa State University have announced a renewed strategic partnership centered on an undergraduate certificate program called Peace Corps Prep. Students in the Peace Corps Prep program combine targeted coursework with hands-on experience, building the competencies needed to be effective Peace Corps volunteers and make a lasting impact.
"Volunteers are the heart of our mission, and this program is for any student inspired to serve and make a difference through the Peace Corps’ unique model of community-based development and people-to-people diplomacy," said Peace Corps Chief of Staff Richard E. Swarttz. "Through the Peace Corps Prep program at Iowa State, students will build foundational skills necessary to thrive in the Peace Corps or in any career rooted in purpose or service."
Peace Corps Prep will be offered as an interdisciplinary certificate program in the global resource systems major, which is housed in Iowa State’s Department of Horticulture. Through a combination of coursework and hands-on experience, students will develop core competencies critical to fieldwork – intercultural competence, professional and leadership development, and sector-specific skills in one of the Peace Corps’ six sectors:
- education
- health
- environment
- agriculture
- community economic development, and
- youth development.
Source : iastate.edu