Program Requirements

The Transy Peace Corps Prep program will prepare you for international development fieldwork and potential Peace Corps service. To accomplish this, you’ll build four core competencies through interrelated coursework, hands-on experience and professional development support:

1. Training and experience in a specific work sector

You will complete at least 3 course units that align with a specific work sector and 50 hours of volunteer or work experience in that sector. Choose from the following:

  • Education
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Agriculture
  • Youth in Development
  • Community Economic Development

2. Foreign language skills

Complete at least 1 course unit beyond the 1000 level in a modern foreign language.

3. Intercultural competence

You will deepen your cultural agility through a mix of courses and/or substantive intercultural experiences in which you learn about others while reflecting on your own self in relation to others. Some example courses:

  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Gender in Non-Cultural Perspective
  • Enculturation in Non-Western Societies
  • Immigration and Linguistic Diversity in U.S. Schools
  • Cultural Psychology
  • Stereotyping and Prejudice
  • Cultural Geography
  • Immigration, Gender, and Race
  • Introduction to Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies
  • Intercultural Communication

4. Professional and leadership development

These three required components will strengthen your candidacy for the Peace Corps:

  • Have your resume critiqued by the Office of Career Development.
  • Attend a workshop or class on interview skills at the Office of Career Development.
  • Develop at least one significant leadership experience and be prepared to discuss it thoughtfully. For example, organizing a campus event, leading a work or volunteer project or serving on the executive board of a student organization.