School of International Studies

Peace Corps Master's International Program

Applicants interested in the Peace Corps Master’s International program should apply to both the MAIR program and the Peace Corps simultaneously, using the MAIR program’s admission deadlines as a guide.  Once students are accepted into the MAIR program, they must provide a copy of the University’s admission offer letter to their Regional Peace Corps Recruiter.  The recruiter conducts interviews with students before nominating them to the Peace Corps Placement Office.  This last step is actually the first step in the processing of the Peace Corps application, which includes medical, legal, and suitability screening.

Typical Course of Study

Core Courses:

Residence 1 (Completed prior to service)

MAIR 200 Concepts of Intercultural Relations............................3 units
MAIR 201 Ethnicity and Intergroup Relations.............................3 units
MAIR 202 Research I: Ways of Knowing....................................2 units

Residence 2 (Completed prior to service)

MAIR 221 Research II..................................................................3 units
MAIR 222 Process of Change......................................................2 units
MAIR 241 Change-Agentry..........................................................3 units

Residence 3 (Completed prior to service)

MAIR 240 Leadership and Adult Learning...................................3 units
MAIR 220 Advanced Intercultural Communication Theory........... 3 units
MAIR 242 Culture in the Organizational Context........................2 units

Electives and Research:

Peace Corps Service (Undertaken while overseas; completed upon return)
Electives....................................................................................8 units*

Research and Thesis (Completed after service)

MAIR 297 Research....................................................................4 units
MAIR 299 Thesis........................................................................4 units

Volunteers who participate in the MAIR Master’s International program will have an individualized aspect to their learning that will address the unique variables that their Peace Corps service presents.  Certain courses in the program will be particularly useful prior to their departure, and these will each include assignments that allow the volunteer to prepare thoroughly for the Peace Corps experience.

The elective coursework to be completed during the overseas assignment will be designed to focus on the work the volunteer is doing, the culture in which s/he is living, and the personal development inherent in the process.  The volunteer will receive a specially-designed study guide for this coursework.

Upon return to the United States, the volunteer/MAIR student will complete the final reflections on the Peace Corps learning experience as well as their reentry experience as they consider the coherent cycle of learning that put theory into practice as a volunteer.  After their return, MAIR students will complete a thesis, which demonstrates the depth of the knowledge and understanding gained through the program and their Peace Corps experience.

*Students must pay tuition for the 8 elective units for Peace Corps service, just as they pay tuition for all other MAIR course units.