Earn a degree while serving in the Peace Corps

Forestry students at Northern Arizona University will soon be able to make a difference in people's lives while earning their master's degree.

The Peace Corps recently selected NAU's School of Forestry to offer a Peace Corps Master International Program designed for American students who want to earn a graduate degree while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer.

"The Peace Corps partnership is a natural fit with our tradition of teaching, service and land stewardship," said Michael Wagner, a Regents' professor in the School of Forestry and coordinator for the new program. "This program will be a cornerstone to our growing international forestry emphasis and will likely double or triple our graduate enrollment in the master's of forestry degree option."

More than 50 universities throughout the United States are participating in the Peace Corps Master's International Program, created in 1987 to provide opportunities for volunteers to fill specialized assignment areas that require advanced education.

Last year NAU jumped from ranking 20th to 10th among medium-sized colleges and universities producing Peace Corps volunteers.

NAU's program will focus on volunteer service in natural resource management, "reflecting the growing national and international stature of the NAU School of Forestry," Wagner said. "The program not only will advance our goals to provide an opportunity for students to combine academic course work with practical field experience in international forestry, it will enhance volunteer service for natural resources protection around the globe."

Participating students will attend 12 weeks of pre-service Peace Corps training, one year at NAU, along with a full two-year-term in the Peace Corps, followed by a semester at NAU. Students also will be required to complete a professional paper or thesis.

Wagner, along with Pete Fulé, an associate professor of forestry and associate director of NAU's Ecological Restoration Institute, and James Allen, acting executive director of forestry, will manage the program that will be fully implemented in fall 2008. All three have served as Peace Corp volunteers.