Peace Corps Prep at Shepherd University
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| Michael Bailey ’12 serving in Peace Corps-Senegal |
Shepherd University is proud to be a new Peace Corps Prep partner, joining the program in 2025. Our growing alignment with the Peace Corps’ mission creates an exciting opportunity for students interested in global service and cross-cultural engagement.
Shepherd University has a strong connection to Peace Corps values of service and cross-cultural understanding. Many of our faculty, staff and alumni have lived and worked internationally, with a significant number having served in the Peace Corps. Peace Corps Volunteers serve in more than 60 countries worldwide, living and working alongside local community leaders and citizens to address critical global challenges.
As a Peace Corps Prep partner, Shepherd offers academic and co-curricular pathways to help students build the skills and experience needed to become competitive applicants for Peace Corps service. While earning a Peace Corps Prep certificate does not guarantee acceptance into the Peace Corps, it is a powerful way to demonstrate a commitment to service, leadership, and global citizenship—qualities that are highly valued in any profession.
Shepherd University’s Peace Corps Prep Guidelines
To complete the Peace Corps Prep program, students must fulfill requirements in four key areas: sector-specific coursework and experience, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional and leadership development. Students in any degree program can complete the requirements, and the chosen sector does not have to be directly related to their major.
Peace Corps Prep Resources
How to Apply:
- Review the Requirements in the Peace Corps Prep Student Guide – Ensure that any additional courses or experiential learning requirements are manageable and do not significantly delay your progress toward graduation.
- Download and draft the Peace Corps Prep Application – Download the fillable PDF found under Peace Corps Prep Resources (above)
- Speak with your Academic Advisor – Discuss your draft application with your advisor, outlining the courses and experiential learning you plan to pursue. Work together to ensure these additions support your goals and won’t hinder your degree timeline.
- Submit your completed application to the Peace Corps Prep Coordinator – Send an email to pcprep@shepherd.edu. The completed application should include courses and experiences you have already completed—at Shepherd or another institution—and those you plan to complete to fulfill the PC Prep requirements.
- Interview – You will be contacted by the Peace Corps Prep Coordinator to meet for an interview after your application is reviewed.If accepted into the program, the PC Prep Coordinator will notify you of the decision and add you to the PC Prep Brightspace page. This page will allow you and the coordinator to track your progress in the program and will serve as a hub for announcements about events and experiential learning opportunities available to you and other PC Prep students.
The Peace Corps Mission
To promote world peace and friendship through community-based development and intercultural understanding.
Peace Corps Goals
- To help the countries interested in meeting their need for trained people
- To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served
- To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans
The Peace Corps Experience
The Peace Corps offers a 27-month opportunity for meaningful service, cultural immersion, and professional skill-building in more than 60 countries. Volunteers serve in one of six key program areas: agriculture, economic development, education, environment, health, and youth and community development.
Benefits of Service
- Language, cross-cultural, and technical training, including pre-service, in-service, and close of service trainings and conferences
- Travel costs covered to and from the country of service
- Housing and monthly living allowance during service
- Medical and dental coverage
- Student loan deferment and forgiveness of some loans
- Career advancement after service, including noncompetitive eligibility for federal employment
- Transition funds and assistance following 27 months of work
- Graduate school financial support through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program
Peace Corps Contact
- www.peacecorps.gov
- 800.424.8580
- Connect With a Recruiter