SPH Unveils Peace Corps Program, Answers Questions For Prospective Students

Since 1961, the Peace Corps has shared with the world America’s most precious resource – its people. That’s how the Peace Corps describes its thousands of volunteers, who serve in 74 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe and the Middle East.

They teach, collaborate and lend support; they promote awareness and bring their service and skills to local communities, families and children who need it most.

Beginning this fall, graduate students from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, will have the opportunity to combine a master’s degree with Peace Corps service, bringing their background, life experiences and public health knowledge to disadvantaged communities across the globe.

As the school unveils its new program, the only one of its kind in the Midwest region, the buzz is building, and the questions are flying in to Babette Neuberger, associate dean for academic affairs, who has worked to bring the program to the school. Recently, she took the time to chat with us at UIC SPH News, to answer some of the questions that prospective students are asking.

UIC SPH News: Why do you think this program is significant to public health education?

B. Neuberger: Preparing students to work in a global environment has become a high priority at the school, so we are eager to partner with the Peace Corps to provide the Peace Corps Masters International program to our students. Given the rapidity with which people, ideas, capital and trade circumnavigate the globe, our understanding of public health must be expanded to fully encompass global health.

The combined UIC Peace Corps/Masters of Public Health program will be the only one of its kind in the Midwest region. The school’s goals are to recruit high-quality individuals into the MI Program, and to provide them with the academic and personal support required for the students to benefit from their Peace Corps experience and to ultimately become successful contributors to global health solutions.

The beauty of this program is that it not only provides our students with a rich opportunity to learn firsthand about global health but it also provides people of other countries the opportunity to meet their needs by welcoming well-trained students into their communities.

UIC SPH News: Why is this important to the students?

B. Neuberger: The Master’s International program will enable the school to provide our students with a quality, substantively relevant, international experience to augment their academic training.

UIC SPH News:What types of backgrounds do students who are applying have, and from where are you seeing most of the applications?

B. Neuberger: Students from all UIC SPH academic divisions have indicated interest in the program. Some already have experience abroad, while others have little international experience. Our general experience with returned Peace Corps volunteers suggests that the program attracts idealistic, motivated individuals who are extremely focused and capable of fulfilling their career objectives and other life goals. Such students enrich our academic environment and will offer our global health faculty researchers an opportunity to hire superbly qualified students as assistants on funded research.

UIC SPH News: How many acceptance slots are left for the next academic year?

B. Neuberger: There is no limit to the amount of students that we will accept into the program, though the students must be accepted into the Peace Corps as well.

UIC SPH News: How long might the students work on the degree, and how much of that time will be spent living in Chicago?

B. Neuberger: MI students will be expected to fully, or mostly, complete their didactic course work prior to leaving for the Peace Corps. A student attending full time can complete the Comprehensive Master of Public Health degree in two years, and a part-time student in three years. Before departing, students will be on campus for one and a half years or two and a half years respectively.

A student will be awarded five semester hours of field practicum credit for his or her Peace Corps experience based on the completion of a portfolio while abroad, and the submission of a portfolio summary report upon his or her return.

In addition, it is anticipated that once a student returns, he or she will base their capstone project on their Peace Corps experience, earning one additional hour of credit.

UIC SPH News: What types of jobs do you envision graduates holding?

B. Neuberger: We see our graduates obtaining international careers in government, with international NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and health care agencies, industry and academic institutions.