The Masters International Program
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The Master's International Program (MI) was created by the US Peace Corps to enable students who are interested in furthering their education and volunteering with the Peace Corps to do both at the same time. Students become a Peace Corps Volunteer as partial fulfillment of their graduate degree requirements and are given assignments that make good use of their academic backgrounds while giving them practical experiences in their fields.
The Master's International Program allows students to gain insight into an area of study unavailable anywhere else while making an enormous difference in their personal and professional lives — as well as the lives of others. Past FER students enrolled in the program have served as extension workers and technical advisors in Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal and Togo, promoting the concept of agroforestry and introducing new forms of sustainable agriculture and alternative fuel sources.
For a look at how FER's program is part of a broader effort at NC State to promote the Peace Corps and its activities, click here. To apply for Masters International program, apply to FER. Once accepted into FER, apply to the Peace Corps for the Masters International option.
Recent MI Graduates
Nevin Dawson
Nevin was an agroforestry volunteer in Senegal from 2003 to 2004. He returned to do his research on cashew intercropping adoption in 2005. He studied the process of adoption in spatial and social terms, and proposed extension practices that would increase the speed and dispersion of cashew or similar agroforestry technology adoption. Nevin graduated with a M.S. in Forestry in August 2006 and is currently the Forest Stewardship Educator at the Wye Research and Education Center on Maryland Eastern Shore.
Gill Green
Gill's Master of Science research was conducted with Mbororo and Fulbe families on the Adamaoua Plateau of Cameroon. He examined the relationship of households' geographic location and ethnicity to natural resource management practices in a proposed conservation area. His current work on a PhD dissertation at McGill University examines institutional change in post- conflict areas.
Kelly Jones
Kelly was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the north of Togo from 2002 to 2004, where she was an agricultural and environmental extension agent. Her activities focused on teaching women how to cultivate and use soybeans in their diet, introducing farmers to inter- cropping with soil- improving plants and helping to start community gardens and tree nurseries. Her Masters International research focused on the adoption of new technologies, specifically soybean farming by rural families. She graduated in May 2005 with a Masters of Science in International Resources with a minor in statistics. Kelly is currently working at Conservation International.
Ellen Haynes
Ellen Hayes is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Babade, Togo. Her research focuses on relationships between a national park and communities along its boundary, including the factors that affect poaching.
Amanda Rogers
Amanda Rogers was a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa. She worked with her local health center on small-scale moringa plantations for use in nutrition and anti-biotics. She is currently finishing her masters at NC State.
