A Unique Partnership

The Master's International Program is a unique partnership between Michigan Tech and the Peace Corps which affords students the opportunity to incorporate Peace Corps service into a graduate program in forestry. The program involves nine months of intensive forestry education at Michigan Tech, three months of Peace Corps training, and two years of field work with Peace Corps.

The Michigan Tech Program is acknowledged as one of the top programs in the country. When other universities start programs they want our advice. Read more here.

Forestry and the environment are the fastest growing fields in Peace Corps and Peace Corps places more people in environmental work than any other group in the world. Seventeen percent of all volunteers are in environmental fields, and over half of these are in forestry. Peace Corps would place more forestry and environmental volunteers if enough skilled people were available.

The Michigan Tech/Peace Corps Master's International program not only develops the skills and knowledge to help meet these needs, but it gives participating students the confidence and credibility they need to make a difference on a grass-roots, people-to-people level. In addition, students gain two years of professional overseas field experience. Students gain through experiential learning.

The Schedule

The first 12 weeks of fall semester (commonly known as Fall Camp) are located at the Ford Center and Research Forest in Alberta, Michigan and focus on fundamental field skills in forestry, overseas research and tropical forestry.

The end of fall semester and spring semester are spent at the Michigan Tech campus in Houghton, Michigan.

Students then take part in three months of Peace Corps technical, cross-cultural and language training in the country where they will work, followed by two years of Peace Corps service working to improve the environment with people who use and depend upon a healthy ecosystem for their livelihoods and that of their children.

Students will return to Michigan Tech to complete their degree, typically in one additional academic term.

About Michigan Technological University

Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, Michigan, the heart of Upper Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. The campus overlooks Portage Lake and is only a few miles from Lake Superior. The area’s expansive waters and forests, including Michigan Tech’s 600-acre recreational forest adjoining the campus, offer students unparalleled opportunity for outdoor recreation.

The University’s more than 6,500 students from many states and over 70 foreign countries make the campus a vibrant community.  Cultural events are performed at the 1,100-seat Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

More information

• Information on outdoor recreation in the area can be found at Keweenaw Trails

• National Geographic Adventure Magazine has named Houghton as one of the U.S.'s Top Ten Towns for Summer Outdoor Sports and Recreation

• www.peacecorpsjournals.com lists over 1,000 journals and blogs by Peace Corps Volunteers around the world. It is well-organized by both region and country.

Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.