Interested in post-graduate experience or a career in international development? Attending Eckerd will make you more competitive.
The Eckerd Peace Corps Prep program combines targeted coursework with service-oriented field work and professional development training designed to make participants more competitive when applying for postgraduate Peace Corps volunteer positions, Fulbright U.S. Scholarships and other international development and intercultural fieldwork opportunities.
From its inception in 1958, Eckerd College has emphasized global responsibility and citizenship as part of its liberal arts curriculum. As a result, more than 150 of our graduates have been inspired to serve in the Peace Corps or other international development organizations.
We attract students who are passionate about making a difference in the world. Peace Corps Prep provides a multifaceted pathway to focus idealism in practical ways and enhance personal, social, cultural and professional competence.
History of the Peace Corps at Eckerd
Service has always been a piece of the College mission.
Since 1964, more than 165 Eckerd College graduates have served in the Peace Corps around the globe. Two members of the first graduating class left Florida to serve the Peace Corps in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Student demand for opportunities to serve was so high the College began giving the Peace Corps Placement Test on campus in November of 1964. Recruiters commenced regular visits to Eckerd College during the Fall Semester in 1965.
How Peace Corps Prep works at Eckerd College
As part of their application to the Eckerd Peace Corps Prep program students will choose one of the following Peace Corps Work Sectors offered at Eckerd:
- Agriculture
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Youth in Development
- Community Economic Development
Accepted students will then work with the Eckerd Peace Corps Prep program advisors and their mentor to select approved courses, participate in service activities related to their sector, and document on- and off-campus leadership and professional development opportunities to complete the program.
Eckerd Peace Corps Prep students who complete all of the program requirements will receive a certificate of completion from Peace Corps after their graduation from Eckerd College and a notation on their Eckerd College transcript.
Applying for Peace Corps Prep at Eckerd College
Our Peace Corps Prep program is recommended for rising sophomores and juniors because of the strategic and program planning required; program application occurs annually in the spring semester.
Robert Little II ’11, a Marine Science and Environmental Studies graduate, and Stephanie Burkhardt ’11, a Marine Science graduate, are serving (as a couple) in Zambia, Africa, as Rural Aquaculture Promotion Volunteers and also working in other sectors through secondary projects and committees.
172 Eckerd alumni have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
Questions? Contact our program coordinator at epcprep@eckerd.edu.
Banner photo: Timor-Leste, courtesy Peace Corps
