Illinois State University - Sociology

About this program

Adaptability, creativity, project development, how to do more with less — Peace Corps taught you a lot. The Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development is here to help you leverage that learning. Earn a master’s degree in anthropology, applied economics, kinesiology and recreation, political science, or sociology,

with:

Generous financial support for every student: A full tuition waiver, a graduate assistantship with stipend, and a paid internship, totaling at least $45,300 and up to $64,200.
A truly interdisciplinary classroom: Our students benefit from their peers’ and faculty’s range of expertise and diverse backgrounds.
Service/Work/Internship Opportunities: Fellows apply their knowledge through an 11-month paid internship with organizations across the U.S.—a great platform for the next career move. Host organizations are as varied as the Fellows.
Individual attention: Illinois State has the resources of a large university with the feel of a small school. The Stevenson Center is also small by design, with seminar-sized classes and strong faculty and staff support.

Year partnership began: 1994
Fellowships awarded per year (average): ALL admitted Stevenson Center students (up to 12 Fellows per year)

Application requirements

Please see https://stevensoncenter.org/programs/admissions/

Admissions process

Please see https://stevensoncenter.org/programs/admissions/

Degrees awarded

Master of Arts in Sociology, Master of Science in Sociology (Applied Community & Economic Development Sequence)

Benefits and opportunities

	In-state	Out-of-state
Tuition and fees	$21,002	$37,494
Value of fellowship	$47,222	$63,714
Net cost	$0 + additional benefits	$0 + additional benefits

Net cost is equal to tuition/fees minus fellowship value. For some universities, the fellowship value includes non-tuition/fee benefits such as health insurance or housing. See cost savings details for more.

Estimated annual cost of living: $16,272

Cost savings details

100% tuition waiver; graduate assistantship in fall and spring followed by 11-month paid professional internship; student health insurance reimbursement every fall and spring

Internship

After one year on campus, Fellows work for 11 months (35 hours/week) with organizations as varied as our students (in content, in location, and in host organization profile). See Professional Practice. Our Fellows engage deeply—these are not part-time or one-semester experiences. Fellows graduate with substantial field experience. For example:

Managing Communications and Data: Fellows have a key role in messaging and resource sharing with organizations like Credit Builders Alliance in Washington, DC, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights, where Fair Housing Month Proclamations quadrupled during a Fellow’s placement.
Designing and Implementing Assessment Plans: One Fellow established benchmarks and an information management structure, as well as a performance-based reporting system for the Bloomington Fire Department.
Conducting Research: Examples include an in-depth study of poverty issues like the one completed for the Fremont Area Community Foundation in Michigan, and an analysis of best practices for the Land O’ Lakes dairy cooperatives program in Minnesota.
Securing Funding: A Fellow helped Habitat for Humanity of Indiana obtain a $700,000 grant.

Other opportunities

The Stevenson Center may offer AmeriCorps Member status and benefits to some students in their first year or their second-year Fellowship. One benefit of AmeriCorps service is a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of up to $6,195.

Jobs for alumni

The skills applied and high level of responsibility during
the internships prepare Fellows to pursue development work both in the U.S. and overseas. Alumni have started with
positions like these and advanced from there!

Associate Director, La Casa de Esperanza
Associate Director of Development, Mikva Challenge
Community Impact Manager, United Way of McLean County
Development Specialist, Invest Aurora
Economist, TANGO International, Inc.
Foreign Service Officer, U.S. State Department
International Data Management Specialist, University of Illinois
Program Coordinator, Rotary International
Regional Recruiter, Peace Corps
Renewal Community Director/Program Specialist, City of New Orleans
Research Associate, Center for Governmental Studies
Senior Associate, Rolf C. Campbell & Associates

Learn more and connect with our alumni!

Nontraditional options

Fellows relocate to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, to become part of a community of like-minded students for the year on campus. Only a train ride away from downtown Chicago and St. Louis, and within driving distance of Milwaukee and Indianapolis, Illinois State University’s campus in Normal, IL, blends the comfort of the Midwest with easy access to adventure. Normal and its sister city Bloomington are up-and-coming:

In 2017, Bloomington-Normal was named one of the Best College Towns in America by the American Institute for Economic Research. That includes a #2 ranking in the “Arts and Entertainment” category!
In 2016, Huffington Post named Bloomington one of the “11 Amazing Cities You’ve Never Thought To Live In, But Should.”
In 2015, the Town of Normal was ranked #3 on the list of Best Small College Towns in America by College Values Online.