Kennesaw State University - College of Humanities and Social Sciences

About this program

You have served two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer and had experiences of a lifetime that no one can take away from you. Why not go the extra step and enhance those practical experiences with a master’s or PhD degree? Kennesaw State University's graduate programs provide an excellent opportunity for you to continue your studies. As is indicated at the Peace Corps website, for many Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows, this is an opportunity to combine academic and professional endeavors with your desire to work in underserved communities. At the same time, it allows the Fellow to reintegrate into a community and do something meaningful after your experience abroad.

Master of Science in International Policy Management (MSIPM)

The Master of Science in International Policy Management (MSIPM) builds on Kennesaw State’s long-standing commitment to global education. This online program is taught by a dedicated team of internationally recognized faculty. You can complete the 9-course (30 credit hour) curriculum in as few as 22 months.

Master of Science in Conflict Management (MSCM)

The Master of Science in Conflict Management (MSCM) program prepares students to identify and pursue opportunities for a new career based on conflict management expertise. The MSCM also provides students with enhanced credentials to pursue career advancement in an existing work environment.

Master of Arts in American Studies (MAST)

Kennesaw State University’s Master of Arts with a major in American Studies (MAST) offers an interdisciplinary study of American cultures as they exist locally, regionally, nationally, and transnationally. As the sole American Studies graduate curriculum in the University System of Georgia, KSU’s course of study introduces students to the most important and innovative scholarship dealing with the United States and the Americas and their role in the world. Students will have the opportunity to engage in practical, project-based learning linked to their own professional development needs and interests. Thus, students will not only learn cutting-edge approaches to the study of American history, politics, literature, arts, and culture, but they will also apply this knowledge through group work, collaborations with faculty, community service, and career-related capstone projects.

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a professional degree that prepares you for public service in administrative and leadership positions within governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations. Our faculty members in this program seek to contribute to the development of professional individuals by providing them with a combination of solid academic learning and concrete practical experiences.

PhD in International Conflict Management (INCM)

This full time, interdisciplinary, in-residence program is designed to meet the global demand for scholar-practitioners to address the complex array of international conflict and security challenges through the development and implementation of empirically-based research, recommendations, and solutions. Following rigorous substantive and methodological preparation, applied experience in the field, and the successful completion of their dissertation research, program graduates will be ready to compete for tenure-track university faculty appointments and a wide range of operational positions in government, and non-governmental agencies.

• Year partnership began: 2010
• Fellowships awarded per year (average): At least 1 active Coverdell Fellow per graduate program (budget permitting)

Application requirements

Application requirements differ by degree program, so please see the program specific information listed below.

MSIPM

MAST

MPA

MSCM

INCM

Admissions process

There is a two-part application process:

1. First, complete and submit an application to one of the programs listed above. Application here
2. Next, submit your request to be considered as a Coverdell Fellow to [email protected]. Be sure to include your name, program you have applied for, along with either your
   1. official Peace Corps Description of Service (DOS), or
   2. for currently serving volunteers, a letter from the applicant’s Country Director specifying that you are in good standing. These applicants will be asked to provide their DOS upon completion of Peace Corps Service.

Note: A completed and submitted application is a prerequisite for being considered to receive a KSU Coverdell Fellowship.

Degrees awarded

Master of Science in Conflict Management, Master of Science in International Policy Management, Master of Arts in American Studies, Master of Public Administration, PhD in International Conflict Management

Benefits and opportunities

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: $None

Cost savings details

The Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program at KSU offers eligible and selected students a Graduate Assistantship (GA) for four (4) to six (6) academic semesters depending on the program. The GA position provides a tuition waiver for up to nine (9) credit hours and a stipend of at least $3,000 per term, again depending on the program. Students must remain in good standing in their academic programs and with the Graduate College to remain eligible for the Fellowship. https://gradassistantships.kennesaw.edu/

Please note that the tuition and net cost listed above vary by program.

Internship

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) participating in KSU's Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program with faculty on a range of community engaged research and service projects that allow students to further develop skills in research, leadership, language and cultural understanding. As part of your requirements as a Coverdell Fellow you will complete a substantial internship which will benefit a community in the United States (including U.S. Territories). Recent Coverdell Fellows projects have involved refugee resettlement programs, recruiting and mentoring students in the Peace Corps Prep program, the UNITAR affiliated CIFAL Atlanta, a Romanian business university, a Zambian orphanage, a Guatemalan business program, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and the Georgia Department of Health and Human Serivces. and local Junior Achievement. Various state agencies, law enforcement, healthcare providers, public schools, nonprofit organizations and local businesses have all benefited from the RPCV Fellows Program.

A hallmark of the MSCM and MSIPM programs are the capstone experiences students complete during the final semester. This experience, which affords students the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge gained over the course of the program to a specific conflict environment, prepares them to face the challenges of our complex global environment. Students are able to choose an area of the field in which to research, perform an internship, or develop a training curriculum based on their unique interests in the field and their professional goals.

MPA students intern with a range of organizations whose work touches underserved communities in the metro Atlanta area and beyond. Examples include the Atlanta Regional Commission, International Rescue Committee, and the Georgia Department of Health and Human Services.

MAST student can complete an internship for class credit or as part of a graduate research assistantship. Internship opportunities are wide-ranging, driven by both student interest and community need. An example of a recent MAST internship was student-faculty collaboration on a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded program to reduce drug use and suicide ideation in disadvantaged rural communities.

The INCM PhD is designed to meet the global demand for scholar-practitioners to address the complex array of international conflict and security challenges through the development and implementation of empirically based research, policy recommendations, and solutions. PhD in International Conflict Management graduates are prepared to compete for tenure-track university faculty appointments and a wide range of operational positions in government, non-governmental agencies, and the global business community.

Other opportunities

Jobs for alumni

The MSIPM program cultivates the knowledge and skills employers are looking for. MSIPM graduates have found rewarding employment in federal and state agencies, international and nongovernmental organizations, as well as private corporations. MSIPM grads are employed at such varied organizations as the U.S. State Department, McKinsey & Company Consultancy, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, the International Rescue Committee, and the State of Georgia Ports Authority.

MSCM graduates come from a wide range of backgrounds and work in fields such as courts and government, education, human resources, health care, law enforcement, technology, international peacebuilding, and humanitarian non-profits. MSCM graduates are employed at such varied organizations as the Carter Center, CIFAL, CARE, Safepath, US Embassies, Canadian Consulate, and County Court offices.

MPA graduates have the knowledge and skills to work in a variety of professional contexts. Our alumni are employed at various levels of government as well as in the non-profit and commercial sectors. They are employed at the US Center for Disease Control, the Georgia Department of Human Services, the United Way of Greater Atlanta, and WellStar Health System.

Career opportunities for MAST alumni are wide-ranging. Because the program focuses on interdisciplinary approaches and building connections between theory and praxis, a MAST degree offers flexibility to combine students’ interest in unique ways. Our graduates go on to PhD programs in fields like Afro-American Studies and Sociology; they become teachers and education consultants; they work in and lead non-profit organizations that connect social justice and the arts; and they become museum directors, curators, and creators of public history exhibits and digital archives.

INCM PhD graduates are employed in academic positions at universities, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. Recent INCM alumni hold positions at the Georgia State University, University of Applied Sciences Kufstein (Austria), University of Cape Coast (Ghana), Georgia Legal Services, University of North Georgia, and Savannah State University.

Nontraditional options