Peace Corps Prep
Apply for GGC's Peace Corps Prep Program and increase your chances of acceptance into the Peace Corps.
The Peace Corps Prep Program is a formal cooperative agreement between Georgia Gwinnett College and the Peace Corps that prepares you for international development fieldwork and potential Peace Corps service. Participation in this program will strengthen four core competencies through interrelated coursework, hands-on experience and professional development support.
Global Studies Certification Latin American Studies Certificate
Peace Corps Tip!
If you intend to apply to the Peace Corps, the best way to ensure that you will be a strong candidate is to identify the type of assignments in which you’d like to serve through the Peace Corps's interactive tool. Review the positions’ desired qualifications and build them accordingly. In the process, you'll also work toward fulfilling GGC's Peace Corps Prep experiential requirements.
Meet the new Peace Corps
GGC encourages students to become global leaders through community service and international study.
Although the Peace Corps Prep Program does not guarantee admission into the Peace Corps, it greatly enhances your chances of being selected to serve. If chosen, you will gain benefits that last throughout your volunteer service and well beyond.
- Living stipend and vacation time
- Full medical and dental coverage
- Student loan assistance
- Unique graduate school opportunities
- Transition funds
- Marketable professional skills gained from language, cross-cultural, and technical training
- Advantages in federal employment and with
- Peace Corps partner organizations Transition and job search services
- Opportunities for short-term assignments through Peace Corps Response
- Financial assistance for graduate school programs
Still have questions? Find online office hours and Peace Corps events near you.
Students become eligible to apply for the Peace Corps once they’ve earned their degree.
Peace Corps application process
Note: Actual Peace Corps assignments are based on local needs, and thus may or may not align seamlessly with your qualifications. Flexibility is central to the Peace Corps experience.
Four core competencies
What’s Your Passion?
Build a professional specialty, choosing from one of the six work sectors in which Peace Corps volunteers serve. Focusing on a specialty paired with interrelated coursework and volunteer service will improve your academi
Note: Actual Peace Corps assignments are based on local needs, and thus may or may not align seamlessly with your qualifications. Flexibility is central to the Peace Corps experience.
GGC Peace Corps Prep Program Requirements and Application
GGC Peace Corps Prep General Requirements
- Possess a 2.7 Cumulative GPA at the time of application, and remain in good academic standing thereafter.
- Have completed 12 hours of academic credit at GGC.
- Complete/sign Peace Corps Prep Program Application (signatures required by the student, faculty advisor and PCPP Campus Coordinator).
Peace Corps Prep Application and Other Documents
Plan early. There’s no formal deadline in the rolling admission process, but you should plan early. The ideal time to join is during your sophomore year. Using your GGC username and password, start your GGC Peace Corps Prep application.
Peace Corps Prep Program Requirements
To prepare you for Peace Corps service (or simply to expand your academic experience and increase your career prospects), you’ll build on the program’s four core competencies through interrelated coursework, hands-on experience and professional development support.
3 courses + 50 hours of related experience
Leveraging concrete knowledge and skills is central to on-the-ground international development work. In the Peace Corps Prep Program, you’ll begin to build a professional specialty, which serves your career well, whether or not you become a Peace Corps volunteer.
- Complete at least three courses that align with a single work sector (which may or may not align with academic major or minor).
- Accumulate a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer- or work-experience in that same sector, preferably in a teaching or outreach capacity.
Work Sectors (pick one)
- Agriculture: Lead grassroots efforts to fight hunger
- Community Economic Development: Help communities lift themselves
Learn more about community economic development
- Environment: Forge a global movement to protect our planet
- Health: Build healthy global communities
- Youth in Development: Empower the next generation of leaders
Learn more about youth in development
- Education: Teach lessons that last a lifetime
Note: Actual Peace Corps assignments are based on local needs, and thus may or may not align seamlessly with your qualifications. Flexibility is central to the Peace Corps experience.
Requirements vary by language.
Working across cultures often entails verbal and nonverbal languages distinct from your own. Building foreign language skills is, thus, a second key component of the Peace Corps Prep curriculum. Select from three options.
Option A: French or Spanish
- Course credit at the 2002 level or higher, or
- Score “intermediate mid” or better on the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) or Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) through Language Testing International.
Option B: Other Languages
- Course credit at the 1002 level, or
- Score “novice high” or better (OPI/WPT) through Language Testing International.
Option C: CLEP French or Spanish
Peace Corps accepts CLEP test results in lieu of high school or college course credit.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP) requirements:
- Spanish 1: a score between 50-62 on the Spanish CLEP in the past 6 years
- Spanish 2: a score of 63 on the
- Spanish CLEP in the past 6 years French requirement: a score of 50 on the French CLEP in the past 6 years
3 approved courses
Engaging thoughtfully and fluidly across cultures begins with self-awareness. Deepen your cultural agility through a mix of three introspective courses where you’ll learn about others while reflecting upon yourself in relation to others. The goal is to build your capacity to shift perspectives and behavior around relevant cultural differences.
Complete one course from each track (total of 3 courses):
- Approved study or service abroad trip
- i-course at the 1000 level
- i-course at the 2000 level or higher
Learn more about available i-courses, and check back to view those continually being added.
Résumé and interview support + leadership experience
International development is a highly professional sector. It is difficult to break into and demands great initiative and leadership to advance professionally within the field. Peace Corps Prep requires three specific activities that will strengthen your candidacy for the Peace Corps (or any other professional endeavor):
- Have your resume, cover letter, and personal statement critiqued by someone in the Career Services.
- Attend a workshop or class on career planning, job searching, and interview skills in the Career Services.
- Participate in a mock interview in the Career Services.
- Develop at least one significant leadership experience, and be prepared to discuss it thoughtfully. Some examples include organizing a campus event, leading a work or volunteer project or serving on the executive board of a student organization.
Learn more about the services in the Career Services and explore ways to Get Involved on campus.
Contact Us
Contact us
INTERNATIONALIZATION
Location: Building B, Room 3070
Phone: 678.407.5300
internationalization@ggc.edu
Address
Internationalization, B-3070
Georgia Gwinnett College
1000 University Center Lane
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
U.S.A.
Hours
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.