The University of Nevada, Reno’s Reynolds School of Journalism is participating in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship, a graduate program which allows volunteers of the Peace Corps to obtain their master degree in media innovation at an affordable price after they return to the United States.

According to the Peace Corps, participants will study new ways of performing journalism and strategic communications by gaining skills in social media and network communications with a RSJ’s master degree in media innovation.

”Our Master’s Degree in Media Innovation will help you to develop a deep understanding of how journalism is changing, as well as to become familiar with a wide range of new tools and techniques for media creation,” the Peace Corps website said

In 2017, the Global Social Journalism Study found that “75 percent of journalists describe social media as “completely” or “to a large extent” necessary to promote and distribute content.”

Students will focus on entrepreneurial social media and methods of participatory and networked communication. The fellowship occurs over 16 months with an option to complete it in two years beginning in fall 2019.

Howard Goldbaum, the director of Graduate Studies at the RSJ, brought this program to the university to promote more graduate students to study at the school.

“More often than not, people who join the Peace Corps because they have a desire to make the world a better place,” Goldbaum said. ”They can use their expertise they gain as an undergraduate to apply it in another part of the world. These are people who personally I admire because of their instincts to make the world a better place and also admire because of their attitude about travel and foreign adventures and willingness to adapt into perhaps challenging situations in a developing world community. These are all characteristics that I would love to have in the students who apply to our program.”

In order to obtain a master degree in media innovation through the Paul D.Coverdell Fellowship, graduate students would pay $10,345 in-state tuition for the complete program or $31,628 out-of-state tuition. There are additional benefit the fellowship comes with like a 15-hour-per-week teaching assistantship and a monthly stipend. Interested students must have recent GRE scores, all collegiate transcripts, statement of intent, three letters of recommendation and writing samples. The university will choose up to four students who will receive the fellowship.

Graduate students participating in the fellowship can intern during their summer practicum to aid disadvantaged communities in poverty for 150 hours. Some local organizations graduate students can intern for their summer practicum include Northern Nevada HOPES and Children’s Cabinet. Fellowship alumni may also apply for jobs with Reno News and Review, Flood Marketing, Nevada Land Trust, Nevada Department of Transportation and Reno Public Radio.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Community Health Science participates in the Coverdell fellowship as well. Returnees of the Peace Corps can obtain their masters in Public Health.

The Paul D. Coverdell fellowship is a program sponsored by the Peace Corps for Peace Corps Returnees to obtain their master’s degree as well as serve struggling communities near them. Around 5,000 people have participated in the fellowship. Over 120 universities have graduate programs for returned Peace Corp volunteers across 37 states and Washington D.C.

The Peace Corps was created by John F. Kennedy in 1961. The volunteer service allows Americans to travel to countries to help international unities and promote cultural learning. Some famous impacts the Peace Corps participated include; the fight against HIV and AIDS, the fight against hunger, environmental protection, and improving access to technology. The Peace Corps currently resides in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. Peace Corps also allows participants to choose a field in agriculture, environment, economics, health, education, and youth development. Before participate leaves for their country, they will have to experience pre-service training. Pre-service training builds technical skills, foreign language skills, cross-cultural skills, health skills and safety skills.