International Center > International Education > Peace Corps Prep Program > Student Guide > Training and Experience

Training and Experience

Requirements: Three Courses + 50 Hours Related Experience in a Specific Work Sector

For PC Prep, you need to complete at least three courses that align with a specific work sector (they can, but do not need to, come from your academic major or minor). You also must accumulate a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer or work experience in that same sector, preferably in a teaching or outreach capacity.

In This Section

Education

Teach lessons that last a lifetime.

Education is the Peace Corp’s largest program area. Volunteers play an important role in creating links among schools, parents and communities by working in elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools as math, science, conversational English and resource teachers, or as early grade reading and literacy teacher trainers. Volunteers also develop libraries and technology resource centers.

Related Work Experience

  • Teaching in one of these or a similar form: in a classroom, with a community outreach organization, or in a formal tutoring capacity.
    • The subject of the teaching may be English as a foreign/second language, special education, drama, or a STEM subject.
    • Be a tutor – AVID tutor, PLTL program at UTD, ACT/SAT Prep, etc.
    • Teach/work/volunteer for daycare, Sunday school at church, after school programs, or summer school programs.
  • Volunteering with the Office of Student Volunteerism, which provides group service experiences free of charge to any currently enrolled UT Dallas student. Visit their website for a full list of upcoming events.
    • Alternative Spring Break (40 hours offered each spring).
    • Homework Helpers volunteer event (2.5 hours offered at least one time/semester).
    • Tech Tutors (three hours offered at least one time/semester).
Recommended Courses

Other courses may fit criteria, but must be submitted for individual consideration.

Courses may have pre-requisites required by the school offering the course.

Health

Serve on the front lines of global health.

Health volunteers work within their communities to promote important topics such as nutrition, maternal and child health, basic hygiene and water sanitation. Volunteers also work in HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs to train youth as peer educators, develop appropriate education strategies, provide support to children orphaned by the pandemic, and create programs that provide emotional and financial support to families and communities affected by the disease.

Related Work Experience

  • Volunteer or work experience in such areas as HIV/AIDS outreach, hospice, family planning counseling, emergency medical technician (EMT) or CPR teaching/certification, maternal health, and hands-on caregiving in a hospital, clinic, or lab technician setting.
  • Counseling or teaching in health subjects.
  • Working as a resident advisor in a dormitory, as a peer nutritionist, or as a sexually transmitted infections counselor.
  • Significant experience in mechanical repairs, construction, carpentry, masonry, plumbing, hydrology, or set design.
  • Job shadow in a health setting, hospital, etc.
  • Volunteer/work for a department of human services, local health-related non-profits, resource center such as the LGBT center in downtown Dallas, blood drives/health screenings.
  • Volunteering with the Office of Student Volunteerism, which provides group service experiences free of charge to any currently enrolled UT Dallas student. Visit their website for a full list of upcoming events.
    • Alternative Spring Break (40 hours offered each spring).
    • Hearts on Health: Scottish Rite Hospital (three hours offered at least one time/semester).
Recommended Courses

Other courses may fit criteria, but must be submitted for individual consideration.

Courses may have pre-requisites required by the school offering the course.

Environment

Help forge a global movement to protect our planet.

Volunteers lead grassroots efforts in their communities to protect the environment and strengthen understanding of environmental issues. They teach environmental awareness in elementary and secondary schools and to youth groups and community organizations, empowering communities to make their own decisions about how to protect and conserve the local environment. Volunteers also address environmental degradation by promoting sustainable use of natural resources.

Related Work Experience

  • Educating the public about the environmental or conservation issues, or working on environmental campaigns.
  • Conducting biological surveys of plants or animals.
  • Gardening, farming, nursery management, organic or low-input vegetable production, or landscaping.
  • Providing technical assistance and training in natural resource management.
  • Volunteer/work with city/community beautification projects.
  • Volunteer/work for local/national parks, park and rec departments, park cleanup or Trinity Trust in Dallas.
  • Volunteering with the Office of Student Volunteerism, which provides group service experiences free of charge to any currently enrolled UT Dallas student. Visit their website for a full list of upcoming events.
    • Alternative Spring Break (40 hours offered each spring).
    • Butterfly Flutterby (two hours offered two times per semester).
    • Operation Upcycle (two hours offered one time per semester).
    • Adopt-a-Highway (two hours offered one time per semester).
    • UT Dallas Community Garden Program (One-time event – two hours offered one time/semester, ongoing participation as a garden helper or plot holder–5-15 hours per semester).
Recommended Courses
  • BIS 3310 Environmental Studies Project
  • ECON 4332 Energy & Natural Resources Economics
  • ECON 4333 Environmental Economics
  • ECON 4336 Environmental Economic Theory and Policy
  • GEOG/PA 3377 Urban Planning and Policy
  • GEOS 2302 The Global Environment
  • IPEC 3349 World Resources and Development
  • IPEC 4310 Environmental and Health Policy in East Asia
  • IPEC 4384 Health and Environmental Policy: A Global Perspective
  • NATS 2333 Energy, Water, and the Environment
  • PSCI 4304 Energy and Environmental Politics and Policy
  • SOC/PA 3382 Sustainable Communities

Other courses may fit criteria, but must be submitted for individual consideration.

Courses may have pre-requisites required by the school offering the course.

Agriculture

Lead grassroots efforts to fight hunger in a changing world.

Agricultural volunteers work with small-scale farmers and families to increase food security and production and adapt to climate change while promoting environmental conservation practices. They introduce farmers to techniques that prevent soil erosion, reduce the use of harmful pesticides, and replenish the soil. They work alongside farmers on integrated projects that often combine vegetable gardening, livestock management, agroforestry, and nutrition education.

Related Work Experience

  • Working with a large-scale or family-run business involving vegetable gardening, farming, nursery work, tree planting or care, urban forestry, landscaping, livestock care and management, or fish cultivation and production.
  • Teaching or tutoring the public in environmental or agricultural issues/activities.
  • Working on the business management or marketing side of a commercial farm.
  • Participate in 4H.
  • Volunteer at a community garden.
  • Volunteer with agricultural associations (American Cattlemen, Quarter Horse, etc.).
  • Volunteer/work at science/natural history museum.
  • Volunteering with the Office of Student Volunteerism, which provides group service experiences free of charge to any currently enrolled UT Dallas student. Visit their website for a full list of upcoming events.
Recommended Courses

Other courses may fit criteria, but must be submitted for individual consideration.

Courses may have pre-requisites required by the school offering the course.

Youth in Development

Empower the next generation of changemakers.

Volunteers work with youth in communities on projects that promote engagement and active citizenship, including gender awareness, employability, health and HIV/AIDS education, environmental awareness, sporting programs, and info technology.

Related Work Experience

  • Teaching or counseling in at-risk youth programs.
  • Activities that involve planning, organizing, assessing community needs, counseling, and leadership, in areas such as education, youth development, health and HIV/AIDS, the environment, and/or business.
  • Volunteer/teach in religious youth group and/or Sunday school.
  • Work/volunteer at a summer camp, after school program, library, daycare, Special Olympics.
  • Volunteering with the Office of Student Volunteerism, which provides group service experiences free of charge to any currently enrolled UT Dallas student. Visit their website for a full list of upcoming events.
    • Alternative Spring Break (40 hours offered each spring).
    • Homework Helpers volunteer event (2.5 hours offered at least one time/semester).
Recommended Courses

Other courses may fit criteria, but must be submitted for individual consideration.

Courses may have pre-requisites required by the school offering the course.

Community Economic Development

Harness 21st-century tools to help communities lift themselves.

Volunteers work with development banks, nongovernmental organizations, and municipalities to strengthen infrastructure and encourage economic opportunities in communities. They frequently teach in classroom settings and work with entrepreneurs and business owners to develop and market their products. Some volunteers also teach basic computer skills and help communities take advantage of technologies such as e-commerce, distance learning, and more.

Related Work Experience

  • Working with businesses, organizations, or cooperatives in accounting, finance, microfinance, management, project management, budgeting, or marketing.
  • Starting and running your own business or other entrepreneurial activity.
  • Training others in computer literacy, maintenance, and repair.
  • Website design or online marketing.
  • Founding or leading a community- or school-based organization.
  • Volunteer with local chamber of commerce or small business development center.
  • Volunteer on local/regional campaign.
  • Volunteer with Junior Achievement or Future Business Leaders of America.
Recommended Courses

Other courses may fit criteria, but must be submitted for individual consideration.

Courses may have pre-requisites required by the school offering the course.