Community Economic Development
Teach lessons that last a lifetime. Community Economic Development 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.
If you choose the Community Economic Development sector as your Peace Corps Prep focus you will need to take three courses from one of the following areas (the courses must all be in the same area; see list below):
- Business
- Nonprofit Management
- Accounting, Banking or Finance
- Computer Science and related majors
- Graphic Design
- Mass Communications
- International Business
You will also need to complete 50 hours of related experience such as teaching or significant outreach and mentoring in a classroom, a community outreach organization, or in a formal tutoring capacity.
Examples of field experiences include student observation, student teaching, tutoring at the K-12 levels, or teaching in a youth outreach program. You may be able to complete this through your practicum coursework (Education, Social Work, etc.) or you may choose to arrange this on your own. Other volunteer opportunities for teaching exist through organizations such as the Department of Youth and Community Development, South Bronx United Boys Prep, Goddard Riverside Community Center, City Tutors, and Imani House, Inc. Both your PC Prep advisor and the Center for Professional Development can assist you in finding an appropriate opportunity.
Courses particularly relevant to service-oriented fieldwork are listed below. Students are encouraged to choose at least one course from the list below for inclusion in the three-course requirement:
- ACC 114,218 Introduction to Accounting I, II
- ACC 300 International Accounting
- ACC 305,314 Intermediate Accounting I, II
- ACC 316 Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting
- ACC 415 CPA Problems and Current Issues
- ACC 422 Standards and Procedures of Financial Audits
- BUS 102 Entrepreneurship
- BUS 140 Business Communications
- BUS 210 Government Policy and Multinational Enterprises
- BUS 238 Ethical Issues in Business and Society
- BUS 310 International Trade
- BUS 420 Global Business Seminar: Doing Business Abroad
- COM 115 Introduction to Design and Digital Media Environments
- COM 150 Introduction to Communications
- COM 200 Media and Culture
- COM 312 Theories of Mass Media
- COM 317 Information Design
- COM 320 Motion Graphics
- COM 370, 380 Web Design, Graphics, and Theory
- COM 451 Advanced Design and Digital Media Workshop
- CSC 135 Introduction to Information Systems
- CSC 225 Introduction to Web Development and the Internet
- CSC 226 Web Database Applications
- CSC 300 Information Structures for Business
- CSC 405 Applied Concepts in Information Systems
- FNC 213 Money and Capital Markets
- FNC 214 Money and Banking
- FNC 240, 345 Managerial Finance I, II
- FNC 360 Investment Analysis
- FNC 415 Derivatives and Risk Management