Professional Practice
After one calendar year on campus, ACED and Peace Corps Fellows work for 11 months (35 hours/week) with organizations to move special projects forward, provide access to skills or expertise unavailable within the organization, and advance the established mission of the organization in new ways. Host organizations are as varied as our students. The skills applied and high level of responsibility in these placements prepare Fellows to pursue development work both in the U.S. and overseas.
Benefits of the 35 hours/week, 11-month internship include:
- Academic
- Ability to directly apply and further develop skills and knowledge gained in the classroom.
- Multiple possible topics and resources for capstone or thesis research.
- Structured reflection, evaluation, and documentation of the experience.
- Support from Stevenson Center faculty and staff.
- Up to 8 semester hours toward the Master's degree.
- Professional
- Typically allows for full responsibility for one or more projects.
- Chance to delve deeper into and to better understand development issues.
- Networking opportunities.
- Possible job offer and valuable references for future employment.
- Financial
- Stipend up to $21,692 for 2020-2021 placements.
- Full-tuition waiver.
- Possible Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for service in Illinois.
- Personal
- Placement process that emphasizes service and students' input.
- Immersion in an organization and its community.
- Knowing that you have made a difference and that you are not the only one benefiting from your graduate study.
To get an idea of the types of organizations and locations where Fellows complete their professional practice, refer to this list of host organizations from the past decade. You can read more about specific internships by visiting our news and alumni pages.
Tune in to our student-produced podcasts to hear more about what it's like to join the Stevenson Center and complete a professional internship.