Academic Learning Integrated Volunteer Experience (ALIVE) Program
"I just wanted to say that most of us come to VISTA, it seems, without much prior understanding of how nonprofits work, and I can't speak enough about how helpful these classes have been to me in making sense of everything and participating meaningfully in my organization. On top of that, these classes give us the option to do our homework based on our organizations' actual situations, which means that my organization, without the funds to pay outside consultants at this time, can benefit from my learning for no charge." (2008-2009 ALIVE Participant)
Read an ALIVE participant letter here.
Register online for the ALIVE program
2010-2011 Scholarship Application will be available Summer 2010 - Scholarship recipients for 2009-2010 are Zoe Zulakis, Sarah Cline and Hayley Nelson. Congratulations!
Academic Learning Integrated with Volunteer Experience (ALIVE) is a program initiated by the University of Montana (UM) and undertaken in partnership with AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA programs (Volunteers in Service to America) across the state of Montana. The ALIVE program is designed to draw on the resources of The University of Montana to support the civic and professional development of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorpsVISTA members.
Through the program, national service participants integrate their national service experience with university coursework to earn graduate level credits for non-degree graduate credit that can later be transferred into a graduate program, or towards a Master's of Interdisciplinary Studies (M.I.S.) degree at UM.
Credit Options
ALIVE students earn graduate credit through one of four options:
- ALIVE Internship: Students earn 1-6 credits through the ALIVE Internship course (PSc 598). In this course, students keep a reflective journal over the course of the semester and write a formal paper. Read an example of an ALIVE Internship paper. Download the Internship syllabus here. Download the Internship paper guidelines here.
- ALIVE Service Learning: Students earn 3-6 credits through ALIVE Service Learning. For this course, a student is paired with a UM faculty member and conducts an independent study at his/her service site. Download the Service Learning syllabus here.
- CBI: Students earn 1 credit by attending the Community Building Institute (a required workshop for AmeriCorps VISTAs) and writing a 2-page paper.
- Online Program in Nonprofit Administration: Students earn 1-15 credits by enrolling in online courses in the Online Program in Nonprofit Administration.
The M.I.S. Degree
ALIVE national service participants can earn a Master’s of Interdisciplinary Studies (M.I.S.) degree from The University of Montana by finishing an additional year of coursework on campus after their year of service. ALIVE M.I.S. overview here.
The M.I.S. is a 36-hour degree that allows students to work with faculty in the design of a graduate curriculum tailored to their unique academic, creative and professional needs. The MIS program allows students, in consultation with faculty, to combine the curricula of two or more programs of study. Areas of study include but are not limited to: sociology, psychology, public administration, communication studies, political science, environmental studies, education, and social work.
In addition to the graduate level credits earned during the year of service, students will attend traditional courses on campus during the year following their service year to complete a total of 36 hours for the degree. The Master's of Interdisciplinary Studies degree therefore consists of one year of applied learning through the national service term and one year of coursework in residency at UM.
Participants may apply to M.I.S. for the Fall or Spring semesters. Applications will include an immunization record, three letters of recommendation, a copy of your undergraduate transcript, a $51 application fee, and sometimes GRE scores. Please contact the Graduate School for assistance in applying and registering.
Non-degree graduate credit
ALIVE participants do not necessarily have to pursue the ALIVE M.I.S. degree. You may want to design your own M.I.S. program, which will require you to work with the graduate school and UM faculty; or, if you have plans to pursue another specific graduate degree in the future, or would just like to earn some non-specific graduate credit, ALIVE offers an excellent option for earning credit during your service year.
Most universities will accept up to 9 non-degree graduate transfer credits so you can make headway towards any future degree through ALIVE. It is a very good idea to check with potential graduate programs to see what their policies are regarding transfer credits.
Participants enrolling in the Internship or Service Learning courses must apply to the graduate school as non-degree graduate students. The application is less formal than applying to a specific program. Contact the Graduate School for more information. If you need assistance after contacting the Grad School, the ALIVE program coordinator will help you with this process.
Payment and Residency
ALIVE members must pay UM tuition costs, but there are deferral, assistance and loan options:
Through an agreement between the Office for Civic Engagement (OCE), Financial Aid and the Registrar’s office, participants are able to defray official enrollment, registration, and tuition costs until they achieve in-state resident status if they choose. This does not apply to the online courses or CBI, which must be paid for when registering. Once these fees have been paid, however, Presidential Loans are available to cover costs until participants complete their service and are able to access their education awards. UM’s Presidential Loans are interest-free education loans that must be paid back upon receipt of the AmeriCorps Education Award. Presidential Scholarship applications must be requested through the ALIVE program coordinator. Other ideas for meeting tuition costs include yearly merit scholarships offered by the Office for Civic Engagement, site assistance, and/or program assistance.
Tuition
UM graduate tuition fees may be viewed here and apply to the ALIVE Internship and ALIVE Service Learning courses. Tuition for the one-credit Community Building Institute course (CBI) is a flat $135 fee. Tuition for each one-credit course in the Online Program in Nonprofit Administration is a flat $260 per course ($235 if the AmeriCorps site is a member of the Montana Nonprofit Association) or $385 for each two-credit course ($335 for MNA member organizations). If your organization does not currently belong to MNA, you can find more information here.
Contact
ALIVE Program
Marian Palaia, Program Coordinator
Office for Civic Engagement
Davidson Honors College 015
University of Montana
Missoula , MT 59812
(406) 243-2586 or 243-5159
Email questions or comments to: marian.palaia@mso.umt.edu
