Academic Learning Integrated Volunteer Experience (ALIVE) Program
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 across the state of Montana. The ALIVE program is designed to draw on the resources of The University of Montana to support the civic, professional and academic development of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA members.
Through the program, national service participants integrate their national service experience with university coursework to earn graduate level, non-degree, credits.
If you have plans to pursue a graduate degree in the future, or are interested in earning graduate credit from The University of Montana, ALIVE offers an excellent opportunity to earn credit during your service year! Take a look at the options listed below to determine the best fit for your interests. Program staff is available upon request to assist you with choosing the appropriate coursework. Please contact Laura Fellin at laura.fellin@mso.umt.edu or by telephone at 406.243.2586.
"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)
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In-service Credit Options
ALIVE Internship: (4 credits through UM Online) This course provides students the opportunity to observe and examine a concrete, practical, hands-on experience at the service site. With this academic opportunity, students build learning objectives in relation to their national service experience and contextualize their individual work and the work of the host organization within a larger framework. In addition, students may understand more clearly their own particular motivations for national service work and how these motivations ultimately influence the decisions and choices the students make in their daily routine over the course of the year.
Read an example of an ALIVE Internship paper.
Service Learning: (1-3 UM credits) This course provides students with an in-depth community service experience and learning through active reflection of the national service experience. Academic service learning is an optimum opportunity for students to explore areas of interests, potential careers, and active citizenship. By helping to meet identified needs in the community, students gain an understanding of social, environmental, and/or economic issues our society faces, and an academic context for solving them.
Independent Study: (3-6 UM credits) This course provides students with an in-depth academic experience that connects their motivations for national service work to their academic pursuits. ALIVE students will have the opportunity to conduct an independent study with the assistance of a University of Montana faculty member from a related academic department. The independent study will consist of research, analysis and/or implementation of a particular issue (social, economic, cultural, etc) or concern at the ALIVE member’s service site.
Nonprofit Administration Online Program: earn 1-16 graduate level credits or complete the Professional Certificate (16 credit minimum) by enrolling in online courses in the Nonprofit Administration Online Program. These courses do not require admission to the University and do not carry any additional expense for out-of-state students. To learn more, visit us at www.umt.edu/nonprofit.
Graduate Programs
ALIVE national service participants have a unique opportunity to earn a Master’s of Interdisciplinary Studies (M.I.S.) degree from The University of Montana in conjunction with their service term. 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. Visit http://life.umt.edu/grad/Programs/Interdisciplinary%20Studies.php to learn more about this program. Please contact the Graduate School for assistance in applying and registering.
Transfer of Graduate Credits: Most universities will accept up to 9 non-degree graduate transfer credits so student 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.
________________________________________________________________________ALIVE Registration Process
- Register online for the ALIVE program - Please note: Registering for ALIVE does not register you for any coursework. You must register for coursework separately, through Continuing Ed for the online courses.
- If student are planning to enroll in the Internship or Service Learning courses, student will need to apply as a non-degree graduate student or apply to the Master of Interdisciplinary Studies program. The deadline for enrolling as a non-degree graduate is the end of the first week of each semester and there is a $60 non-refundable fee. Contact the Graduate School for more information http://life.umt.edu/grad/
- Read an ALIVE participant letter here.
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Tuition and Payment Information
University of Montana Courses
- 2011-2012 UM tuition is $334 per graduate credit for residents and $995.50 for non-residents.
- Montana residents may apply for UM’s no-interest Presidential Loan to defray tuition costs. At the end of your service term, you can apply your education award to pay back the Presidential Loan.
- Out-of-state residents please contact our office to learn more about UM tuition rates.
- 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.
UM Online Courses
- Nonprofit Administration online courses run $260 for 1-credit courses and $385 for 2-credit courses. And, there is no tuition differential for out-of-state residents! Lastly, if you or your host organization is a member of the Montana Nonprofit Association, there is a $25 per-credit discount available!
Scholarship Opportunity!
- The Office for Civic Engagement offers two merit-based ALIVE Scholarships on an annual basis. Scholarship awards equate to 2 UM Graduate School credits (MT resident rate) or 3 UM Online credits—approximately $650 in value! Scholarships are awarded in August and are generously funded by Montana’s AmeriCorps*VISTA and AmeriCorps*State programs. Funds not spent on ALIVE coursework by the end of August, 2012 will be returned to the scholarship pool. To apply click here.
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Kindle with her NCBI Respect Club.
Kindle, AmeriCorps VISTA at NCBI, 2010 participant in ALIVE: "The ALIVE internship was much more beneficial on a personal level than I expected. It was not only a great way to get graduate credit but, through writing monthly journal entries and the semester-end final paper, I was able to organize and evaluate my service term thus far and to grasp what I needed to convey to the future VISTA of my site to help them with their year. The staff at ALIVE were fantastic and incredibly supportive."
Contact
ALIVE Program
Laura Fellin, Program Manager
Office for Civic Engagement
Davidson Honors College 015
University of Montana
Missoula , MT 59812
(406) 243-2586
Email questions or comments to: laura.fellin@mso.umt.edu
