• Future Generations University is for professionals in community change. You can be an established professional or you can be newly entering the field. The program is designed to fit your unique journey. Your major platform for learning will be your work and home community. At traditional universities, you go to school, then go to work after you get your degree. At Future Generations University, your courses are integrated with your work and life, so you are advancing your career and impact at the same time you gain your advanced degree.
• Your educational journey begins with certificate classes or the two-year Master’s degree, but once having entered our world-engaged learning, you join a world-circling professional community of applied community change. You do not simply “graduate” from Future Generations University, but rather you commence into world, stature, professional, practicing discourse of continuing learning.

Future Generations University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the largest and oldest accrediting body in the United States. This quality assurance by a federally-recognized body also meets requirements necessary for the institution to receive and manage federal financial aid funds. The accreditation process also provides a periodic opportunity and incentive for the institution to review, assess, and advance the quality of its educational and financial operations.

For over two decades, Future Generations University has been dedicated to equipping committed development practitioners with skills and experience by providing a new model of applied higher education. By focusing learning in the communities where these change-makers already live and work, students immediately begin advancing social change with the knowledge and strategies they obtain.

Future Generations University offers a two-year Master of Arts Degree in Applied Community Development. Instruction is also offered through a range of focused certificates. Further, the University conducts and applies participatory research on the effectiveness of community-based approaches for achieving impact in a widening range of areas, including but not limited to community health, climate adaptation and conservation, livelihoods training, peacemaking, success-mapping, nature-based enterprises, youth education. 

For the first fifteen years (Classes from 2003 through 2017), enrollment was exceedingly selective. Each class typically had 20+ students. The university is expanding now, but remains selective.

To date, the Masters Degree program has prepared students from 43 countries, with alumni living and working in 154 countries or territories across the globe.

Our students enter as development practitioners in their own countries. The learning allows them to grow their jobs and communities. The following statistics indicate the engagement of our master’s alumni specifically.

• Percentage of alumni Employed: 95%
• Receive salary increase after graduation: 79%
• Received promotion after graduation: 71%
• Engaged in similar community work as during Master’s program: 83%
• Working for the same organization as during the Master’s program: 58% (of these 40% have changed jobs within their organization, mostly promotions)
• Working for a different organization: 42% (of these 36% have started their own organization/consultancy).
• Continued on to obtain a PhD, are in, or applying for a doctoral/PhD program: 11%

Please check our eligibility criteria for full details. To summarize, all applicants to the master’s degree are required to: 1) work with a community throughout the two-year program; 2) have a Bachelors Degree or participate in the Alternative Track Admissions program; 3) be proficient in the English language; and 4) have reliable internet connectivity. Applicants to the certificate programs generally are open to anyone willing to do the work.

No. In most cases, students build their learning experience around their current position or field in order to maximize their effectiveness in these areas, using their current community as a learning platform. If participating in optional residential experiences, which require travel to a host community, the student should first obtain permission from an employer. Apart from these residential options, learning will be based in students’ home communities.

Students at Future Generations University have implemented incredible work making positive changes in their home communities and workplaces around the world (Read about some of their work).

Most students come from admirable low-paying career paths in field like education, health services, rural development, and conservation driven by a passion to help others and secure a better future for their fellow community members.

This means they often have limited funds for continuing education and their community building projects, and rely on the support of generous donors. We hope you will join! When you donate to our academic programs, you are not just funding a single development project, you are opening the door for a series of community-driven efforts led by our students and each additional community leader they train.

If you’d like to support the next generation of community leaders being trained by Future Generations, you can donate to a scholarship fund for current or future students. You could also work with our financial office to start a special fund for a program of your choice– perhaps you’d like to support students working in a designated field, from a specific country, or you’d like to fund a class focused on a certain area of community change. Visit our donate page for options on ways to contribute or contact us directly to discuss your gift of support (development@future.edu).

Our staff will be happy to supply you with additional information ​ if you are a member of the press or simply seek answers to some more questions not addressed on this page. Please email us at graduate@future.edu and we will do our best to give you the information you would like. Other contacts: