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Frequently Asked Questions

How is Future Generations University different from other universities?

Future Generations University is for professionals in community change. You can be an established professional or you can be newly entering. The program will fit you. Your major platform for learning will be your work, and the best of world learning is brought to your work … to help your community improve. At traditional universities, you go to school, then go to work after you get your degree. You will expand your work in learning connections throughout the world.
This connecting into the world begins in either specific certificate classes or the two-year Master’s degree, but once having entered Future.Edu of world-engaged learning, through the parallel organization (Future.Org), you join a world-circling professional community of applied community change. You do not “graduate” from Future Generations University, but rather you commence into world, stature, professional, practicing discourse of continuing learning.

Are you accredited?

Accreditation

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

The Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
inquiry@hlcommission.org
Phone: 1-800-621-7440
Website:http://www.ncahlc.org/

What is the purpose of the Future Generations University?

For the last 15 years, Future Generations University has been dedicated to empowering committed development practitioners 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 skills and strategies they obtain.

Future Generations University offers a two-year Master of Arts Degree in Applied Community Change. The program includes five specializations in different areas where communities have the opportunity to grow. Instruction is also offered through a range of focused certificates. Further, the University also conducts and applies research on the effectiveness of community-based approaches for achieving impact in a widening range of areas.

What is Class/Enrollment Size?

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 40 countries. Since 2003, seven classes (Class 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) have graduated. Through the 15 years an additional range of students have graduated from the certificate programs.

Can you tell me more about your alumni?

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%
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).
Working together on Future Generations Alumni Collaboration Grants: 37%
Continued on to obtain a PhD, are in, or applying for a doctoral/PhD program: 11%

Am I eligible for the Masters Degree Program?

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 equivalent; 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.

Do I have to quit my job to complete this Masters Degree Program?

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.

How do donations to the university support the work of students?

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 in empowerment methods.

I'd like to support your students, how can I help?

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 at (info@future.edu).

Who is the best person to contact for more information about the university?

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.

You can also contact any of our offices worldwide and meet with the team there.

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Our History

Future Generations first began tackling humanity’s toughest challenges in 1992: understanding how to create community-driven change that is both sustainable and scalable. Recognizing traditional approaches to community development were not working, UNICEF launched a task force and enlisted Future Generations to study this question around-the-world. Future Generations was founded to promote the newly synthesized method for community-based sustainable development.

After a decade of successful demonstrations of the methodology advancing health, peacebuilding, conservation, education, and livelihoods across India, Afghanistan, China, Peru and other nations, Future Generations formed a new global learning community to extend this method at scale. A separate graduate school was established in 2006, which today advances research, learning, and action in 42 countries as Future Generations University (Formerly Future Generations Graduate School). The original civil society organization, Future Generations Inc., continues to serve as a connector and resource hub between country programs and the university’s growing alumni in the Future Generations Global Network.

As this learning organization evolved into a University with new research initiatives and a wider reach, so did its innovative approach to global education. What sets all Future Generations programs apart is how they transform the community into the classroom. Life-useful learning is delivered over long distances through a combination of online coursework, peer learning, and community-based projects. The University offers a range of learning opportunities, including online resources, customized training, certificate programs, and a Master of Arts in Applied Community Development. This degree program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the USA’s oldest and largest higher education accrediting body.

Our Shared Future

For the first time in human history, every country of the world has signed on to the same set of goals: the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In these, governments, many corporations, and donor agencies have shared targets to address our immense global challenges. Future Generations focuses on empowering communities around the world to better engage these structures of support from the bottom-up using the SEED-SCALE method.

Education is the great equalizer. Communities don’t need to wait for policy or leadership change to deliver needed services; learning can open the door to new skills that help communities use what they already have to advance a shared vision for the future. Students at Future Generations steer their learning journey according to local priorities so they can advance their personal goals alongside their professional work and community well-being.

Future Generations University is dedicated to opening this life-changing opportunity up to more community leaders in the coming years by:

Enhancing the Master’s degree, keeping costs low and increasing flexibility to grow enrollment
Expanding Non-Formal Education offerings with new certificate and training programs customized for partner organizations
Developing online learning resources and programs that open access to the SEED-SCALE method among new audiences around-the-world
Advancing community-grounded research to promote site-specific innovations in health, education, economic development, climate change and ecosystem monitoring, and more
Establishing Sustainable Development Learning Centers at sites of strength across our Global Network to extend learning and innovation for local sustainable development impact