FAQs

Anything you want! We believe the world needs engineers, architects, business analysts, musicians and leaders in every other field to commit to doing their part and working together to solve our most complex challenges. The NGSC curriculum averages about 1 class per semester and complements any major to help you create positive social change in whatever field you enter when you graduate.
 

The NGSC is designed to amplify your academic and extracurricular experience as a Sun Devil—these experiences will strengthen personal skills and values, build your capacity as a leader, and teach you how to see complex challenges as systems (and recognize the role YOU can play in solving them.)  See below for an outline of what students are required to engage in as a member of the Next Generation Service Corps. 

Academic courses:

6 courses (15 credits) resulting in a Certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership

• Cross-Sector Leadership
• Community Impact Lab
• Cross-Sector Collaboration
• Leadership and Change
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Leadership Capstone

Real-world experience:

• Internships in each of the nonprofit, public and private sectors

Leadership experiences:

• Direct service projects with local examples of cross-sector impact
• Civilian-military shared experiences
• Annual retreats that build reflection skills and camaraderie between cohorts
• Mission Teams that engage students in small-team leadership around shared social missions

Not at all. The NGSC aims to develop the next generation of leaders in all sectors. Global challenges such as epidemics, natural disasters and the preservation of peace require collaboration between leaders in corporate, government and nonprofit sectors as well as the military. By sharing academic and/or extracurricular experiences, NGSC and ROTC students will develop a mutual understanding that ‘military leadership’ and ‘civilian leadership’ are built on the same foundation—we all share the right and responsibility to serve our Nation.

The bigger question is what societal challenge do you want to solve through your work? Water Scarcity? Free Trade? Human Trafficking? Chronic Hunger? The NGSC experience is designed to develop you into the leader who can determine the systems behind the challenges you want to solve and see the unique way you can create change in your field while working with other stakeholders who play a role in the solution.  

The internships in nonprofit, government and private sector internships, paired with courses that complement courses in your major, allow you to gain experience in your major through the perspectives of the three sectors. That way, you have an understanding of each sector’s strengths and capacities and presents you with a variety of allies working to solve the challenge you want to change. 

The NGSC is a 4-year cohort model (with a 2-year transfer track) that develops leadership skills and values through courses and experiences spaced throughout four years as an undergraduate. In order to maximize the outcomes, it is expected for you to stay in the program for four years and complete internships in the different sectors.

No. There are no limitations to where NGSC students can live. While the majority of courses and experiences will take place on Tempe and Downtown Campuses, freshmen on all campuses are welcome to take part in the program.

Absolutely! We expect you to explore your many interests and take advantage of all ASU has to offer. Some organizations or experiences that complement the NGSC experience could include:

• Barrett, The Honors College
• Changemaker Central
• Service Learning
• Undergraduate Student Government
• Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS)
• Greek Life