What is Service-Learning?
Service learning connects academic coursework to real community needs. It is more than volunteering — it is structured, credit-bearing work that challenges you to apply what you are learning to problems that matter, reflect critically on your experience, and grow as a professional and as a person. For GRS students, it is one of the most powerful ways to put your education into practice.
At GRS, service learning is woven into the fabric of the major. From a required first-year project that connects you with a local or regional community partner, to broader opportunities available across Iowa State, there are multiple ways to get involved and make a meaningful contribution during your time here. Whether you are just getting started or looking to deepen your engagement, the following opportunities are worth exploring.
Built Into Your GRS Experience
Some of the most meaningful service learning you will do at Iowa State happens right within your GRS coursework. Two courses in particular — GLOBE 2900 and GLOBE 2010 — are designed to introduce you to service learning in a structured, supported way before you take on larger independent experiences.
In these courses, service learning is not dropped in your lap without context. You will move through the full arc of what real community work looks like — identifying a genuine community need, planning a project that addresses it, navigating the logistics of working with a community partner, carrying out the work itself, and reflecting critically on what you learned along the way. It is the kind of hands-on, structured introduction that sets you up to engage more confidently and effectively in any service learning experience that follows — in GRS, at Iowa State, or beyond.
Immersive Programs
Ready to go deeper? These programs take service learning beyond the classroom and into extended, immersive experiences where you live, work, and learn alongside communities in meaningful ways. Each requires a separate application and commitment — and each offers a level of personal and professional growth that is difficult to replicate anywhere else.
Uganda Program
The ISU Uganda Program offers GRS students the opportunity to live and work in East Africa for an extended period, engaging directly with communities on issues related to agriculture, food security, and sustainable development. Students gain firsthand experience applying the skills and frameworks developed in the classroom to real challenges in a global context — and return with a depth of perspective that shapes everything that follows.
EARTH Program
The EARTH Program is a unique service-learning opportunity that takes Iowa State students to the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a summer or full semester. Students live and work within the local community — assisting with school gardens, supporting culinary arts and environmental science education, and contributing to sustainable food production and ecosystem protection in the Caribbean.
For GRS students, EARTH is a natural fit. It combines hands-on field experience, community engagement, and real-world application of the skills and frameworks you are developing in the classroom — all in a setting that challenges you to think deeply about resources, sustainability, and what it means to serve a community different from your own.
Study Abroad
Some study abroad programs include service-learning components and classes that allow you to engage directly with communities while earning academic credit. If you are interested in combining your global experience with meaningful community work, talk to a Study Abroad advisor about identifying programs that incorporate service learning into their curriculum.