The mission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recovery efforts from attacks that occur. DHS is also dedicated to protecting the rights of American citizens and enhancing public services, such as natural disaster assistance and citizenship services. These awards are intended for students interested i> pursuing the basic science and technology innovations that can be applied to the DHS mission. DHS realizes that the country's strong science and technology community provides a critical advantage in the development and implementation of counter-terrorist measures. This education program is intended to ensure a diverse and highly talented science and technology community to achieve the DHS mission and objectives.

Areas of study include: physical, biological, social and behavioral sciences including science policy, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

Eligibility

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Civilian and non-active duty military personnel only.
• You must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
• Scholarships are for students that will be beginning their junior year in Fall 2004.
• You must be majoring in the physical, biological, social and behavioral sciences including science policy, engineering, mathematics, or computer science.
• You must have career goals aligned with the mission and objectives of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
• You must be enrolled as a full-time student while on tenure.
• You must meet all application deadlines listed below.

Stipend: $1,000/month for 9 months.

Tuition: Full tuition and fees paid.

Duration: Appointments are for two years, given satisfactory academic progress and availability of funding.

Internship Requirement

One off-campus internship at a DHS-designated facility will be required. It is expected that this internship experience will occur during the summer between your junior and senior years. During the internship, the stipend will increase to $500/week.

Other Important Items

• You must attend an accredited college or university located in the United States or its territories.
• You must be covered by a medical health insurance plan while on tenure.
• You may not accept simultaneous payment from another major scholarship or similar award.
• If you are currently enrolled at a two-year institution and you are awarded a scholarship, before you can accept the scholarship, you must be accepted at a 4-year institution that has agreed to accept your first two years of study as transfer credit.
• While there is no guarantee of employment, you must indicate a willingness to accept, after graduation, competitive employment offers from DHS, state and local security offices, DHS-affiliated Federal laboratories, or DHS-related university faculty or research staff positions.
• No deferrals of a DHS award will be allowed.

Application Deadlines:

You must submit a completed Application Form including all essay questions as well as an official academic transcript from your two-year or baccalaureate institution and three (3) reference report forms.

All materials must be submitted via postal mail by postmark deadlines; there is no need to send information via overnight or special delivery. We expect transcripts will come from the registrar's office via postal mail. We expect reference forms will come directly from your references. We will not accept materials via fax or as e-mail attachments. Do not send duplicate items via fax or e-mail.