College of the Holy Cross | Graduate Studies

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP

Eligibility:		U. S. citizens. For the undergraduate awards, application is made in the sophomore year. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.3. You must be majoring in the physical sciences, mathematical sciences, computer and information sciences, life sciences, social sciences, psychology, selected humanities, or engineering. Applicants for the graduate awards are generally college seniors or graduate students who have not yet completed a Master’s degree.
Duration:		Two years of funding and a required 10 week summer internship at a DHS-designated facility in the summer between the two years of your funding period for undergraduates. Graduate recipients may be funded for one additional year.
Award:		Full tuition and fees. Undergraduates also receive a stipend of $1,000/month for 9 months during the academic year; $5,000 for the 10-week summer internship. The monthly stipend for the graduate awards is $2,300/month for 12 months. Last year 273 undergraduate applications were received and 50 awards were made; 383 graduate applications were received with 79 awards
Holy Cross procedure:		This is an independent application, but the Graduate Studies Office is eager to assist you with all aspects of your application.
Essays:		The statement of proposed research is one page maximum, single spaced, and must describe your education, professional goals and the kind of research you are interested in pursuing. A second essay of the same length must describe how your interests, talents and initiative might contribute to improving homeland security. Applicants for the graduate scholarships must also submit GRE scores.
Then What:		The application deadline for the electronic application for last year was January 31 st, 2006, with transcripts and letters of recommendation (submitted electronically) due by February 7 th. Winners were notified in April.

GENERAL INFORMATION

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 research staff positions. This condition will not interfere with plans to attend graduate school in a supported field immediately after graduation.

Applications will be evaluated by a panel of scientists and engineers who are experts in one or more of the supported fields, based on the student’s academic record and submitted test scores, reference reports, proposed research essay and contribution to DHS essay. Reviewers provide an overall rating and a separate rating on each of the following:

* Academic Record

Transcripts are reviewed and evaluated in conjunction with information on the student's program and information from reference reports.

* Reference Reports

The best reference reports come from professors who know the applicant and can make an informed judgment about the applicant's fitness for the proposed program of study.

* SAT or ACT Test Scores (as reported by you on your electronic application form)

These are used to enhance other information related to academic potential. There are no minimum test-score requirements. Applications without test scores will be reviewed, but strong test scores can enhance other evidence of potential to succeed in an academic program.

* Proposed Research Essay

The best essays demonstrate both an ability to define a research problem relevant to the DHS mission, and an understanding of how such a problem might be solved. However, since applicants are sophomores, an essay that pays careful attention to defining a research interest that is relevant to the DHS mission can often succeed without much detail on how a research problem would be solved. These essays should contain only original thoughts or other properly attributed information.

* Contribution to DHS Essay

Reviewers look for evidence that the applicant is planning a research career that will contribute to some aspect of the DHS mission. Careers in a wide variety of settings can meet these criteria.

The most highly rated applications are then reviewed by DHS staff who pay attention to factors of special concern to DHS such as the relevance of the applicant’s research interests and the need for individuals in the applicant’s specific field or sub-field. The final selection of scholars is made by DHS.

Full information and downloadable forms are available from the DHS website:

http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/

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