National Security Education Program
Strengthening national security through critical language and culture expertise
Federal Employers
Global professionals
NSEP alumni are in demand in the federal workforce contributing unmatched professional expertise along with advanced cultural and language skills. Special hiring exemptions (Schedule A) create opportunities for employers to hire NSEP candidiates regardless of their federal employment status.
Connect with qualified candidates
Connect with our qualified alumni via NSEPnet.org, our online database providing information and resumes of all alumni actively seeking employment. Each alum provides a resume to NSEPnet at least 12 months before they expect to be available for federal employment, and keeps their resume updated.
- What people are saying
- What is a global professional?
- Working in the Government
- Areas of Emphasis
- Alumni Profiles
NSEP participants bring a wealth of linguistic and cultural expertise to the Federal government
Doris Johnson, Scholarships and Special Programs Manager, Chief Human Capital Office, Office of the Director of National IntelligenceI would recommend NSEP fellows to any agency seeking staff with country-specific expertise to cover a variety of policy issues.
Jeffrey Dutton, Director for Korea and Taiwan Affairs, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of CommerceC&S remains impressed by the quality of its NSEP Award Recipients, and grateful for the relationship it has developed with the National Security Education Program.
Jason J. Hinton, President, Concepts & Strategies, Inc. (DoD Contractor)What is a global professional?
A Global Professional has a combined set of skills and interests that include a professional field of study, an understanding of one or more areas of the world outside of the United States, and proficiency in at least one critical foreign language and culture.
How does NSEP define national security?
NSEP alumni also have a perspective of how their interest relate to issues of national security. The NSEP definition of national security is both broad and diverse to include, among others, such varied issues as:
- International and regional conflict
- Conflict resolution
- Peacekeeping
- International trade
- Market penetration
- Export strategy
- Export controls
- Economic competitiveness
- International environmental
- Health and population issues
- Sustainable development
- Human rights and humanitarian assistance
- Arms control
- Nuclear proliferation
- Weapons of mass destruction
- Counter-proliferation
- Terrorism and counter-terrorism
- International drug trafficking
Commitment to public service
The goal of NSEP is to enhance the capacity of the federal sector to deal effectively with the challenging global issues of the 21st century. NSEP David L. Boren Scholars and Fellows, Flagship Fellows, and EHLS Scholars represent a vital pool of highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena. NSEP strongly emphasizes the importance of award recipients seeking and gaining employment in Federal Government organizations whose missions and functions are most directly related to national security.
NSEP Alumni in the federal government
NSEP award recipients are deeply committed to serving the U.S. Government. NSEP works closely with each Scholar and Fellow and with U.S. Government agencies to identify employment opportunities and recommend appropriate matches. More than 1000 NSEP award recipients have already contributed to the Federal effort and are recognized across Federal departments as ideal candidates for positions.
Countries
- Africa
- Angola
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Congo, Republic of the
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zimbabwe
- East Asia and Pacific
- Burma
- Cambodia
- China
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Korea, North
- Korea, South
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- East Europe and Eurasia
- Albania
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Georgia
- Hungary
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Macedonia
- Moldova
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia and Montenegro
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Tajikistan
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- latin America and Caribbean
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Cuba
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Peru
- Venezuela
- Near East
- Algeria
- Bahrain
- Egypt
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Morocco
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- Tunisia
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen
- South Asia
- Afghanistan
- India
- Pakistan
Languages
The list of languages emphasized by NSEP reflects a need for more than 70 languages.
- Albanian
- Amharic
- Arabic (and dialects)
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani
- Belarussian
- Bosnian
- Bulgarian
- Burmese
- Cantonese
- Czech
- Georgian
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Kazakh
- Khmer
- Korean
- Kurdish
- Kyrgyz
- Lingala
- Macedonian
- Malay
- Mandarin
- Mongolian
- Pashto
- Persian (Farsi/Dari)
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian
- Sinhala
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Swahili
- Tagalog
- Tajik
- Tamil
- Thai
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Uighur
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
Fields of Study
In addition to applications from students who specialize in any of these fields of study, NSEP welcomes requests for funding from individuals seeking degrees in multidisciplinary fields that include one of those listed bellow.
- Agricultural and Food Sciences
- Business and Economics
- Computer and Information Sciences
- Engineering and Applied Sciences (including Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics)
- Health and Biomedical Sciences
- History
- International Affairs
- Law
- Other Social Sciences (Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology)
- Political Science and Policy Studies
Boren Scholar, 2004
I was a 2004 Boren Scholar, and studied abroad in China for four months to enhance my degree in East Asia Pacific Studies. Bridging my experience as an ROTC Cadet as an undergrad, I am currently serving my active duty service commitment as an officer in the US Army.
Boren Fellow, 2004
I studied in Cairo at the American University of Cairo and Al-Azhar University during the 2003 and 2004 academic year. It was a very dynamic time to be in Egypt as there were frequent protests and I would walk to class past rows of black clad police in riot gear trying to intimidate anyone who sought to challenge the power of the State. I had been studying the Middle East for the previous two years in America but there is really no substitute for spending time in the region.
EHLS Scholar, 2006
My participation in the EHLS program provided me with exposure to different agencies. We visited the CIA, DIA, USDA, and others. Recruiters from agencies including the Department of State and the FBI came to talk to us. These visits provided opportunities to ask questions relating to the employment process and the security clearance process in the agencies. The job search workshops on writing the federal résumé and practicing interview skills were handy and practical in my federal job search. I now work in financial management at Immigration and Naturalization Services within the Department of Homeland Security.
Flagship Fellow, 2006
As a Flagship Fellow, I pursued intensive Korean on the Flagship program at the University of Hawaii and at Korea University in Seoul from 2004 to 2006. In addition to a BA in History with an Economics concentration, I earned master's degrees in Asian studies and Liberal Arts. In 2006, I joined the Korea and Taiwan Affairs section at the Office of Pacific Rim in the Market Access and Compliance division of the International Trade Administration in the Commerce Department.