Scholarship Opportunities
Information Assurance Scholarship Program
The Information Assurance Scholarship Program (IASP) is a yearly awarded Department of Defense sponsored scholarship/fellowship program to promote the education, recruitment, and retention of rising junior and senior undergraduate, MS, MPS, or PhD student status in CMSC, CYBR, or related field at UMBC (including IS, Math, EE, CE).
Pending final approval, this highly selective program allows up to twelve students full-ride scholarships to UMBC.
Detailed information and all forms may also be found at the Official DoD IASP web site. A condensed overview may be found here.
Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service
The Scholarship for Service (SFS) is a yearly awarded National Science Foundation sponsored scholarship program to promote the education, recruitment, and retention of rising junior and senior undergraduates and graduate students in information assurance studies.
Detailed information and all forms may also be found at the Official NSF SFS web site.
IASP and SFS Application Process
- Please let Dr. Sherman know that you are interested. We will help guide you through the process.
- Applications are due by 12:00 (noon) on February 8, 2013. Submit application to Jane Gethmann in the CSEE Office, carefully following all instructions. Be sure you have an official transcript and that all letters of reference are signed and on official letterhead (otherwise your application will be returned without consideration).
Each recipient will receive full tuition, room and board, books, and stipend. UMBC will fund SFS scholarships only for complete academic years. In return, the recipient must work for DoD (for pay) for one year for each year of scholarship. Each recipient will also engage in a summer internship at DoD (for pay).
Eligibility Requirements (selected):
- Junior, senior, MS, MPS, or PhD student status in CMSC or related field at UMBC (including IS, math, EE, CE)
- USA citizen 18 years or older
- Willingness to obtain top-secret security clearance. The selection process will include an intrusive polygraph examination.
Expectations:
We seek outstanding students with strong interest, coursework, and other experience in technology, information assurance, and related fields. The program is highly competitive. About 30 new scholarships were awarded nationally by SFS in 2010. Among other qualifications, ideally we seek students with high SAT or GRE test scores (preferably SAT combined math and verbal over 1400), high GPA (preferably over 3.5 on a 4-point scale), strong letters of recommendations from regular UMBC faculty, and relevant experience/knowledge through coursework or professional activities, along with a strong desire to excel in the information assurance profession. The review committee considers all evidence.