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The Department of Defense Information Assurance Education and Training Scholarship Program is targeted at rising junior and senior undergraduate students and graduate students who are looking for a full-ride scholarship. Upon receipt of the scholarship, the “Information Assurance Scholar” is required to engage in an internship with the Department of Defense during breaks in the academic schedule of the Scholar. The Scholar, on completion of the program, is also offered a full time position in the Department of Defense or one if its agencies. Each student in the program will be supported for up to two years with benefits each year.

Program Documents

• SAIT Scholarship Program Policy [PDF]
• Application Background [DOC]
• Student Application [DOC]

Scholarship Benefits

• A stipend, in addition to the cost of tuition, fees, books, lab expenses, supplies and equipment, the student will be awarded with a stipend of $15,000 for graduate students and $10,000 for undergraduate students.
• Research projects, related to large externally funded projects, will be assigned to some students. These students may also receive additional funding throughout the academic year.
• Internships and job opportunities with the world’s leading security organization.

For more information, please review the SAIT Scholarship Program Policy

Note: This scholarship is only available to full U.S. citizens!

How & When to Apply

Each applicant should provide the following:

• Letter expressing interest in the DoD Information Assurance Scholarship program that includes a statement that indicates an understanding of the two year degree seeking nature of the program and of the two year commitment to the federal government after graduation.
• Transcripts of all college work.
• Standardized test scores (SAT, GRE)
• Statement of purpose and description of goals in your computer science MS degree program and in the field of computer security and information assurance.
• Recommendation letters from at least two faculty members or employment managers familiar with the student’s background.
• Application Background
• Student Application
• Official acceptance into Florida State University.

Please send your complete application to ...

• Alec Yasinsac
  DoD IAS Program
  253 Love Building
  Florida State University
  Tallahassee
  FL
  32306-4530

Requirements for Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements for eligibility:

• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• You must be a citizen of the United States.
• You must have completed at a minimum of an undergraduate degree program and be eligible to, begin either the third or fourth years of an undergraduate degree program, begin the first or second year of a masters degree program, pursue doctoral studies, or complete a graduate certificate program in information assurance.
• You must be one of the following:
  • a full-time Baccalaureate or Master’s student within two years of graduation at FSU with a degree in Computer Science
  • a full-time Ph.D. student within three years of graduation at FSU with a degree in Computer Science
  • holder of an associate degree or Junior college student that has acquired sufficient credit hours to be within two years of graduation at FSU with a degree in Computer Science
• You must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
• You must meet selection criteria for federal employment (you may be required to undergo a background investigation).

Assessment of Applications

Applications will be evaluated in the following three stages:

• Stage 1: Verification – Upon receipt of an application, The Department of Computer Science will review it for completeness and to ensure that the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the program. The applicant will then be marked as “Insufficient Potential”, “Sufficient Potential”, “Average Potential”, “High Potential”, or “Superior Potential” based upon his or her transcript, GPA, Academic honors, distinctions or awards and letters of reference.
• Stage 2: Classification – Upon completion of the application period, a panel of Information Security professors will objectively rate the applicants as “No Knowledge or Ability”, “Basic Knowledge or Ability”, “Intermediate Knowledge or Ability”, “Advanced Knowledge or Ability”, “Superior Knowledge or Ability” based on the selection criteria.
• Stage 3: Ranking – The FSU DoD Scholarship Principal Investigator will rank the final list of applicants as “Not Recommended”, “Recommended”, “Highly Recommended”, or “Most Highly Recommended”.

The final applicant list, including the applicants respective classification and ranking, will then be sent to The Department of Defense for final judgement.

Criteria for Selection

The criteria used to classify and rank applicants are:

• Cumulative Undergraduate GPA
• Major Undergraduate GPA
• Cumulative Graduate GPA
• Major Graduate GPA
• Academic record (course content)
• Standardized test scores
• Evaluation of the student’s statement of purpose.
• One (1) Letter of Reference from a current faculty member
• One (1) Letter of Reference from a current or former faculty member or a current or former supervisor
• Demonstrated leadership, participation in team activities, prior social service, and/or evidence of creative and independent thinking and/or acting
• Knowledge of the techniques of the information technology and/or information security (assurance) discipline, including encryption, access control, physical security, training, threat analysis, and authentication
• Knowledge of the human factors in the information technology and/or information security (assurance), including human computer interaction, design, training, sabotage, human error prevention and identification, personal use policies, and monitoring
• Ability to identify and analyze problems, distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical decisions, and provide solutions to individual and organizational problems
• Ability to consider and respond appropriately to the needs, feelings, and capabilities of different people in different situations; is tactful, compassionate and sensitive, and treats others with respect
• Ability to make clear and convincing oral presentations to individuals or groups; listens effectively and clarifies information as needed, facilitates an open exchange of ideas and fosters an atmosphere of open communication
• Ability to express facts and ideas in writing in a clear, convincing and organized manner appropriate to the audience and occasion

More Information

For more information, please contact one of the following people:

• Dr. Alec Yasinsac
  Associate Professor
  SAIT Labs, Florida State University
  262 James J. Love Building
  Florida State University
  Tallahassee

  FL

  32306-4530
  yasinsac@cs.fsu.edu
  850

  644

  6407

Last Updated: Monday, December 17, 2007 @ 01:36:04PM EST/EDT Designed by Jonathan C. Nilson. Published by FSU SAIT. Please view our legal notices and privacy policy.