What is the Foreign Affairs Information Technology (IT) Fellowship Program?
Funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Washington Center (TWC) for Internships and Academic Seminars, the Foreign Affairs IT Fellowship Program provides outstanding students pursuing an IT-related degree with a challenging and rewarding opportunity to apply technology solutions to the business of diplomacy.
The program awards five Fellows (three graduates and two undergraduates) with tuition assistance, mentorship, and professional development to launch their careers in the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply. Fellows who successfully complete the program and the Foreign Affairs IT Specialist entry requirements will receive an appointment as a Foreign Service Information Management Specialist (IMS).
What is a Foreign Service Information Management Specialist (IMS)?Foreign Service Information Management Specialists support and maintain hundreds of applications and provide IT services domestically and abroad at over 275 overseas posts in nearly 200 countries. Information Management Specialists serve their country by maintaining secure, reliable IT tools and resources to ensure that Foreign Service Officers, federal agencies and non-government partners can promote diplomacy while serving overseas. Information Management Specialists gain experiences that few other IT professions offer, including the reward of living in a foreign country while experiencing different cultures and helping to protect U.S. interests abroad.
IT Fellowship Program Benefits
- Undergraduate Fellows (those beginning their junior year in fall 2018): Up to $37,500 annually for tuition, room and board, books, mandatory fees and some travel expenses for junior and senior years of undergraduate studies related to an Information Technology field.
- Graduate Fellows (those beginning a graduate program in fall 2018): Up to $37,500 annually for tuition, room and board, books, mandatory fees and some travel expenses for a two-year master’s degree in an IT-related field.
- Two summer internships, one at a domestic office of the Department of State in Washington, D.C. and one overseas at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The program provides stipends, transportation and housing for these internships.
- Orientation to the Program and the Foreign Service at the Department of State.
- Mentoring from a Foreign Service IMS throughout the duration of the fellowship.
- Employment in the Department of State Foreign Service for those who successfully complete the program and Foreign Service IMS entry requirements.