THE BASICS    

Are you willing to work for the federal government in return for receiving a fellowship?

The service requirement is an opportunity for returning Boren Fellows to gain valuable experience by working in the federal government in areas related to international affairs and national security. We especially encourage applications from students interested in federal government careers, and also welcome others who wish to make a significant contribution to the nation.

Boren Fellows may elect to satisfy the service requirement by accepting suitable paid or unpaid full-time, part-time, temporary, and/or internship positions.

Under this requirement, an award recipient must seek work in the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, or the Intelligence Community after graduation. In some circumstances, the returning fellow may work in any U.S. federal department or agency with national security responsibilities.

If you study for a year or more, your service requirement matches the length of your study. Study for less than a year, you'll still serve for a year.

There is also an expectation that Boren Fellows will use the language or regional expertise acquired as a result of the award as they fulfill their service requirement.

More details about the service requirement are available here in the section After Your Return.

Here’s a selection of jobs held by Boren award recipients that illustrate the range of opportunities available in the federal sector to fulfill the service requirement:

• Foreign Affairs Specialist for the Department of Defense, monitoring global political, social, economic, geographic and military developments affecting Afghanistan.  Studied Hindi in India.
• Foreign Service Officer in the Department of State, serving in Jerusalem.  Studied Arabic in Egypt.

• Researcher at the National Defense University, analyzing defense and national security issues.

• Analyst for the U.S. Northern Command, Department of Defense, providing support for Defense officials and the wider U.S. Intelligence Community. Gained fluency in Urdu while studying in Pakistan.

• Intelligence Research Specialist with the FBI, providing analytical support for FBI executives, field officers, and the wider U.S. Intelligence Community.  Studied in Poland.
• Border Patrol Agent with the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, responsible for the enforcement of federal immigration and naturalization laws in the Yuma Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol.
• Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for North Africa and Egypt in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State.

• Linguist and analyst for the Department of Defense focusing on Turkey and central Asia.  Improved Turkish language skills while studying Linguistic Anthropology in Turkey.