Cooperative Education Program - Maryland

NSA’s Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program offers students exciting, impactful professional work opportunities (with pay and benefits!) to grow their knowledge of the Intelligence Community and federal government while advancing NSA’s two primary missions: 1) Collecting, analyzing, and producing foreign signals intelligence; and 2) Providing cybersecurity solutions and guidance to protect critical national infrastructure.

Top Secret

Position sensitivity and risk Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job. Background check type

• National security

Financial disclosure required Yes Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests., NSA’s Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program at Fort Meade, MD offers students exciting, impactful and professional work opportunities (with pay and benefits!) to grow their knowledge of the Intelligence Community and federal government while advancing NSA’s two primary missions: 1) Collecting, analyzing, and producing foreign signals intelligence; and 2) Providing cybersecurity solutions and guidance to protect critical national infrastructure. This Co-op opportunity is open to students who are majoring in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Cyber Security (technical track), Data Science, Mathematics or Artificial Intelligence., Must be a U.S. Citizen

• Must be eligible to be granted a TS/SCI security clearance after successfully completing a background investigation, a Full-scope Polygraph and a Psychological Evaluation
• Must be available and in the U.S. for operational and technical interviews and other applicable processing, both in-person and via telephone/internet, between the months of November 2026 and March 2027, Must be pursuing one the following majors: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Cyber Security (technical track), Data Science, Mathematics or Artificial Intelligence
• Must be a second semester college freshman or a college sophomore
• Preferred cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for all college work complete

Additional information

Salaries are determined by the percentage of credits completed toward a degree. Each 20% block of credits completed with at least a 3.0 GPA will allow you to be promoted to the next grade. Grades range from GGD-03/05 to GGD-07/01 (which can be found at OPM.gov) annually. Due to the rotational nature of the Co-op program, students are paid proportionate to the number of weeks worked in a year and are authorized Leave without Pay during scheduled school rotations. The salaries aforementioned include a locality based comparability payment.

Students will receive annual leave, sick leave and paid federal holidays.

Program Details:

• 52 weeks of alternating semesters of school and work at NSA
• During work tours, students work a 40-hour week
• Subsidized student housing and travel entitlements during work tours if over 75 miles from Fort Meade, MD
• Tuition reimbursement for one technical course per semester (up to $2,500)
• Potentially eligible for full time employment following successful completion of the program

***PLEASE NOTE: As this program requires students to rotate between semesters of work and study, applicants are encouraged to discuss the possibility of participating in this type of program with their school (Academic Advisor, Co-Op Advisor, Registrar and/or Financial Aid Office, etc.) to determine the effect it may have on their full time student status during scheduled work tours as well as any effects it may have on scholarships and financial aid.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at National Security Agency/Central Security Service, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.