The SFS scholarship is a prestigious scholarship funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) to sponsor excellent students to pursue study in the field of cybersecurity. There have been more than 2000 SFS scholars national wide. SFS graduates are currently serving in various government agencies and national labs. It is worth noting that more than 140 federal agencies are hiring SFS scholars. NSF is also organizing special job fairs for SFS scholars only. Government jobs offer excellent job security, employee benefits, paid vacations, regular working hours, etc. The job placement rate of SFS graduates are nearly 100%.

Through the SFS program, Missouri S&T will provide grants to students studying in the field of cybersecurity. Each scholarship recipient must complete either a M.S. or a Ph.D. degree on Computer Science. Rising juniors and seniors, and current M.S. and Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens are eligible either as undergraduates through the MS degree, or PhD degree. Find detailed information about eligibility under the requirements tab.

Scholarship Benefits:

• Full tuition fees of scholarship recipients will be covered.
• Each recipient will receive monthly stipend at the following rate: $20K/year for senior students who will continue their M.S. study; $34K/year for M.S. (with Thesis) and PhD students. The recipients will be funded for up to three years.
• Each recipient can reimburse up to $4000/year for professional development (e.g., attending conferences and job fairs); $3000/year for health insurance; and $2000/year for purchasing textbooks. 

Eligibilities:

Students interested in participating in the SFS program must be:

• A United States citizen
• A full time junior, senior, MS, or PhD student
• Able to meet selection criteria for federal, state, or local government employment. Final job placement may require a security clearance, so each scholarship recipient may be required to undergo the background investigation required to obtain such a clearance.
• Competitive students will have a strong GPA (>=3.3/4.0)

Recipient Responsibilities:

In return for receiving scholarship benefits, each scholarship recipient incurs two obligations:

• During the summers while enrolled in the program, each student must find an internship position at a federal, state, or local government agency, or a national lab. Numerous resources are available to assist students in identifying and applying for internships.
• Upon graduation, each student will be required to work in a qualified position for a federal, state, or local government agency or a qualified national laboratory. The work requirement time period matches the supported time period. For example, a full two-year scholarship requires two years of federal employment. Each student is responsible for identifying, applying for, and securing a qualified position. Numerous resources are available including an annual job fair specifically for SFS students as well as the assistance of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) which oversees permanent placement for scholarship students. Nearly 100% former SFS scholars have successfully fulfilled this requirement. Failing this service obligation will result in reimbursement of full amount of scholarship (including tuition, fees, stipend, professional development cost, health insurance, book allowance) received with possible interests. 

As a doctoral student of the SFS in the computer science program, you'll be working with a faculty supervisor that is on the SFS leadership team developing new knowledge in the area of CyberSecurity.  The PhD program is a research focused degree and you will produce a research dissertation and publications in the area of CyberSecurity.  Program details are below.

72 hours

• 15 hours 6000 level courses
• Three hour out-of-department course
• Three semesters of seminar course CS 6010
• CS 5200 – Algorithms
• At least 24 hours of research
• At least 24 hours of courses
• Other courses prescribed by Ph.D. Committee
• Qualifier exam
• Research Readiness Presentation
• Publication Requirement for PhD (Effective Fall 2018)
  1. Before dissertation defense, two full research papers (e.g., not short, abstract or poster papers), substantially related to the dissertation, must be accepted for publication in Ph.D. committee approved reputable and peer-reviewed conferences or journals
  2. In egregious cases, the GPPC can reject a conference or journal for not being reputable

As a masters student of the SFS in the computer science program, you'll be working with a faculty supervisor that is on the SFS leadership team developing new knowledge in the area of CyberSecurity.  The M.S. program is a research focused degree and you will produce a research thesis and publications in the area of CyberSecurity.  Program details are below.

With Thesis

• Six to nine hours thesis credit CS 6099
• 9 hours 6000 level CS lecture courses
• One semester of seminar course CS 6010
• Three hour out-of-department course
• CS 5200  - Algorithms
  18 hours of graduate course work required

Without Thesis

• 15 hours 6000  level CS lecture courses
• One semester of Seminar course CS 6010
• Three hour out-of-department course
• CS 5200  - Algorithms
  18 hours of graduate course work required

As an undergraduate student of the SFS in the computer science program, you'll be working with a faculty supervisor that is on the SFS leadership team performing undergraduate research in CyberSecurity.    Up to 6 hours of CS 4099 (undergraduate research) may be applied to your degree.  See https://cs.mst.edu/undergraduate-degree/ for further B.S. program description.

We are now accepting applications and will continue until positions are filled.

Students who are interested in applying for the Scholarship for Service Program must complete and email the following documents to the Computer Science Department at csdept@mst.edu:

• An application form which can be downloaded here
• Most current resume and/or curriculum vitae
• Transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
• A statement of purpose detailing academic, professional, and personal goals, and how participation in the Scholarship for Service Program will help achieve these goals.
• Two names of references who are faculty, staff or your former employers

CyberCorps has compiled a list of frequently asked questions about the Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program, which you can find here: https://www.sfs.opm.gov/StudFAQ.aspx

Main Contact

Computer Science Department

• Email: csdept@mst.edu
• Phone: 573-341-4491