Enhance Your Skills through Education and Training Programs

Your career development is of primary importance to us. As an NSA employee, you will have the opportunity to enhance your competency in your career field through a variety of educational and training programs, by attending our National Cryptologic School, or by traveling to field assignments outside of NSA headquarters.

Advanced Studies Program (ASP)
As a permanent civilian employee with one year of NSA experience, you will have the opportunity to improve your skills in areas that are critical to the NSA mission through our Advanced Studies Program (ASP). ASP enables you to take advantage of advanced training programs at accredited colleges or universities while receiving a salary, tuition, and lab fees for up to four semesters of upper-undergraduate or graduate level courses. You must earn a B average or above.

After-Hours College Program (AHP)
Our After-Hours College Program (AHP) enables permanent civilian employees to take mission-related courses, offered at the undergraduate or graduate level, at an accredited college or university of their choice. NSA pays for tuition, lab fees, and online or telecourse fees. You must earn a C average or above.

NSA Undergraduate Scholarship/Graduate Fellowship Program
To ensure NSA's continued technical and managerial growth, NSA awards a limited number of full-time mission-related undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships annually. The selected NSA employees receive full tuition, salary, and time off to attend a full-time degree program at a local college or university. You must earn a B average or above.

Academic Partnerships
To further enhance your professional development, NSA offers a variety of specialized academic programs in partnership with such notable institutions as the Joint Military Intelligence College (JMIC), the Naval Post Graduate School, the National Defense University, and the National War Colleges. These programs provide tuition-free courses of study leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees in areas directly related to intelligence studies. Students may participate in on-location programs or in special sessions available directly on the NSA campus.

Skills Enhancement Recruitment Incentive Program (SERIP)
This progam will be discontinued as of Oct. 1, 2006.
New civilian employees in the mathematics, computer science, and engineering career fields may be eligible to participate in the SERIP graduate/post-graduate, full-time training program at local accredited colleges and universities. SERIP participants receive full tuition for mission-related courses, associated lab fees, salary, and paid duty time to attend up to two semesters of mission-related advanced degree or post-doctoral study in a full-time degree program.

National Cryptologic School (NCS)
NSA operates its own educational institution known as the National Cryptologic School (NCS), which offers a wide range of courses to facilitate your personal career growth. NCS consists of four teaching departments responsible for designing, developing, and delivering curriculum in a wide variety of technical, administrative, and managerial areas. NCS courses can be delivered via advanced technology and computer-based methods, as well as in the traditional classroom setting.