Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency Student Internships

The Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency (DCSA) has opened up their window for student interns to apply for various positions in personnel security, industrial security, counterintelligence, information security, and insider threat operations. Other areas of opportunity are in acquisitions, IT security, financial management, public affairs, and administration. Most, if not all of these positions require a security clearance. These 10-week internships are paid and usually are in the summer months when colleges are out of term.

The applications process is through USAJOBS, and all candidates must meet eligibility requirements that include the below:

• U.S. citizenship (can have a dual citizenship)
• Pass a pre-employment drug test and subsequent random tests
• Be able to obtain eligibility for a security clearance
• Live within the local commuting area of the job location
• Be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program with a 3.0 or higher GPA
• Meet other qualifications specific to the position

Some of the offices with DCSA that you may be placed in include the Vetting Risk Operations, Center for Development of Security Excellence, National Center for Credibility Assessment, Federal Investigations Processing Center, DCSA HQ in Quantico, or one of the 167 Field Offices across the United States. DCSA Student Intern positions are Excepted Service positions and are covered under the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System. The current application period runs from September 15 to October 31, 2023, for internships in the summer of 2024. You can find more information about DCSA here.