The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is now seeking applicants for the 2024 FAS International Agricultural Fellowship Program (IAFP). The IAFP encourages the application of individuals interested in promoting U.S. agriculture in foreign markets and advancing international food security through careers as Foreign Service Officers in the Foreign Agricultural Service, a uniquely rewarding public service career. The program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in USDA and those with financial need. It is open to U.S. students and alumni of any accredited university and with any undergraduate major.
IAFP PROGRAM ELEMENTS
- Funding up to $42,000 per year for two years to attend two-year graduate programs in Agribusiness or Agricultural Economics at U.S. universities.
- A summer internship working at the Foreign Agricultural Service in Washington, D.C., with a stipend, housing, and transportation.
- An overseas summer internship working in a FAS office at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, with a stipend, housing, and transportation.
- Mentoring from a FAS Foreign Service Officer.
- Professional development activities to prepare individuals for their Foreign Service careers.
- Pathway to employment in the Foreign Agricultural Service for those who successfully complete the program and FAS requirements, with a five-year service obligation.
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
- U.S. Citizenship
- 3.2 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
- Intention to seek admission to a two-year, full-time, on-campus master's degree program at a U.S.-based graduate institution beginning in fall 2024 in Agribusiness or Agricultural Economics.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Apply online at FASFellowship.org.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 12, 2023
EMPLOYMENT IN FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE: Fellows who successfully complete the program and entry requirements will join the FAS upon completion of the program. FAS determines the position. Those who pass the FAS Foreign Service entry procedures, including the FAS Foreign Service Test, will enter as Foreign Service Trainees. If the Fellow has not yet passed the FAS Foreign Service Assessment, the fellow will enter as a Civil Service employee and have opportunities to take the FAS Foreign Service Assessment once employed. The five-year service requirement remains, whether the fellow is in the Civil or Foreign Service. FAS Foreign Service Officers serve as the eyes, ears, and voice of American agriculture around the world, working in overseas field offices at U.S. diplomatic missions around the world.
FAS International Agricultural Fellowship Program
Howard University, Ralph J. Bunche Center for
International Affairs