Presidential Management Fellowship
Available to current graduate students, the Presidential Management Fellows Program is targeted at individuals interested in a career in public service. The PMF Program attracts to Federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. The PMF Program, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is the Federal Government’s cornerstone succession planning program to help agencies meet their critical need for leadership continuity.
Since 1977, the PMF Program has helped Federal agencies meet their workforce and succession planning needs by attracting outstanding master’s, law, and doctoral-level students to Federal service. On November 21, 2003, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13318, “modernizing” the Presidential Management Intern (PMI) Program, in keeping with his emphasis on the strategic management of the Federal Government’s human capital. With this Executive Order, the name was changed to the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program to better reflect its high standards, rigor, and prestige. Students can use this two-year fellowship as a stepping stone to highly visible and respected leadership positions in the Federal Government.
This rigorous two-year paid fellowship includes:
- Formal classroom training of 160 hours,
- Mandatory four to six month developmental assignment,
- Optional rotations of one to six months in duration,
- Challenging work assignments,
- Potential for accelerated promotions, and
- Opportunities to network with other future leaders.
More than 80 Federal agencies currently partner with the PMF Program Office to hire Fellows annually. Fellows engage in solving domestic and international issues including, but not limited to:
- Public Administration,
- Foreign Policy,
- Technology,
- Science,
- Criminal Justice,
- Health, and
- Financial Management.
Eligibility and Qualifications
Students who will meet all graduate degree requirements, including any thesis or dissertation if so required by the applicant’s college or university, between September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2010, are eligible to apply in the Fall of 2009, for the PMF Class of 2010.
Graduate students from all academic disciplines who expect to complete an advanced degree (master’s, law, or doctoral-level degree) from a qualifying college or university during the current academic year are eligible to be nominated by their schools if they demonstrate the following:
- breadth and quality of accomplishments,capacity for leadership, and
- a commitment to excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.
Application Procedures and Selection Criteria
Several graduate and professional schools have their own nominating official and process. For those graduate and professional schools that do not, CURF provides a unified nominating process. In sequence, what the applicant needs to do is:
- complete the Presidential Management Fellows Program application on the program web site
- Request for Nomination Form completed and delivered to CURF
- unofficial graduate transcript
The CURF nominating official is:
Harriet Joseph, EdD
Director, Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships
3601 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6224
215-746-6488
Timeframe
Applications must be submitted online and supplementary materials arrive at CURF no later than October 19th. Applicants must finish their graduate degree no later than August 31, 2010.