NSA Summer 2027 Internship Program - Computer Science Internship - Entry Program - Maryland

CNSS • National Security Systems; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 12,398,000 - 17,909,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid internship

Limited benefits

Job summary

CNSS • National Security Systems at Fort Meade, MD offers a 12-week NSA summer internship for students from freshman to Ph.D. levels. The CS internship program places interns on mission-critical projects, with opportunities to present findings in a final session.

Candidates should be U.S. citizens, enrolled in a degree-seeking program, and ideally majoring in Computer Science or closely related fields. The program runs mid-May to mid-August, with competitive pay and limited benefits.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Enrolled in a degree-seeking program at time of application
• Majoring in Computer Science or closely related discipline
• Preferred GPA 3.0+
• Eligible for TS/SCI clearance after successful background checks
• Available for interviews in the U.S. between Oct 2026 and Apr 2027
• Other majors considered but CS-related majors are highly preferred
• UIT cognitive/motivation English testing may be required

Responsibilities

• Work on NSA mission-critical projects during a 12-week internship
• Present a short presentation and technical paper upon project completion
• Contribute to areas such as data processing, information retrieval, and security topics

Skills

Data Structures

Discrete Mathematics

Calculus I

Calculus II

Operating Systems

Software Design

Computer Networks

Artificial Intelligence

Education

Undergraduate, Graduate, or Doctorate student

GPA 3.0+

Job description

Requirements

Join students from across the country and lend your knowledge to national security in one of NSA's over 30 summer internship programs. These 12 week paid programs run from mid-May to mid-August and are open to undergraduate freshman up to Ph.D. students depending on internship requirements. These internships are open to a wide variety of majors and give students the opportunity to work directly with mission-critical problems and experience the excitement of working in NSA spaces. To be accepted into the NSA Summer Internship - Computer Science Internship Program, candidates:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program (undergraduate, graduate, doctorate) at time of application
• Specific education requirements vary by program
• Preferred cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Must be eligible to be granted a TS/SCI security clearance after successfully completing a background investigation, a Full-scope Polygraph and a Psychological Evaluation
• Must be available and in the U.S. for operational and technical interviews and other applicable processing, both in-person and via telephone/internet, between the months of October 2026 and April 2027
• Must major in Computer Science or a very closely related discipline.
• Data Structures
• Discrete Mathematics or Discrete Structures
• Calculus I and Calculus II

Candidates are also expected to have taken courses in two or more of the following areas:

• Computer Organization and Assembly Language
• Principles of Programming Languages
• Software Design and Development
• Operating Systems
• Compiler Theory
• Computer Architecture
• Database Management Systems
• Computer Graphics
• Automata Theory and Formal Languages
• Software Engineering
• Human Computer Interaction
• Computer Networks
• Vulnerability Discovery
• Principles of Computer Security
• Computer Network Security
• Information Retrieval
• Human Language Technologies
• Artificial Intelligence
• Parallel and Distributed Processing
• Signal Processing
• Probability and Statistics
• Linear Algebra
• PLEASE NOTE: Other majors may be considered, however the majors listed above are highly recommended.
• PLEASE NOTE: You may be required to complete an Unproctored Internet Testing (UIT) requirement measuring cognitive ability, motivation, and English proficiency.
• The NSA Summer Internship Programs at our Fort Meade, MD location offers students exciting, impactful professional work opportunities (with pay and limited benefits!) to grow their knowledge of the Intelligence Community and federal government while advancing NSA's two primary missions: 1) Collecting, analyzing, and producing foreign signals intelligence; and 2) Providing cybersecurity solutions and guidance to protect critical national infrastructure. These summer internship opportunities are open to students who are pursuing education in a variety of degree programs.

Computer Science Internship Program

The Computer Science Intern Program (CSIP) is an intense and exciting 12-week immersive internship open to select college undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Computer Science or closely related disciplines. Interns are assigned to projects that contribute to NSA's mission. Projects culminate in a short presentation and technical paper. Projects are typically in the areas of:

• Big Data
• Information Retrieval
• Information Visualization
• Computer and Network Security
• Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence
• Human Language Technology/Computational Linguistics
• Ontology/Taxonomy and Graphical Analysis
• Information Query and Question Answering
• Knowledge and Data Representation, Distillation, and Sharing
• Knowledge and Database Crawling
• Software Agent Planning and Control
• Signal Processing
• Architecture & Systems