NSA Summer 2027 Internship Program - Graduate Mathematics Program - Entry - Maryland

CNSS • National Security Systems; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

CNSS • National Security Systems at NSA Fort Meade, MD offers a 12-week paid Summer Internship - Graduate Mathematics Program for graduate students. This program invites students from across the country to work on mission-critical problems with NSA Mathematicians and to develop papers documenting their findings.

Applicants should be enrolled in a graduate degree program and demonstrate strong math/CS ability; programming in Python, C, or C++ is highly desirable.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be enrolled in a graduate level degree-seeking program at time of application.
• Preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Must be eligible for TS/SCI clearance after background investigation, polygraph and evaluation.
• Available for interviews Oct 2026–Apr 2027, in-person or remote.
• Evidence of an independent project in math, stats, data science, or CS is desirable.
• Programming experience in Python, C, or C++ is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with NSA Mathematicians on mission-critical problems.
• Document work in technical papers and reports.
• Contribute to math/statistics/data analysis/cryptology projects and present findings.

Skills

Python

C

C++

Education

Graduate level degree-seeking program

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 - Graduate Mathematics Program, candidates:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be enrolled in a graduate level degree-seeking program 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
• Evidence of an independent project in pure or applied mathematics, statistics, data science, or computer science is desirable.
• Computer programming experience, especially Python, C, or C++, is desirable
• 1 Letter of Recommendation from a faculty member familiar with your technical work

Preferred Majors

• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Related majors with a strong background in math or computer science
• 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 Program 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.

Graduate Mathematics Program

The GMP provides an opportunity for exceptional mathematics and statistics graduate students to work directly with NSA Mathematicians on mission- critical problems and experience the excitement of the NSA mathematics community. GMP participants work on problems involving math, statistics, data analysis, cryptology, and communications technology and document their work in technical papers which are internally published at NSA.

Applicants should have demonstrated superior mathematical aptitude and problem- solving skills. Evidence of successful work on an independent project in pure or applied mathematics, statistics, data science, or computer science is desirable. Applicants may be at any stage in their graduate careers or intending to work in any area of mathematics or statistics. Computer programming experience, especially Python, C, or C++, is desirable.