A call to service

The scholarship-for-service program offers full scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students studying information assurance in exchange for two years of government service in the Cyber Corps.

The Cyber Corps program is managed by the National Science Foundation, which gives the grant money to schools, and the Office of Personnel Management, which helps place students in agencies.

Six schools currently offer scholarships under the NSF program:

* Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.

* University of Tulsa, Okla.

* Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

* Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.

* Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

* University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho.

The program also includes money for enhancing faculty and information assurance programs.

The Defense Department has its own version of the Cyber Corps program, which is managed by the National Security Agency. In the DOD program, 36 schools designated by NSA as Centers of Excellence participate. Students must first apply to a defense or intelligence agency, which then sponsors their scholarships.