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National Security Law Student Fellows

About the Fellowship
How It Works
Fellowship Details
How to Apply
Events
People

The Strauss Center’s National Security Law Student Fellows are UT Austin law students who commit to complete at least four courses from a list of approved courses maintained by the Strauss Center. National Security Law Student Fellows (NSL Fellows) commit to regularly attending Strauss Center events, including social and career-development events tailored specifically to the NSL Fellows. They form a strong network within the Law School of students interested in national security law topics and careers.

How It Works

There are two stages to the National Security Law Student Fellows program:

Those who complete these requirements will then certified by the Strauss Center as successfully completing the courses needed for the National Security Law Student Fellowship.

Stage One

Each year, on a rolling basis, we select a group of law students to form the Fellowship class. Student Fellows receive advice, internal and external internship and job alerts, and mentoring relating to national security law education opportunities; priority involvement in the series of national security law-related speakers and events we sponsor; and may be eligible for funding to support national security law-related research and travel.

Stage Two

Each Student Fellow must complete at least four courses from our list of approved courses (with a grade of 3.0 or above in each course). A list of approved courses is below. If a course is offered for a grade, the student must take it for a grade and get at least a 3.0 in order for it to count. For courses offered P/F only, however, the requirement is to Pass.

Program Details

Courses that Count

Students must get a 3.0 or better from four courses on the lists below. You must take at least three of the courses on this core-course list (you are welcome to draw all four of your qualifying courses from this list):

Seminar: Surveillance, Liberty, and Privacy
Artificial Intelligence and National Security: Law and Policy
National Security Law: Economic Statecraft
National Security Law: Counterterrorism
Seminar: International Humanitarian Law
Terror and Consent
International Criminal Law
The International Law of Cyber Conflict
Seminar: Military Justice and Jurisdiction
Space Law and Policy
(Public) International Law
Cybersecurity Law and Policy
Technology of Cybersecurity
Internet Law and Policy

If you wish, you also may count one (but no more than one) of these courses:

Policymaking and Leadership: From the Battlefield to the SITROOM
Covert Action and U.S. National Security Policy
Intelligence and National Security
Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
Scenario Planning
Thinking, Writing, and Briefing for National Security

Prior courses that can count towards the certificate:

Bobby Chesney: Cybersecurity Law, Policy, and Institutions
Bobby Chesney: Law of the Intelligence Community
Bobby Chesney: Intelligence Law: Surveillance and Covert Action

The Strauss Center updates this list semester by semester. Students who are also seeking to qualify for the Cybersecurity Student Fellowship may “double count” no more than two courses. Email the NSL Fellows contact if you think a class should be added to this list.

How to Apply

Applying to be a NSL Student Fellow

WHEN IS THE DEADLINE?

The application period is always open. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Send your materials to Ali Prince at ali.prince@austin.utexas.edu.

Applications should include

a statement of interest describing your career goals, your current degree program (including confirmation that you are enrolled full-time, in residence at UT Austin’s School of Law), and the areas of cross-disciplinary exposure that interest you most (minimum 3.0 GPA).
a resume; and (3) a statement of the courses you plan to take in fulfillment of the requirements above.