ELP applications are now being accepted.
- December 1 deadline for admittance to the spring cohort. Successful applicants will be notified in mid-February for a May start.
- May 1 deadline for admittance to the fall cohort. Successful applicants will be notified in August for an October start.
DHS Employees: Read this before starting an application.
All DHS components require their employees to apply through their training and education department. Individuals must complete both the DHS and CHDS applications electronically. Do not wait on a DHS nomination to complete the CHDS application. If you are a DHS employee, see the list of the points of contact for each component
FBI Employees: Read this before starting an application.
The FBI requires their employees to apply through the Executive Leadership Experiences (ELE) program for nomination and selection before submitting an official application on the NPS-CHDS website. If you are an FBI Employee, please view the ELE UNET SharePoint Site, or reach out to ELE@fbi.gov with any questions.
Private Sector Applicants: Please note the following before starting an application.
Beginning in 2023, private sector organizations are required to pay the travel and per diem costs of participants accepted to either the CHDS Executive Leaders Program or the Emergence Program. There is no charge for tuition. Private sector individuals who are accepted into either of the two CHDS programs will be asked to confirm their organization’s financial support as part of the acceptance process.
About AI Usage in CHDS Applications
The NPS Academic Honor Code holds that “unless otherwise stated by the instructor or advisor, all work submitted in fulfillment of graduation requirements will be the student’s own.” In keeping with this policy, it is not acceptable to submit any text, code, image, or multimedia output generated by AI tools as one’s own work without proper attribution. However, it is permissible to use generative AI to support (but not produce) the final product, similar to how one might use search engines, library databases, grammar checkers, online dictionaries and thesauruses, or task planners.
Applicants may submit applications at any time, but to be considered for the next class, completed applications should be received by the nearest deadline (see above).
Submitting an application does not indicate acceptance into the program. Each complete application will be reviewed and evaluated using an objective, weighted system assessing the applicant’s background, credentials, and experiences against the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the program. Applicants will be notified of their status once the admissions committee makes its recommendation.
Overview of the Application
- Current contact information
- Your organization/agency and your position in it
- Your resume
- A letter of recommendation from an individual in your chain of command who is authorized to grant your time away
- Question 1: What does homeland security mean to you, and how do you contribute to it in your current job/role? (2000 characters max)
- Question 2: What impacts do you expect to have within the homeland security enterprise in the near future? (2000 characters max)
- Question 3: Describe a recent (1-2 years) significant homeland security-related policy challenge you faced and how you addressed it. What was the outcome and what did you learn? (2000 characters max)
- Question 4: How have you created an inclusive environment and enhanced collaboration within your community, organization, and the homeland security enterprise? (2000 characters max)
- Question 5: What do you envision as the greatest emerging homeland security challenge or problem in the coming decade? Why do we need to focus on this issue? (4000 characters max)