Emergence Program applications are now being accepted.
- May 1 deadline for admittance to the winter cohort | Start of Online Orientation: December | 1st In-residence: March, Monterey CA
- December 1 deadline for admittance to the summer cohort | Start of Online Orientation: July | 1st In-residence: September, Monterey CA
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 External Development Opportunities (EDO) program for nomination and selection before submitting an official application on the NPS-CHDS website. If you are an FBI Employee, please view the EDO UNET SharePoint Site, or reach out to EDO@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.
Application overview:
- Your current contact information and a resume.
- A short essay describing two areas in which your organization would most benefit from change. What skills must an employee possess to successfully initiate change in these areas, and why? What organizational impediments might stop the needed changes from occurring? (2-3 pages double-spaced)
- A creative submission, created using whatever simple medium you wish – e.g. written, audio recorded, video, PowerPoint, art, etc. – to show us something that is important to who you are and why you are a good candidate for the program.
- A letter of recommendation from a supervisor or organizational leader.
Interviews may be conducted on an individual basis when more information is needed.