APPLY TO BE A NOAA Digital Coast or COastal Management FELLOW
Timeline
Program Overview
Eligibility
How to Submit an Application
Application
Deadline
Selection of Finalists
Placement of Finalists
Contacts
TIMELINE
- Friday, January 24, 2025, 5:00PM PST - Applications due from candidates to California Sea Grant
- Early to mid February, 2025 - Interviews held by California Sea Grant
- Friday, February 21, 2025 - Endorsements from California Sea Grant to NOAA Office for Coastal Management due
- Friday, March 21, 2025 - Finalists selected by NOAA Office for Coastal Management
- Monday, April 7, 2025 - Friday, April 11, 2025 - Matching workshop presentations and interviews-virtual
- Friday, August 1, 2025 - Fellowship begins
- Friday, July 31, 2027 - Fellowship ends
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship was established in 1996 to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management programs. Similarly, in 2012, the NOAA Digital Coast Fellowship was established to provide additional on-the-job education and training opportunities with a focus on technical assistance to help advance the goals of the Digital Coast and its partner organizations. Both programs match postgraduate students to assist on projects proposed by state coastal zone management programs (referred to as hosts) and are selected by NOAA.
Placement for the Coastal Management Fellowship and Digital Coast Fellowship positions is a singular, integrated placement process. Candidates apply to the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowship program as a whole. Selected candidates will be eligible to interview with both the state coastal programs and the Digital Coast partnership organizations at the fellowship matching workshop.
Up to six Coastal Management fellows are placed with state coastal programs every year, while up to three Digital Coast fellows are placed with Digital Coast Partner organizations every other year, in the even years. Both two-year opportunities offer a competitive salary, medical benefits, professional development, travel and relocation expense reimbursement. The current salary is $42,000 per year. In the second year, a locality pay factor may be added to the salary, depending on the location of the fellowship. Coastal Management Fellows will be reimbursed up to $8,400 for professional development and travel over the two-year fellowship. A portion of this money must be used to travel to specific meetings and conferences required by the fellowship program. More information about travel reimbursements can be found on the Coastal Management Fellowship website.
To read about the 2025 projects, visit Coastal Management Fellowship projects and Digital Coast Fellowship projects in early December 2024. Find answers to frequently asked questions about the fellowships here.
ELIGIBILITY
Any U.S. citizen who will complete a master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited U.S. university between August 1, 2023, and July 31, 2025, is eligible to apply for the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowships. Students from a broad range of programs are encouraged to apply. A variety of degrees are applicable to the fellowship because the projects are new and different each year.
Previous fellows have had degrees in environmental studies, natural resource management, marine affairs, marine science, geology, public affairs, communications, social sciences, and regional land management. The most important prerequisite is an interest in coastal issues. Students who are not U.S. citizens or who attend non-U.S. institutions are not eligible.
Applicants are eligible for any of the projects regardless of where they live or have studied. Fellows will be reimbursed up to $1,000 to move to their fellowship location and up to $1,000 to move at the end of the two-year fellowship. However, application packages must be submitted to the Sea Grant program office in the state where you earned your degree by January 24, 2025. Only students who received their advanced degree in California are able to apply through California Sea Grant.
Applicants from states not served by a Sea Grant program office should contact the fellowship coordinator for more information on submitting an application.
For more detailed information about the state projects, please visit NOAA Office for Coastal Management: Coastal Management Fellowship.
For more information on the Digital Coast Fellowship please visit NOAA Office for Coastal Management: Digital Coast Fellowship.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION
The electronic files comprising your application must be submitted as PDFs using eSeaGrant, California Sea Grant’s online submission portal:
You will need to register for an account (click on the banner labeled “Register”) in eSeaGrant if you have not done so in the past year. You can change the randomly generated password once you log in successfully into the website.
FORMATTING: Please ensure electronic files are no larger than 6 MB. Only PDFs are accepted. Please make sure to include your last name in the file names for each section of the proposal (e.g., Smith_statement.pdf or Smith_cv.pdf). When naming the document please do not use apostrophes. Once submitted through the website, PDFs may not be edited. To change a PDF, it must be deleted and resubmitted.
IMPORTANT: To maintain confidentiality, letters of recommendation may be submitted directly from the referee to California Sea Grant through eSeaGrant and must be submitted by the application deadline to be considered. Please address letters to Dr. Shauna Oh, Director, California Sea Grant. Late submissions may lead to the rejection of incomplete applications. Candidates are encouraged to work with referees to meet the deadline.
For technical issues with submitting your application through eSeaGrant, or for electronic files larger than 6 MB please contact sgproposal@ucsd.edu.
Application deadline: January 24, 2025, 5:00PM PST
NOTE: THE ESEAGRANT PROPOSAL PORTAL WILL CLOSE AT THE DATE AND TIME STATED ABOVE, AND LATE APPLICATIONS (EVEN 1 MINUTE LATE) CANNOT BE ACCEPTED. IT IS THE APPLICANT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO GET ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS SUBMITTED BEFORE THE DEADLINE. WE ADVISE TO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION; WHEN ESEAGRANT EXPERIENCES HIGH USER TRAFFIC, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE PAGE LOADING DELAYS.
APPLICATION
Required Elements
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (not to exceed two pages using 12 point font)
- Statement of the applicant’s goals with emphasis on what the applicant expects from and can contribute to the fellowship experience. This should also include how the fellowship can help reach goals that may be difficult to reach without the fellowship opportunity. Include any obstacles that have been overcome to reach this point in your academic career (500 words or less).
- Two letters of recommendation, including one from the applicant’s principal professor. If no principal professor exists, the faculty member who is most familiar with the applicant's academic work may be substituted.
- Unofficial copies of all undergraduate and graduate student transcripts.
Any additional materials submitted will not be considered in the selection process. If you are selected as a finalist, an additional writing sample will be requested.
DEADLINE
Applications must be submitted by 5:00PM PT, January 24, 2025, to the California Sea Grant Program. California Sea Grant may select and forward to the NOAA Office for Coastal Management up to three applications. In order to increase diversity in the fellowship, California Sea Grant may submit one additional application from a candidate who attended a minority serving institution, for a total of four. The fourth nomination spot is reserved solely for minority serving institution candidates.
SELECTION OF FINALISTS
From the nominations submitted by Sea Grant directors, 12 finalists will be selected by a panel. Final decisions will be made by March 21, 2025, and all applicants will be notified of the decision by the end of the following week.
Finalists will be selected using the following criteria:
- Statement of the applicant’s goals. How well does it emphasize what the applicant expects from and can contribute to the fellowship experience? Does it address how the fellowship can help reach goals that may be difficult to reach without the fellowship opportunity? Consider any obstacles the candidate may have overcome.
- Diversity of educational background and quality of academic performance
- Candidate experience, including life experience, internships, volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, and jobs
- Scholarships, awards, honors, and acknowledgements
- Support from two letters of recommendation, including one from the applicant's principal professor. The letters should demonstrate knowledge of the applicant and their abilities.
PLACEMENT OF FELLOWS
The Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowship matching process will take place from Monday, April 7 to Friday, April 11, 2025, and will be entirely virtual. This week includes program orientation by NOAA, host project and finalist presentations, and virtual interviews between candidates and host organizations. Sessions will be live and recorded for later viewing.
During the virtual workshop, finalists will meet with mentors from selected host organizations for interviews and discussions. Finalists can review fellowship projects on the fellowship website before the workshop. No contact should occur between hosts and finalists before the workshop. Candidates and hosts will submit their top placement choices to NOAA, which will then match fellows with hosts.
Of the finalists selected in 2025, up to six will be placed with a state coastal program. If a host does not find a suitable candidate during the matching process, the host is given the option to defer fellow placement for one year. Hosts are only allowed one deferment before they have to reapply.
For more information on the 2024 state projects, please visit the Coastal Management Fellowship website. For more information on the 2024 Digital Coast projects, please visit the Digital Coast Fellowship website. 2025 projects will be posted in early December. Contact the fellowship coordinator with any questions at ocm.fellowships@noaa.gov.
CONTACTS
Questions about the fellowship program
Fellowship Coordinator
NOAA Office for Coastal Management
(843) 740-1273
ocm.fellowships@noaa.gov
Questions about the application process
Science Integration Team
California Sea Grant