FAQ’s

PUBLIC SERVICE SCHOLARS FAQ’s

The Shriver Center at UMBC has become a national leader in applied learning, civic engagement, and community-based service delivery. The Shriver Center, named for the legacy of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, enables students to connect theory to practice and thought to action, bringing their experience back to the classroom, and is UMBC’s primary structured vehicle for producing socially engaged citizens who graduate with the commitment and experience to contribute responsibly in their communities, the state and the nation. The Shriver Center also collaborates with others in our community to create and implement initiatives designed to strengthen communities, building local capacity to deal with pressing problems of the day.
In addition to completing a full-time internship, fellows are expected to attend all orientation activities, seminars, meetings, and events throughout the fellowship and be contributing member of their project group. Additionally, fellows are asked to complete time sheets, goals and expectations, brief reflection assignments, and other tasks that benefit the program. Fellows are also expected to act professionally as representatives of the program, their home institution, and the Shriver Center at UMBC.
You should discuss this with your Career Center or Internship Coordinator at your home institution. We have found that offering credit through UMBC is unpopular, you would have a second transcript listing only this experience. UMBC students are welcome to register for PRAC 098 through the Career Center, or the PRAC Public Service Scholars through the Shriver Center.
Unfortunately, due to the short time period of the fellowship, opportunities for learning, and cohort model, we do not grant vacation time off. We understand that family time is important and hope that you’ll be able to spend time with them before and after the fellowship. The time you spend in the fellowship will significantly benefit you, and we think you’ll look back on the time fondly.
Stipends are distributed 2 or 3 times throughout the program. The first stipend will always be in the form of a paper check, regardless of if you completed a direct deposit form. The exception to this is if you are already employed by UMBC or another school in the USM system (usually) and were enrolled in direct deposit prior to this program.
Housing is not provided for fellows. It is up to the fellows to arrange housing prior to the start of the fellowship. Students who live out of state or far from central Maryland in need of housing should consider subletting close to their internship. You are also encouraged to reach out to your institution’s career center and residential life office and see what options they may suggest.

We do our best to recruit host sites from across the state though many are concentrated in the greater Annapolis/Baltimore areas (especially for GSIP and MDOT). It is the responsibility of the fellow to be able to get to and from your site placement. With most internships being hybrid, and orientation, seminars, and events occasionally held in-person fellows should expect to be needed in Central Maryland 2-3 days a week (Baltimore or Annapolis region). If accepted you will be asked to keep this in mind when selecting your host site preferences, which will indicate accessibility by public transportation in the description.

Some seminars and orientations will be held at UMBC, just outside of Baltimore. or other locations in the Central Maryland region. The campus is accessible by public transportation. If you do not own a car, it is still your responsibility to attend these seminars. Transportation to any seminars, meetings, and excursions that are held off-site will be provided from UMBC or carpools will be arranged.

International students on an F-1 visa may be eligible to participate in the program through Curricular Practical Training (CPT), provided their role aligns directly with their degree program.

CPT Eligibility: F-1 students become eligible for CPT after completing two full-time semesters in the U.S. They must apply through their school’s international office, which grants authorization on a semester-by-semester basis.

Process:

Because CPT requires that the position directly align with a student’s degree program, accepted students who plan to pursue CPT should notify MPSS staff immediately. Program staff will work with the student to identify a placement that meets this requirement; however, placement in an eligible position cannot be guaranteed.

Once a specific position is identified, the student must submit a CPT application to their school’s international office, including details about the employer and position. If approved, they will receive authorization to work for that specific employer.

International students on any other visa should contact publicservicescholars@umbc.edu to inquire about their eligibility.