The Knauss Legislative Fellowship: Why It Might Be Right For You

The Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program gives graduate students with an interest in marine science a unique opportunity to spend a year working for the federal government in Washington, D.C. Fellows can request placements in the legislative or executive branches. Of the approximately 60 Knauss fellowships awarded annually, 12 fellows are placed in Congress.

Why should you consider requesting a legislative placement? What do legislative fellows do? We asked some of them.

You can hear their answers in this Maryland Sea Grant video and read additional comments in the fact sheet below.

Maryland Sea Grant produced this video and fact sheet in part because, according to a survey we did in 2017 of Knauss fellowship alumni, many executive-branch fellows did not request a legislative-branch placement because they did not know what legislative fellows do.

Which type of placement to request depends on your interests, and both kinds offer fellows great opportunities. Before you choose, you can benefit from considering information about both.

Additional information about the Knauss fellowship is available from Maryland Sea Grant and the National Sea Grant Office.

Note: The fact sheet includes comments originally shared with the National Sea Grant Office by alumni of the Knauss fellowship.