Photo: Cadet David Hardcastle, ’22, with his longboard at Capitol Hill

Sign up by Dec. 15 to spend springtime in DC

Living and learning in the city that runs America, for the essentially the same price you’re spending on a semester’s tuition, isn’t an opportunity that comes everyday…unless you attend The Citadel. Cadets and students majoring in Political Science or Intelligence and Security Studies, with a minimum grade point average of 2.5, are eligible for The Citadel in D.C. one-semester program.

“Studying in D.C. this semester is helping me make important and meaningful connections that I otherwise would likely have not made,” said Cadet David Hardcastle. He is an Intelligence and Security Studies major who expects to graduate in May with the Class of 2022. “I think the most compelling thing about The Citadel in D.C. experience is the independence we have here.”

Intelligence and Securities Studies professor, Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, Ph.D., who directs The Citadel in D.C. program, says 90% of a student’s time there is spent outside of the classroom, as a group. “It’s the exposure to the inner-workings of the nation’s capitol, including access to embassies, leading figures on Capitol Hill and experts in international affairs, intelligence and diplomacy that really make an impact on the cadets and students who come here for a semester.”

Hardcastle’s career goal? “My goal is simply to contribute to and help those in need. My internship here in D.C. is with Parents for Peace. There I’m learning some niche communications and problem-solving skills that are specific to the intelligence and counter-terrorism community, though I cannot reveal any more than that due to the privacy agreements related to the opportunity,” he said.

There are about 12 cadets and students studying in D.C. each semester. Every person in The Citadel in D.C. program engages in an internship aligned with their career interests, during their semester there, with the help of The Citadel Career Center.

Examples of just some of the other internship sites The Citadel in D.C. students have experienced include:

• CIA (Internship for 2021 now open) 
• FBI
• Intelligence Careers
• Washington Nationals
• US Department of State
• Smithsonian Institute
• National Geographic
• National Institutes of Health
• Democratic Cloakroom
• DC Metropolitan Police
• Department of Homeland Security
• General Dynamic Information Technology
• Institute of World Politics
• US House of Representatives
• US Senate (Tim Scott – Lindsey Graham – Richard Burr) 
• The White House Internship Program

“It a phenomenal opportunity for any cadet to live amongst others in the ‘real world’ outside of The Citadel for a semester. It broadens your perspective,” Hardcastle added.

How does it work?

The full course offerings, providing 9 credit hours for Political Science and Intelligence and Security Studies students can be seen here.

The tuition a cadet or student is already paying to attend The Citadel covers all living and travel expenses, other than food, for the semester in D.C. Food costs will be deducted from your tuition amount. Students in the program stay in WISH program housing, in Capitol Hill Classic Houses. There is an additional $500 program fee, not covered by tuition.

Spring schedule

Those studying in DC for the spring semester will follow The Citadel’s normal 2021-22 academic calendar. You’ll move into your living quarters on Jan. 15, have a day of orientation, then begin the class schedule Jan. 19. Internships will begin after that, depending on the location. Classes end April 20, and you’ll move out April 29 or 30.

To learn more about studying with The Citadel in DC or to sign up, contact studyabroad@citadel.edu, or email the program head, Dr. Muhamamd Fraser-Rahim, at hfrasera@citadel.edu. The deadline is Dec. 15.

Summertime option

The Citadel in DC Summer Program is a 10-week program in Washington DC from June – August. This experience also involves living, learning and interning in DC. Cadets and students can earn up to 9 academic credits — 3 academic and 6 internship credits — in the summer section. Contact studyabroad@citadel.edu for more information.