For Graduate Students
Information Sessions
All interested students are encouraged to attend an Archer Program information session. For the 2022-2023 application cycle, information sessions will be held both virtually through video conference and in person. You can sign up to attend an information session in The Archer Center website. Please sign up for your session by 8:30 a.m. on the day of the session. Archer Center staff will send you a link to participate in the session on the day of the event. Please only RSVP for information sessions specific to UTRGV. Can't make a session? Reach out to archeradmissions@utsystem.edu.
Program Details
The Archer Graduate Fellowship provides a unique academic experience, which includes the classes below. All Graduate Archer Fellows enroll in the same nine hours.
Graduate Archer Fellows will also participate in a specialized working group in one of four topic areas, which may vary from year to year. These working groups enable Fellows to connect with policy leaders in their field through policy round tables and tailored policy research projects. In addition, these working groups foster research and policy collaboration between Fellows. Each policy working group is supervised by a lecturer.
Inside Washington: Policymaking from the Ground Up - 3 credit hours
This course provides Archer Center Graduate Fellows with an overview of the U.S. federal policymaking process and the various public/private stakeholders and institutions that participate in this process. Specifically, the course focuses on three key elements of federal policymaking: separation of powers and original constitutional intent, influencing federal policy, and creating effective advocacy strategies. Students will examine a sampling of the extensive literature on political theory/philosophy, political institutions, political behavior, public policy and public administration. Students will also meet regularly with practitioners, such as officials from Congress, the White House, executive branch agencies, think tanks, organized interest groups, media/communications and lobbying firms.
Archer Center Washington Internship - 3 credit hours
Dr. Joel Swerdlow and Dr. Michelle Chin
This course consists of an internship in a governmental or non-governmental organization in Washington, D.C. The student is expected to work full-time (40 hours a week) at the internship, which may be paid or unpaid. Students are responsible for seeking and selecting their internships. The Archer Center does not guarantee any internship placements, but Archer Center faculty and staff will provide students with information about internship opportunities and advice about placements. The Archer Center faculty meet regularly with students to debrief and to integrate this practical training with other lessons in professional development.
Archer Center Independent Study and Research - 3 credit hours
This course is tailored to each student’s graduate program of study. An Archer Center faculty member will work independently with each student to develop a research project that is designed to advance the student’s academic and research goals. The project will align with the requirements of the student’s graduate degree. Individually, Fellows will identify a policy problem and develop and describe strategies for assessing the policy problem, develop strategies for resolving or addressing the policy problem, and determine linkages between specific academic/research interests, knowledge resources in the D.C. area, and their internship experiences. Collectively, as part of a policy working group, Fellows will read additional material specific to their policy area as a group and congregate to discuss and review each other’s work, with the objective of enabling cross-pollination, recognizing inter- and intra-disciplinary linkages and divergences, and providing a forum for networking.
Applying
The application deadline for summer 2023 is Thursday, November 3, 2022 by 11:59 PM CST
Graduate Archer Fellowship Program interviews will take place on UT System campuses from November through early December 2022. Students selected to participate in the program will be notified on or before Wednesday, December 15, 2022.
Please visit the Archer Center's application guidelines page to learn more about the application requirements. Candidates are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the application requirements and guidelines well before the deadline. If you have any questions about the application process, you can contact your campus coordinator or reach out to the Archer Center at archeradmissions@utsystem.edu.
Interviewing
After the application deadline, finalists will be invited to interview with a committee consisting of faculty and administrators from UTRGV and Archer Center staff. The Archer Center encourages you to prepare and practice for your interview. View the Interviewing page for tips on presenting your best self during a panel interview.