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Government Careers

After graduation, Government majors find themselves well suited for almost any career path in the Coast Guard. Government majors command cutters and shore stations, head policy offices, negotiate treaties on behalf of the U.S. government, lead regulatory projects, fly aircraft and much more, reflecting the maxim that a liberal undergraduate education recognizes no limits.

Government majors write the policies that impact all levels of waterways governance.
Government majors serve on staff as Judge Advocates (military attorneys), Congressional Staff Liaisons, Intelligence Officers (including as Attaches in US Embassies abroad), Public Affairs Officers, and policy specialists within the Coast Guard’s International Affairs Directorate, as well as the Maritime Transportation System and Waterways Directorate, among many others.
Government majors may take their language, culture and policy skills and work in the International Training Division assisting other nations in setting up their own Coast Guard.
Cadets who score well on the Defense Language Proficiency Test may follow a career path in linguistics or diplomacy.

Graduate Studies

Many Government majors go on to pursue graduate degrees through the Coast Guard after their first tour. Government majors are well prepared to pursue graduate studies in law, public policy, political science, public administration, public affairs, international affairs, security studies, intelligence, history, philosophy, among many other programs.

Recent graduates have attended some of the nation’s most prestigious graduate schools, including:

American University (School of International Service)
Boston University (Department of Philosophy)
Carnegie Mellon (Heinz College of Information Systems, Public Policy and Management)
Duke (Sanford School of Public Policy)
Georgetown University (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
National Intelligence University
Tufts University (Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy)
William and Mary (School of Law)
Yale University (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.