The Hubert H. Humphrey (HHH) Fellowship is a one-year non-degree graduate-level study and professional development program for accomplished mid-career professionals with proven track record in leadership, public service commitment, and the capacity to take full advantage of a self-defined program of independent study. Throughout the year, fellows pursue individual program goals through university coursework, conferences, networking, and practical work experiences. Unlike a typical graduate school experience, the HHH encourages fellows to travel away from their host campus to deepen about American culture and network with their peers.

Fields of Study

• Human and Institutional Capacity
  • Economic Policy and Finance
    • Humphrey Fellows work in multi-disciplinary fields that focus on developing solutions to economic challenges in their communities and countries, including industrial issues, job creation, and other areas. They also serve in leadership roles in the field of finance and banking, such as managing financial institutions, developing public-private partnerships, and transnational finance.
  • Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration
    • Humphrey Fellows work on an array of critical public policy and administrative topics in multiple disciplines across local, regional, and national levels. They address issues including regional economic and workforce planning, domestic and foreign policy, and financial management in public and non-profit organizations.
  • Technology Policy and Management
    • Humphrey Fellows serve as technology educators, chief information officers, policy advisors, engineers, and urban planners. They formulate technology policy and manage scientific and technological change at local, regional, and national levels.
• Sustainable Lands
  • Agricultural and Rural Development
    • Humphrey Fellows develop best practices and share knowledge in the field of agriculture and food system development to improve agricultural and rural development in their countries, fostering more resilient global food systems.
  • Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
    • Humphrey Fellows work as policy makers and practitioners across multiple disciplines to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events and manage natural and environmental resources effectively.
  • Urban and Regional Planning
    • Humphrey Fellows work as architects, engineers, planners, urban designers, urban economists and sociologists, and historic preservation specialists in fields such as land use and urban finance management, to advance their country's urban and regional planning development.
• Thriving Communities
  • Public Health Policy and Management
    • Humphrey Fellows serve in a range of capacities, such as health policymakers, physicians, clinicians with management responsibilities, health educators, and practitioners with policy-making responsibilities, that promote public health education and effective public health policies and management in their communities and countries.
  • Substance Abuse Education and Policy
    • Humphrey Fellows work in specialized areas such as community-based treatment and prevention programs, hospitals, and local or national policy agencies, that focus on problems of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use as well as broader areas of public health that relate to substance abuse, such as HIV/AIDS, mental health, medicine, psychology, social work, and counseling.
  • Educational Administration, Planning and Policy
    • Humphrey Fellows work in areas including primary and secondary education curriculum development, program design, adult learning, and teacher training, that contribute to education planning, policy development, and reform implementation and will leverage the U.S. education system. Some Humphrey Fellows also may serve as senior educators in the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
• Rights and Freedoms
  • Communications/Journalism
    • Humphrey Fellows work in media and communications fields, such as investigative journalism, public broadcasting, and public relations, to foster and facilitate press freedom and transparent media in their countries.
  • Law and Human Rights
    • Humphrey Fellows work as attorneys, judges, and in the non-governmental sector to advance the rule of law and protect individual freedoms.

Fellowship Provisions

• Payment of tuition and fees at the assigned host university
• Pre-academic English language training, if required
• A living allowance, including a one-time settling-in allowance.
• Accident and sickness coverage
• A book allowance.
• A one-time computer subsidy
• Air travel (international travel to and from the U.S. for the Program and domestic travel to required program events)
• Professional Development allowance for professional activities

Eligibility Criteria

• Individuals must have a first university degree (equivalent of a bachelor’s or undergraduate degree) in leadership positions who have demonstrated a commitment to public service and the potential for professional advancement.
• Individuals must have at least five years of full-time professional experience beyond attainment of a first university/undergraduate degree.
• University teachers must have management or policy responsibilities, except for teachers of English as a foreign language, and specialists in substance abuse prevention and treatment.
• Individuals with dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status are ineligible.
• Individuals must hold a passport (or be eligible to hold a passport) of the country nominating them.
• Have not attended a graduate school in the United States for one academic year or more during the seven years.
• Have not had more than six months of U.S. experience during the five years.
• Have not participated in a State Department exchange programs within the last three years.
• And is not an employee or relative of an employee of any U.S. Government agency in Botswana.
• Additionally, candidates must demonstrate:
  • Leadership Ability – Successful candidates should have achieved positions of significant responsibility at the national, regional, or local level and show clear promise to assume greater future leadership roles.
  • Commitment to Public Service – Candidates’ careers must reflect a present and future commitment to public service, broadly defined, in the public, NGO, or private sector of their home country.
  • Candidate’s Objectives and Program Plan – The candidate’s stated objectives should be consistent with the overarching goals of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. This program is not designed for applicants wishing to complete a degree or pursue research within traditional academic disciplines.
  • Professional Qualifications – The nature and quality of the candidate’s professional experience should be commensurate with the type of training and study experience they seeks. Candidates should be policy makers, managers, and/or administrators, not technicians (except for substance abuse candidates) or researchers.
  • Capacity to Benefit from the Program – Candidates must have a minimum of five years of full-time professional experience beyond the university degree and a record of superior performance.
  • Need for the Program – Candidates should demonstrate how they can benefit from the program in ways that they have not already experienced.
  • English Language Proficiency – The selected candidates will be provided with vouchers to test their proficiency in English as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT). Candidates with insufficient testing scores may be provided with English language training in the United States prior to beginning the program at their host university.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Botswana.