Students with advanced degrees from an accredited college or university must be nominated by an appropriate dean, chairperson, or program director of their graduate program.

Department components have identified approximately 57 career opportunities for PMIs from the Class of 2001. These opportunities were published in the 2001 PMI Program Handbook of Positions recently published by the Office of Personnel Management and provided to PMI Program finalists.

PMIs receive an initial two-year excepted service appointment at the grade GS-09 level ($36,656 per year in 2001), and are eligible for the usual benefits. After successful completion of the first year, PMIs are eligible for promotion to GS-11 ($44,352 per year in 2001). Upon successful completion of the two-year internship, PMIs are eligible for non-competitive conversion to career or career-conditional appointment.

Components must reimburse OPM's PMI Program Office $4,800.00, for each intern, within 30 days of a PMI appointment for costs associated with the recruitment, selection, placement, orientation and graduation of PMIs. This fee does not cover travel and per diem expenses associated with attendance at the orientation and graduation. Agencies are expected to cover these costs for their PMIs. Use the Reimbursement for PMI Hires Form 1616 to make reimbursements to OPM's PMI Program Office.

The PMI program is designed to recruit, place, and develop interns to be future high-level Federal Managers. The Department places interns in positions which have career paths providing professional growth through work in line programs, management support activities, and especially line management offices. Positions of this nature generally have career ladders at or above grade GS-12. At the completion of the two-year internship an agency may convert successful PMIs to career or career-conditional appointment at grade GS-12. Interns who are converted to permanent competitive service positions may be subsequently promoted without further competition within their career ladders. These promotions are an exception to competitive merit promotion procedures.

By regulation, interns receive a minimum of 80-hours training per year, at least one rotational assignment, and are placed under an Individual Development Plan to formalize training and development opportunities.

Executive Order 12008 (1977) and   5 CFR, Part 362, Subpart A and Subpart B.