Programs

Programs

The Naval Postgraduate School offers several degree programs outlined below.

Eligibility

NPS offers the following degrees: Master of Arts, Master of Science and Engineer.

Programs can be viewed below:

The Naval Postgraduate School offers a wide variety of first-class graduate degree programs to eligible U.S. military students, international students, Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees and a limited number of defense contractors. If you are an international applicant, please visit the International Graduate Programs Office (IGPO) page.

An applicant is eligible to be considered for admission if they possess an accredited baccalaureate degree, preferably from an institution that holds institutional accreditation from one of the six regional agencies or shall have completed equivalent academic preparation as determined by appropriate campus authorities.

Some departments have additional application requirements, which are outlined in the Academic Catalog. The general requirement is:

  • A minimum grade point average of 2.2 on a 4.0 system, of which 75 semester hours/112 quarter hours must be letter-graded.
  • For programs that require GRE scores, the test scores are evaluated by the applicable department and not by our office.

 

Application Requirements

You must submit an application, additional requirements are found on the Apply page.

After submitting an application, official transcripts must be ordered from all attended undergraduate and graduate institutions and delivered from the institution(s) directly to NPS Admissions. Transcripts must come directly from the institution or their designated transcript exchange service, we do not accept transcripts submitted by the applicant.

GRE Scores, dating back to a max of 5 years, are required for Federal Civilians applying to National Security Affairs curriculums 681–693. Use Institutional Code 4831 to have your scores automatically sent to NPS.

 

Engineer Degree

Typically requires one year of study beyond the master's degree.

*Apart from institutional accreditation, the Electrical, Mechanical and Astronautical Engineering degree programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Committee of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 – telephone: (410) 347-7700.

Eligibility

NPS doctoral degree programs are available to officers of most U.S. military services and civilian employees of the government. If you are an international applicant, please visit the International Graduate Programs Office (IGPO) page.

Programs can be viewed below:

An applicant is eligible to be considered for admission if they possess an accredited baccalaureate degree, preferably from an institution that holds institutional accreditation from one of the six regional agencies or shall have completed equivalent academic preparation as determined by appropriate campus authorities.

  • Applicants for the PhD in Security Studies must possess a master's degree in Security Studies or a closely related field.

The annual NAVADMIN and MARADMIN announces the call for USN and USMC officers to apply to PhD programs under the annual USN PMP or Doctoral Studies Program or under the USMC Doctor of Philosophy Technical Program (PHDP-T). Please refer to the annual NAVADMIN announcement for available programs and eligibility requirements.

 

Application Requirements

You must submit an application.

After submitting an application, official transcripts must be ordered from all attended undergraduate and graduate institutions and delivered from the institution(s) directly to NPS Admissions. Transcripts must come directly from the institution or their designated transcript exchange service, we do not accept transcripts submitted by the applicant.

GRE Scores, dating back to a max of 5 years, are required for anyone applying to a PhD program. Use Institutional Code 4831 to have your scores automatically sent to NPS.

A letter of intent (200 words or fewer) of specific areas of interest within the proposed major field of study.

Two letters of recommendation regarding academic potential. Three letters are required for Information Sciences (Curriculums 473/474).

A writing sample from applicants pursuing the following programs: Modeling, Virtual Environments & Simulation (Curriculum 398), Systems Engineering (Curriculum 582) and Security Studies (Curriculum 694).

  • This sample of expository writing may be a master's thesis or paper that you published in a journal or conference proceeding or some other writing example from a class or work project that you alone authored, and which best exemplifies your ability to do advanced academic work.

The letter of intent, letters of recommendation, and writing sample should all be emailed as PDF attachments to admissions@nps.edu. Your application status will remain incomplete and will not be advanced for review until all admission requirements have been satisfied. We will contact you about any missing documentation.

 

Additional Information

Applicants should review the Academic Catalog for specific application and admission timelines pertaining to their intended PhD program. PhD applicants for the Security Studies program should note that although the program accepts applications year-round, admissions decisions are made twice yearly–in March and September.

If you have additional questions, please contact us at admissions@nps.edu.

Please visit the Distance Learning website for more information.