The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) announced the official renaming of its nationally-recognized business school to the Graduate School of Defense Management (GSDM), effective Oct. 1, in an effort to better signal its unique defense-focused identity and mission to strategic stakeholders and its academic peers.
The university has a long history in offering graduate degrees in management, with emphases in varied, DOD-relevant areas. Over time, a portfolio of management and business programs were formed into a single school, the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy in 2001.
But the current security environment has necessitated a change, school leaders say.
“NPS has a long history of providing highly-respected graduate education in varied management disciplines. These unique curricula have evolved to meet current and emerging challenges in the defense sector,” said Dr. Steven Lerman, NPS Provost and Academic Dean. “This change of name to the Graduate School of Defense Management provides a more accurate description of these programs and our unwavering commitment of relevance to national security and the DOD.”
The Graduate School of Defense Management provides students from across the Navy and Marine Corps, DOD, and civilians and international students as well, with a unique, 18-month Master of Business Administration or Master of Science in Management in several specialized fields. It’s all part of its mission to provide intellectual leaders to organizations concerned with defense business management practices and policies.
GSDM offers degree programs in nine different fields, ranging from logistics to information technology management to manpower, as well as three, unique distance learning programs.
“At the Graduate School of Defense Management, we strive for intellectual leadership in the business of defense in critically-relevant disciplines,” said GSDM Dean Keith Snider. “We prepare our graduates to lead and manage the complex organizations and critical processes that contribute to the nation’s defense.
“Our world-class faculty delivers high-quality interdisciplinary graduate education, conducts rigorous and relevant research, and provides tailored service to the Department and to their academic disciplines,” he continued.
The Graduate School of Defense Management supports a cadre of more than 60 professors, assistant professors and lecturers representing a diverse background of expertise and experiences, ranging from active-duty military members to industry professionals to seasoned academics. And school leaders say they recently launched a number of new programs that they believe answer an immediate and growing need in the DOD.
“Along with our new name, we’re moving forward with several exciting educational initiatives that support the Secretary of the Navy’s Education for Seapower strategy,” said Snider. “Specifically, we’ve developed new graduate certificate programs in areas such as data analytics, strategic leadership, policy analysis, and advanced acquisition management – and students will have the option to stack multiple certificates to obtain a master’s degree.
“We’ll deliver these certificates in ways that promote a flexible educational experience suited for the needs of working professionals in the DoD and other Federal agencies,” he added.
Released in February of this year, the Department of the Navy Education for Seapower Initiative include inputs from experts on learning throughout the DOD, NPS’ own President Vice Adm. (ret.) Ann Rondeau, on strategies and actions to help pave the way for new education practices, as well as fresh look at the relationships with civilian academic institutions and corporate learning structures.
For more information on the Graduate School of Defense Management, including its programs and research opportunities, visit its website at: https://nps.edu/gsdm.