Naval Postgraduate School
Encyclopedia
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is an accredited research university operated by the United States Navy
. Located in Monterey, California
, it grants master's degrees, Engineer's degree
s and doctoral degrees. The school also offers research fellowship opportunities at the postdoctoral level through the National Research Council research associateship program.
The NPS student population is mostly active-duty officers from all branches of the U.S. Military, although U.S. Government civilians and members of foreign militaries can also matriculate under a variety of programs. Most of the faculty are civilians.
The Air Force Institute of Technology
(AFIT) serves a similar purpose. The United States Army does not have a similar institution, choosing instead to send its members to either NPS, AFIT or civilian institutions.
NPS and AFIT should not be confused with military Staff college
or War College
. The functions are significantly different. NPS and AFIT concentrate on topics traditionally associated with civilian graduate schools, focusing on their application to the military where as Staff Colleges and War Colleges concentrate instead on staff functions, civil-military affairs, tactics and strategy.
Under a recent joint agreement between the Air Force and Navy, and codified by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure
Commission, AFIT and the Naval Postgraduate School have realigned their academic programs to reduce duplication, and both schools will be under the oversight of a common oversight panel. As an example of the consolidation, Navy officers are sent to learn aeronautical engineering at AFIT, while the Air Force officers learn meteorology at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Prior to being purchased by the U.S. Government, the school's campus was operated as the Del Monte Hotel. Some NPS buildings and the cactus garden date from that time.
NPS also operates an active Distributed Learning Program and Executive Education Programs for US warfighters and Civilian Government employees.
at Annapolis, Maryland
.
On 31 October 1912, Meyer signed Navy General Order No. 233, which renamed the school the Postgraduate Department of the United States Naval Academy. The order established courses of study in ordnance and gunnery, electrical engineering
, radio telegraphy, naval construction
, and civil engineering
as well as continuing the original program in marine engineering.
During World War II, Fleet Admiral Ernest King
, chief of naval operations and commander-in-chief of both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, established a commission to review the role of graduate education in the Navy. In 1945, Congress passed legislation to make the school a fully accredited, degree-granting graduate institution. Two years later, Congress adopted legislation authorizing the purchase of an independent campus for the school.
A post-war review team, which had examined 25 sites nationwide, had recommended the old Hotel Del Monte in Monterey as a new home for the Postgraduate School. Negotiations with the Del Monte Properties Company led to the purchase of the hotel and 627 acres (2.5 km²) of surrounding land for $2.13 million.
In December 1951, the Postgraduate School moved across the nation, establishing its current campus in Monterey. Today, the school has over 40 programs of study including highly regarded M.S and PhD programs in electrical and computer engineering (NRC Ranking 68,), mechanical and astronautical engineering (NRC Ranking 30), systems engineering, space systems and satellite engineering, physics, oceanography (NRC Ranking 22), meteorology, applied mathematics, computer science
(NRC Ranking 83), operations research
, business and public policy (AACSB and NASPAA accredited, US News ranking 45), international relations, and other disciplines, all with an emphasis on military applications. The Space Systems Academic Group of NPS has graduated thirty-three astronauts, more than any other graduate school in the country. NPS is home to the Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research (CISR) and the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS). CISR is America's foremost center for defense-related research and education in Information Assurance (IA), Inherently Trustworthy Systems (ITC), and defensive information warfare; and CHDS provides the first homeland security master's degree in the United States.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Located in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, it grants master's degrees, Engineer's degree
Engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering that is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, and a few institutions in the United States....
s and doctoral degrees. The school also offers research fellowship opportunities at the postdoctoral level through the National Research Council research associateship program.
The NPS student population is mostly active-duty officers from all branches of the U.S. Military, although U.S. Government civilians and members of foreign militaries can also matriculate under a variety of programs. Most of the faculty are civilians.
The Air Force Institute of Technology
Air Force Institute of Technology
The Air Force Institute of Technology is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Force. It is located on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT has been...
(AFIT) serves a similar purpose. The United States Army does not have a similar institution, choosing instead to send its members to either NPS, AFIT or civilian institutions.
NPS and AFIT should not be confused with military Staff college
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
or War College
War College
A War College is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders...
. The functions are significantly different. NPS and AFIT concentrate on topics traditionally associated with civilian graduate schools, focusing on their application to the military where as Staff Colleges and War Colleges concentrate instead on staff functions, civil-military affairs, tactics and strategy.
Under a recent joint agreement between the Air Force and Navy, and codified by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
Commission, AFIT and the Naval Postgraduate School have realigned their academic programs to reduce duplication, and both schools will be under the oversight of a common oversight panel. As an example of the consolidation, Navy officers are sent to learn aeronautical engineering at AFIT, while the Air Force officers learn meteorology at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Prior to being purchased by the U.S. Government, the school's campus was operated as the Del Monte Hotel. Some NPS buildings and the cactus garden date from that time.
Academic structure
NPS offers graduate programs through four graduate schools and 12 departments. The different schools and departments each offer various PhD and M.S. level degrees:- Graduate School of Business & Public Policy Web page, includes the following departments:
- Acquisition Management
- Enterprise Management
- Financial Management
- Management
- Manpower and Economics
- Operations and Logistics Management
- Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Sciences Web page, includes the following departments:
- Applied Mathematics Department Web page
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Web Page
- Mechanical and Astronautical Engineering Department Web page
- Meteorology Department Web page
- Oceanography Department Web page
- Physics Department Web page
- Systems Engineering Department Web page
- Space Systems Academic Group Web page
- Navigation Systems Engineering Institute Web page
- Under Sea Warfare Systems Academic Committee Web page
- Remote Sensing CenterRemote Sensing CenterThe Remote Sensing Center at the Naval Postgraduate School was established to bring together a range of capabilities and expertise to address problems of military and intelligence importance, as well as environmental and civil concerns...
Web page - Spacecraft Robotics Laboratory Web page
- Graduate School of Operational & Information Sciences Web page, includes the following departments:
- Computer Sciences Department
- Defense Analysis Department
- Information Sciences Department
- Operations Research Department
- School of International Graduate Studies Web page, operates multiple centers, including:
- National Security Affairs Academic Program
- Defense Resource Management Institute
- Center for Contemporary Conflict
- Center for Civil Military Relations Web page
- Center for Stabilization Reconstruction and Studies Web page
- Leadership Development and Education for Sustained Peace Web page
- International Defense and Acquisition Resource Management Web page
- Center for Homeland Defense and Security Web page
- International Graduate Program Office
- Program for Culture & Conflict Studies Web page
- Center for Homeland Defense & Security
NPS also operates an active Distributed Learning Program and Executive Education Programs for US warfighters and Civilian Government employees.
History
On 9 June 1909, Secretary of the Navy George von L. Meyer signed General Order No. 27, establishing a school of marine engineeringMarine propulsion
Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a ship or boat across water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting a motor or engine turning a propeller, or less frequently, in jet...
at Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
.
On 31 October 1912, Meyer signed Navy General Order No. 233, which renamed the school the Postgraduate Department of the United States Naval Academy. The order established courses of study in ordnance and gunnery, electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, radio telegraphy, naval construction
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
, and civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
as well as continuing the original program in marine engineering.
During World War II, Fleet Admiral Ernest King
Ernest King
Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. As COMINCH, he directed the United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the U.S...
, chief of naval operations and commander-in-chief of both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, established a commission to review the role of graduate education in the Navy. In 1945, Congress passed legislation to make the school a fully accredited, degree-granting graduate institution. Two years later, Congress adopted legislation authorizing the purchase of an independent campus for the school.
A post-war review team, which had examined 25 sites nationwide, had recommended the old Hotel Del Monte in Monterey as a new home for the Postgraduate School. Negotiations with the Del Monte Properties Company led to the purchase of the hotel and 627 acres (2.5 km²) of surrounding land for $2.13 million.
In December 1951, the Postgraduate School moved across the nation, establishing its current campus in Monterey. Today, the school has over 40 programs of study including highly regarded M.S and PhD programs in electrical and computer engineering (NRC Ranking 68,), mechanical and astronautical engineering (NRC Ranking 30), systems engineering, space systems and satellite engineering, physics, oceanography (NRC Ranking 22), meteorology, applied mathematics, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
(NRC Ranking 83), operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
, business and public policy (AACSB and NASPAA accredited, US News ranking 45), international relations, and other disciplines, all with an emphasis on military applications. The Space Systems Academic Group of NPS has graduated thirty-three astronauts, more than any other graduate school in the country. NPS is home to the Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research (CISR) and the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS). CISR is America's foremost center for defense-related research and education in Information Assurance (IA), Inherently Trustworthy Systems (ITC), and defensive information warfare; and CHDS provides the first homeland security master's degree in the United States.
See also
- America's ArmyAmerica's ArmyAmerica's Army is a series of video games and other media developed by the United States Army and released as a global public relations initiative to help with recruitment. America's Army was conceived by Colonel Casey Wardynski and is managed by the U.S...
, a training video game developed at the MOVES Institute at NPS - Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography CenterFleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography CenterThe Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center , known prior to 1995 as the Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center , is a meteorological and oceanographic center located in Monterey, California...
- Richard HammingRichard HammingRichard Wesley Hamming was an American mathematician whose work had many implications for computer science and telecommunications...
- Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Asymmetric Warfare (CAW)Center for Asymmetric Warfare (CAW)The Center for Asymmetric Warfare was established in 1999. CAW is a U.S. Navy entity dedicated to supporting U.S. military forces, as well as local, state, and federal organizations, in countering and controlling the effects of asymmetric warfare, and in support of the Global War on Terrorism...
- Official NPS Academic Calendar