Navy Education Programs for College
There are a few different ways that the Navy can help further your education. There are schools and programs to further educate yourself and work towards the career you would like to have. Here are some of the Navy Education Programs to help you achieve your career goals.
Navy Education Programs
The following are Navy Education Programs for those currently serving.
Navy Community College (USNCC)
The U.S. Naval Community College “works with active duty enlisted Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen as well as Coast Guard Reservists to apply credits earned from military training and prior education toward their associate degree” according to the official site.
The USNCC offers a Naval Studies Certificate that counts as 15 of the 60 credits required for an associate degree. USNCC is “separate from tuition assistance and voluntary education programs, which means the lifetime limit on TA/VOLED credits for service members can be applied toward a bachelor and/or master’s degree according to the U.S. Navy.
Classes are offered online and are provided at no cost, allowing servicemembers to use their GI Bill, Navy Tuition Assistance, and related options for more advanced degrees. Learn more about USNCC.
Navy College Program and Navy Tuition Assistance
With the Navy College program, you can receive academic credit for the training you receive and the work that you perform while you are serving on active duty. This would include classes and coursework completed remotely when you’re deployed, including on ships and submarines.
With Navy Tuition Assistance (TA) they will pay up to 100% of the cost of the courses you take. You will need to attend an accredited college or university, on your own time, and while you are on designated as off-duty.
Both of these programs are available to enlisted sailors and officers but are usually geared toward enlisted service members who don’t already have a degree.
The Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School is a graduate university that offers masters and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study.
- There are 14 academic departments.
- The school is located in Monterey, CA and was established in 1909.
- Students that attend this school are U.S. military students, international students, DoD civilian employees, as well as a limited number of defense contractors.
- The school focuses on technical areas instead of naval tactics or strategy or staff functions.
- There are four Graduate Schools:
- Business and Public Policy
- Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Operational and Information Sciences
- International Graduate Studies
- And 12 deployments:
- Applied Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Defense Analysis
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Information Sciences
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Meteorology
- National Security Affairs
- Oceanography
- Operations Research
- Physics
- Systems Engineering
Navy Education Programs if You Want to Join the Navy
Navy Reserve Officers Training (NROTC)
With the Navy Reserve Officers Training you can apply while in high school or college and receive:
- Up to $180,000 to cover the cost of earning your degree at more than 160 leading colleges and universities.
- Money for tuition, lab fees, and textbooks.
- A monthly spending allowance for up to five years of college.
While in the NROTC program you:
- Can gain valuable skills and leadership experience from a navy perspective.
- Can take a Naval Science course each semester.
- Will participate in once a week drills, wear the navy uniform once a week, and work on community service projects.
- Can attend Summer Cruise Training which allows the student to spend part of their summer alongside navy officers in the field in the areas of Nuclear power, Afloat Aviation, Ashore Aviation, and Foreign Exchange.
Civil Engineer Collegiate Program (CECP)
With the Civil Engineer Collegiate Program, you can receive:
- Up to $139,000 while finishing your degree.
- Regular monthly income ranging from $2,900 to $5,800 for up to two years prior to your graduation.
- Generous military salary.
- Food allowance.
- A housing allowance that is based on the location of the school you attend, average is $3,900 a month.
- Comprehensive military health care benefits.
You would not have to wear a uniform or attend any drill requirements with this program. All service obligations do not start until after graduation. Once you graduate, you will begin the process of being commissioned as a Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer.
Nurse Candidate Program (NCP)
With the Nurse Candidate Program, you can become a nurse in a global healthcare network that promotes patient focused care and humanitarian work.
Officers will receive up to $34,000 to help pay their way through nursing school. This includes an initial grant of $10,000, plus a monthly stipend of $1,000 up to 24 months while earning a degree.
There will be no service obligations until after graduation. Then you will begin the process of being commissioned as a Navy Nurse Corps Officer.
Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program (NUPOC)
With the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program, you can become a part of one of the top nuclear programs in the world.
In addition, you will receive:
- Up to $168,300 while finishing your degree
- Regular monthly income ranging from $3,280 to $5,610 for up to 30 months prior to graduation
- A generous military salary, a food allowance, and housing allowance based on the location of your school
- Comprehensive military health care benefits
There is also no service requirement for this program until after you graduate. Then you will begin the process of becoming commissioned as a Navy Nuclear Officer.
After you are commissioned you can work within any of these career fields:
-
- Submarine Officer
- Surface Warfare Officer
- Naval Reactors Engineer
- Naval Nuclear Power School Instructor
- Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit Instructor
US Naval War College
This school was established in 1884 in Newport, RI as an advanced course of professional study for naval officers.
It is considered professional military education or PME, and “develops leaders at specific stages in their careers from all services, U.S. government agencies and departments, and international navies” according to the official site.
The Naval War College is not open to the general public; “Domestic and international officers, along with select civilian applicants, are typically selected and assigned to the different programs.” according to the official site.
- The college has trained more than 24,000 United States and international military officers and hundreds of federal civilian executives across its six colleges and various academic centers.
- At the school you can receive a Joint Professional Military Education (JPME,) work on Professional Military Education (PME) requirements, earn a diploma or master’s degree, or complete senior leadership, ethics and operational level of war training and education.
- There is also the College of Distance Education offering programs to those who are at sea, abroad, or unable to go to school in New England.
- The colleges and academies are:
- The College of Naval Command and Staff
- The College of Distance Education
- Naval Command College
- The College of Maritime Operational Warfare
- Naval Leadership and Ethics Center
- Naval Staff College
- Senior Enlisted Academy
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About the author
Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.