NPS VALUE PROPOSITION

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is the Department of the Navy’s applied research university. As a nexus of Naval research, education and innovation, NPS is focused on defense-unique needs and is a strategic capability. NPS is the premier source for thought leadership, innovative solutions and military leaders prepared to excel across the spectrum of competition and the all-domain battlespace. 

NPS ensures the technological leadership of future forces. Since its inception in 1909, the core purpose for NPS has not changed— to provide Naval officers with a unique, advanced graduate education and research experience oriented toward advanced critical thinking and detailed technical capabilities grounded in their duties as Naval warfighters. NPS is now, and has always been, an institution to advance the efficacy of the Naval service. 

The NPS Value Proposition: NPS synchronizes student operational experience and graduate education with applied research and faculty expertise, to deliver twice the return on educational investment: relevant warfighting solutions, and leaders educated to employ them.

THE NPS STUDENT 

NPS students are operationally experienced, mid-career officers, many with recent combat experience. At NPS we teach our students how to think critically and connect strategically. They become proficient at navigating uncertainty, comfortable with ambiguity and skilled at thinking about employing new techniques and technologies in situations they have not thought about before. 

More than half of NPS students are officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, with significant representation from the other U.S. Armed Forces and DOD agency civilians studying side-by-side with international officers from 20-40 nations at any given time, as well as homeland security practitioners from across the nation. 

These students are the world’s military and civilian leaders of tomorrow, and have been selected to study in NPS’ degree and certificate programs that prepare students for the next phase of their careers. Graduates apply their solutions and learning upon returning to the Fleet and operational forces.

DEFENSE-FOCUSED RESEARCH 

Collaborative research programs with wide-reaching applications make NPS a world leader in defense-focused graduate education. With numerous centers and academic groups conducting research in diverse areas, students can study everything from defense-related business practices to spaceship design. Most centers take a multidisciplinary approach with advisors from a variety of complimentary disciplines working together to tackle tough defense-related issues. The ever-expanding range of cutting-edge programs and accompanying sponsored research inspire operationallyexperienced student researchers to look forward into the future. 

FACULTY AT NPS 

Approximately 580 scholars and professionals comprise the NPS faculty population, with 230 tenured or tenure-track professors at the university. Civilian academics at NPS are drawn from the nation’s most prestigious educational institutions, with our active-duty faculty through the Permanent Military Professor program broad diversity of educational institutions and represent a prestigious collection of scholars. Faculty and student interaction is high with every class taught directly by a faculty member. 

Throughout the university, senior military officers across a spectrum of operator communities serve as NPS Warfare Chairs, bringing detailed experience and relevance to NPS education and research programs. In addition, agencies such as NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office, Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency bring in security collaborations. To strengthen program relevance and to expedite research successes at NPS, a robust mix of tenured faculty, lecturers and visiting professionals integrate teaching with research, demonstrating the immediate applicability of defense-related theories to defense-related solutions, many times resulting in patent-eligible technologies. 

ALUMNI 

NPS boasts alumni from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and well over 100 nations worldwide. NPS graduates are Admirals and astronauts; military, business and community leaders; and defense and homeland security professionals that impact the nation every day. The NPS Distinguished Alumnus Award is granted to those whose professional achievements are significant, while the NPS Hall of Fame Award recognizes alumni or friends who have benefited our society, nation and the university with exemplary careers in public service. To date, 24 honorees representing a chief of naval operations, a commander of special operations forces, admirals, generals, defense scientists, and a mayor and judge have been inducted into the NPS Hall of Fame.

ONLY NPS 

The Naval Postgraduate School truly is a one-of-a-kind university. NPS is Responsive to operational needs through Interdisciplinary educational programs that are unlike any at a civilian university. NPS complements the Naval research enterprise through Applied research, leading to Innovative solutions to relevant problems. NPS offers Classified coursework and research in controlled laboratories on a Secure campus. And this is all accomplished in a diverse interservice, interagency and international military and academic environment.

Our decisive edge is enabled by applied research and high-quality education for our officers and workforce. NPS is the catalyst for this critical fusion and is a competitive advantage for our Naval forces and nation. Research drives technological advantage. Education drives intellectual dominance. Only NPS does both. Combined, we deliver technological leadership.