Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California (reserves, Navy, reserve, Marines)

[iknowftbll]

I am wrapping up my master's thesis at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. It has been a great time here. Who can argue with the government stationing you in Monterey (beautiful location!) and PAYING you to earn a Master's Degree that would cost you anywhere from $70K-90K at a civilian university? What's better is that the Marine Corps does job placement that uses the degree. This is done in the form of a specialized "payback tour" which for me will be in Quantico, VA.

Now the reason I bring this up is because I've seen a lot of questions on this forum regarding the benefits of military service. Education is one that is constantly mentioned. But programs such as NPS are often the military's best kept secrets, and I want to get the word out to those who may be interested. I also want to convey to those considering the military that there is literally no limit to the options at your finger tips. Yes, it is a demanding lifestyle, and there are dangers and risks one must accept when joining. But the benefits and opportunities are without peer in the civilian world. I've often told my Marines that if they did not get everything they could out of the Marine Corps, that it was their own fault. NPS is an option that many do not even know about. It gives an officer a chance to further his/her education while contributing to a mission requirement of his/her branch of the service.

What is NPS? NPS is a graduate-level research university proctored by the United States Navy. It's mission is to train leaders for unique challenges facing the DoD. Today's military is not programmed to "shoot everything in sight." This is a precise and deliberate institution that requires intelligent leaders and problem solvers. NPS faculty consists of accomplished research professionals just as you would find at any civilian university. In fact, many of them taught at civilian universities. Others have held high ranking DoD positions. The school has about 1,800 resident students. You can learn more at nps.edu.

Who is eligible? Officers from the regular Armed Forces of the United States and Allies with whom NPS has a service agreement. (Turkey, Greece, and Australia seem to be the most common, though we have students from many more countries than this.) The school is looking to open up seats for senior enlisted members as well, with a pilot program currently running.

Why NPS? The High School Diploma was once the entry-level academic credential required for placement in a "career-level" job. This requirement has slowly grown to the Associate's Degree and Bachelor's Degree. The trend continues, and before long it will take a Master's Degree to be competitive for many of the best jobs. But graduate education is expensive, and for many grad students, balancing classes with part time jobs can be a challenge. Why not make the graduate education itself your job? NPS is a unique situation because you receive the full pay and benefits appropriate to your rank while earning your degree. Plus the degree itself is paid for by the respective branches of the military in which students serve.

What to expect? The curricula at NPS are uniquely DoD charged, but have many civilian applications as well. The school is run on a Quarter system instead of Semester, but be ready to do a semester's worth of work. The school is not easy (well it wasn't for me). The average curricula carries approximately 45% more coursework than similar programs at many civilian universities. And this is crammed into a span of 21 months for my curriculum, 18 for most, and 24 and 27 months for some of the more challenging programs.

Now as I said, I am starting this thread because I want to convey to those considering the military as a career: There are opportunities to be had here! In each branch of the service. The Marine Corps has been a great experience for me, and has pushed me to levels I once thought unachievable. If you are considering the military, find a good fit, do good work and contribute to your unit's mission, and get all that you can out of the experience.

Secondly I want to reach out to those already serving, both enlisted and officer. We are entering a time of drawdowns. If you plan on seeing a career through to 20 years, you need to make yourself as big an asset to the institution as you possibly can. NPS is one way to do it. If you are enlisted but considering a move to the "dark side" then keep NPS in mind for after you are commissioned.

Lastly I invite any participants to this forum who have attended NPS to share their experiences as well. The more information we can get out about this school (and military-related opportunities in general) the better!

I invite anyone with specific questions to PM me or discuss them openly on the forum.

[alexei27]

Thank you for the well thought out and detailed post! I am a Navy Officer in the reserves. If I do go back to active duty, NPS will be a sure stop. Appreciate the info and best wishes in Quantico!

[iknowftbll]

Awesome, and thank you for the well wishes. My wife and I are looking forward to Quantico and the East Coast. Be sure to update us if you are able to get a seat at NPS.

[♪♫♪♪♫♫♪♥]

As a college-educated PO3 in the Navy Reserves, I'm still a ways off from even considering NPS. If I can convince a selection board to choose me, and cross over to active, rest assured I'll be aiming for a stint at NPS. One shipmate I've kept in contact with (from my active days) attended there, and he positively loved it.

So SNCOs are getting a shot at this now? That's fantastic. I'd like to "cross over" sooner than later, but if I have to wait it out long enough to see the SNCO tier then I'd love to take a shot at NPS (assuming this program ever evolves from the pilot stage).