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Naval Postgraduate School

Overview

At a Glance

School type

Public, 4-year or above

School Size & Setting

Midsize | Suburb

Students-to-Faculty Ratio

7:1

Religious affliation

Not applicable

Mission Statement

NPS provides high quality, relevant and unique advanced education and research programs to increase the combat effectiveness of the Naval Service, other Armed Forces of the US, and our Partners, and to enhance our National Security.

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cost & financial aid

Financial aid resources

Paying for college

Learn about different ways to cover costs, incluing financial aid, GI Bills, grants and scholarships

Applying for financial Aid

Review this step-by-step guide on everything you need to do to complete your application.

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Academics

Most Popular Graduate programs

  • Systems Engineering
  • International Relations and National Security Studies, Other
  • Business Administration and Management, General
  • Operations Research
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Full List of Programs

Graduate ProgramsX

  • BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES
    • Business Administration and Management, General
      • A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, organize, direct, and control the functions and processes of a firm or organization. Includes instruction in management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management
      • A program that prepares individuals to manage and/or administer the processes by which a firm or organization contracts for goods and services to support its operations, as well as contracts it to sell to other firms or organizations. Includes instruction in contract law, negotiations, buying procedures, government contracting, cost and price analysis, vendor relations, contract administration, auditing and inspection, relations with other firm departments, and applications to special areas such as high-technology systems, international purchasing, and construction. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management
      • A program that prepares individuals to manage and coordinate all logistical functions in an enterprise, ranging from acquisitions to receiving and handling, through internal allocation of resources to operations units, to the handling and delivery of output. Includes instruction in acquisitions and purchasing, inventory control, storage and handling, just-in-time manufacturing, logistics planning, shipping and delivery management, transportation, quality control, resource estimation and allocation, and budgeting. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Transportation/Mobility Management
      • A program that focuses on the theory, policy, law, and practices required to administrate and operate public transportation facilities, networks, services, and systems. Includes instruction in demand analysis and forecasting, environmental planning, facilities design and construction, geographic information systems (GIS), logistics, multi- and intermodal transportation systems, project management, public administration, public policy, transportation economics, transportation law, transportation operations, transportation systems, and transportation technologies. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Project Management
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply quantitative and qualitative knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to manage projects in a wide range of fields and occupations. Includes instruction in project planning, risk management, cost and time management, contracts and procurement, accounting, statistics, decision making, and human resources. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Finance and Financial Management Services, Other
    • Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
      • A program that generally prepares individuals to manage the development of human capital in organizations, and to provide related services to individuals and groups. Includes instruction in personnel and organization policy, human resource dynamics and flows, labor relations, sex roles, civil rights, human resources law and regulations, motivation and compensation systems, work systems, career management, employee testing and assessment, recruitment and selection, managing employee and job training programs, and the management of human resources programs and operations. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Management Information Systems and Services, Other
  • COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES
    • Computer and Information Sciences, General
      • A general program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems. Such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Information Technology
      • A program that focuses on the design of technological information systems, including computing systems, as solutions to business and research data and communications support needs. Includes instruction in the principles of computer hardware and software components, algorithms, databases, telecommunications, user tactics, application testing, and human interface design. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Computer Science
      • A program that focuses on computer theory, computing problems and solutions, and the design of computer systems and user interfaces from a scientific perspective. Includes instruction in the principles of computational science, computer development and programming, and applications to a variety of end-use situations. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
      • A program focusing on the principles of applied visual simulation technology and the application of quantitative analyses to human-computer interaction. Includes instruction in object-oriented programming, artificial intelligence, computer communications and networks, computer graphics, virtual worlds and simulation systems, probability, statistics, stochastic modeling, data analysis, human-performance evaluation, and human-behavior modeling. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Network and System Administration/Administrator
      • A program that prepares individuals to manage the computer operations and control the system configurations emanating from a specific site or network hub. Includes instruction in computer hardware and software and applications; local area (LAN) and wide area (WAN) networking; principles of information systems security; disk space and traffic load monitoring; data backup; resource allocation; and setup and takedown procedures. See other colleges that offer this major
    • System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager
      • A program that prepares individuals to oversee and regulate the computer system and performance requirements of an entire organization or network of satellite users. Includes instruction in performance balancing; redundancy; local area (LAN) and wide area (WAN) network management; system migration and upgrading; outage control; problem diagnosis and troubleshooting; and system maintenance, budgeting, and management. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance
      • A program that prepares individuals to assess the security needs of computer and network systems, recommend safeguard solutions, and manage the implementation, auditing, and maintenance of security devices, systems, and procedures. Includes instruction in computer architecture, programming, and systems analysis; networking; telecommunications; cryptography; security system auditing and design; applicable law and regulations; risk assessment and policy analysis; contingency planning; user access issues; investigation techniques; and troubleshooting. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other
  • ENGINEERING
    • Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of aircraft, missiles, space vehicles, and their systems; applied research on flight and orbital characteristics; and the development of systems and procedures for the launching, guidance, and control of air and space vehicles. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Computer Software Engineering
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply scientific and mathematical principles to the design, analysis, verification, validation, implementation, and maintenance of computer software systems using a variety of computer languages. Includes instruction in discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, computer science, managerial science, and applications to complex computer systems. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Electrical and Electronics Engineering
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of electrical and electronic systems and their components, including electrical power generation systems; and the analysis of problems such as superconductor, wave propagation, energy storage and retrieval, and reception and amplification. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics
      • A program focusing on the use of physics principles in the analysis and evaluation of engineering problems and other scientific applications. Includes instruction in high- and low-temperature phenomena, computational physics, superconductivity, applied thermodynamics, molecular and particle physics applications, and space science research. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Engineering Science
      • A program with a general focus on the general application of various combinations of mathematical and scientific principles to the analysis and evaluation of engineering problems, including applied research in human behavior, statistics, biology, chemistry, the earth and planetary sciences, atmospherics and meteorology, and computer applications. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Mechanical Engineering
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of physical systems used in manufacturing and end-product systems used for specific uses, including machine tools, jigs and other manufacturing equipment; stationary power units and appliances; engines; self-propelled vehicles; housings and containers; hydraulic and electric systems for controlling movement; and the integration of computers and remote control with operating systems. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of self-propelled, stationary, or towed vessels operating on or under the water, including inland, coastal and ocean environments; and the analysis of related engineering problems such as corrosion, power transfer, pressure, hull efficiency, stress factors, safety and life support, environmental hazards and factors, and specific use requirements. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Nuclear Engineering
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of systems for controlling and manipulating nuclear energy, including nuclear power plant design, fission reactor design, fusion reactor design, reactor control and safety systems design, power transfer systems, containment vessels and structures design; and the analysis of related engineering problems such as fission and fusion processes, human and environmental factors, construction, and operational considerations. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Systems Engineering
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of total systems solutions to a wide variety of engineering problems, including the integration of human, physical, energy, communications, management, and information requirements as needed, and the application of requisite analytical methods to specific situations. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Operations Research
      • A program that focuses on the development and application of complex mathematical or simulation models to solve problems involving operational systems, where the system concerned is subject to human intervention. Includes instruction in advanced multivariate analysis, application of judgment and statistical tests, optimization theory and techniques, resource allocation theory, mathematical modeling, control theory, statistical analysis, and applications to specific research problems. See other colleges that offer this major
  • HOMELAND SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTING AND RELATED PROTECTIVE SERVICES
    • Homeland Security
      • A program focusing on security policy, planning and operations dedicated to the protection of U.S. territory, assets, infrastructure, institutions and citizens from external threats. Includes instruction in national security policy, government relations, intelligence, law enforcement, security technology, communications and information technology, homeland security planning and operations, disaster planning and applications to specific threat scenarios. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Critical Infrastructure Protection
      • A program focusing on the design, planning and management of systems and procedures for protecting critical national physical and cyber infrastructure from external threats, including terrorism. Includes instruction in homeland security policy, critical infrastructure policy, information security, matrix vulnerability assessment, threat assessment, physical security, personnel security, operational security, contingency planning, case analyses of specific industries and systems, redundancy planning, emergency and disaster planning, security systems, and intelligence operations. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations
      • A program focusing on the study of terrorism as a global and national threat and the methods for analyzing and countering it. Includes instruction in psychology, cultural studies, terrorist history and organization, terrorist capabilities, terrorist finance and international money-laundering, threat assessment, intelligence operations, incident command systems, border security, emergency response, joint operations, surveillance and communications systems, cyberterrorism, weapons of mass destruction, counterterrorist operations, and applications to specific terrorist organizations and threats. See other colleges that offer this major
  • MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS
    • Applied Mathematics, General
      • A program that focuses on the application of mathematics to the solution of functional problems in fields such as engineering and the applied sciences. Includes instruction in natural phenomena modeling continuum mechanics, reaction-diffusion, wave propagation, dynamic systems, numerical analysis, controlled theory, asymptotic methods, variation, optimization theory, inverse problems, and applications to specific scientific and industrial topics. See other colleges that offer this major
  • MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLIED SCIENCES
    • Information/Psychological Warfare and Military Media Relations
      • A program that focuses on the support of military and strategic operations and policy via the use of information as a tool of statecraft and warfighting. Includes instruction in information technology and systems, information security, command and control, satellite communications, global information dissemination, communications and media management, intelligence, psychological warfare, strategic planning, security policy and doctrine, and applications to specific operations, services, and scenarios. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Cyber/Electronic Operations and Warfare
      • A program that focuses on the technological and operation aspects of information warfare, including cyber attack and cyber defense. Includes instruction in computer and network security, cryptography, computer forensics, systems security engineering, software applications, threat and vulnerability assessment, wireless networks and satellite communications, tactical and strategic planning, legal and ethical issues, and cyber warfare systems development and acquisition. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Combat Systems Engineering
      • A program that focuses on the application of systems engineering and system architecture to the design and construction of modern combat systems and their integration with each other, with host platforms and with other forces into network-centric warfighting systems. Includes instruction in systems engineering, computer programming, chemical systems, biological systems, material systems, human factors, combat environments, sensor systems, threat and system risk assessment, conventional and unconventional weapons, combat simulation, reliability and maintenance, testing, engineering project management, strategic planning and applications to aerospace, ground, and naval combat systems. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Engineering Acoustics
      • A program that focuses on the application of acoustics and signals processing to undersea and antisubmarine warfare. Includes instruction in acoustics; electrical engineering; the generation, propagation and reception of underwater sound waves; military applications of underwater sound; and acoustic signal processing. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Space Systems Operations
      • A program that focuses on the design, development, and operation of missiles, satellites and other space-based systems for military purposes. Includes instruction in the military applications of space, space technology, aerospace engineering, systems architecture, orbital mechanics, launch and retrieval systems, ground support systems, satellite communications, and space-based sensor systems. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Operational Oceanography
      • A program that focuses on the study of physical oceanography as applied to the naval tactical and strategic environment and the support of military operations. Includes instruction in atmospheric thermodynamics and radiation propagation, air-ocean fluid dynamics, ocean waves, nearshore environments and processes, ocean acoustics, ocean analysis, tactical oceanography, prediction, and related quantitative and experimental methods. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Undersea Warfare
      • A program that focuses on the principles, engineering design and military concepts that govern the operational employment of underwater sensors and weapons systems. Includes instruction in acoustics, electrical, and mechanical engineering; mathematics; meteorology; oceanography; physics; operations analysis; human factors; computer science; and robotics. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Joint Command/Task Force (C3, C4I) Systems
      • A program that focuses on the principles, technology and operational use of command and control (C3, C4I) systems as applied to joint and combined military operations involving unified commands. Includes instruction in information technology, communications systems, network systems and architecture, systems engineering, C3 and C4I doctrine and policy, C3 and C4I systems management, intelligence, operational and strategic planning, interagency operations, operational security and deception. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Military Technologies and Applied Sciences, Other
  • PHYSICAL SCIENCES
    • Physical Sciences, General
      • A program that focuses on the major topics, concepts, processes, and interrelationships of physical phenomena as studied in any combination of physical science disciplines. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General
      • A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of the atmospheric envelopes surrounding the earth, the effect of earth's atmosphere on terrestrial weather, and related problems of environment and climate. Includes instruction in atmospheric chemistry and physics, atmospheric dynamics, climatology and climate change, weather simulation, weather forecasting, climate modeling and mathematical theory; and studies of specific phenomena such as clouds, weather systems, storms, and precipitation patterns. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Meteorology
      • A program that focuses on the scientific study of the prediction of atmospheric motion and climate change. Includes instruction in general circulation patterns, weather phenomena, atmospheric predictability, parameterization, numerical and statistical analysis, large- and mesoscale phenomena, kinematic structures, precipitation processes, and forecasting techniques. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Oceanography, Chemical and Physical
      • A program that focuses on the scientific study of the chemical components, mechanisms, structure, and movement of ocean waters and their interaction with terrestrial and atmospheric phenomena. Includes instruction in material inputs and outputs, chemical and biochemical transformations in marine systems, equilibria studies, inorganic and organic ocean chemistry, oceanographic processes, sediment transport, zone processes, circulation, mixing, tidal movements, wave properties, and seawater properties. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Physics, General
      • A general program that focuses on the scientific study of matter and energy, and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modern physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, quantitative methods, and laboratory methods. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Acoustics
      • A program that focuses on the scientific study of sound, and the properties and behavior of acoustic wave phenomena under different conditions. Includes instruction in wave theory, the acoustic wave equation, energy transformation, vibration phenomena, sound reflection and transmission, scattering and surface wave phenomena, singularity expansion theory, ducting, and applications to specific research problems such as underwater acoustics, crystallography, and health diagnostics. See other colleges that offer this major
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
    • National Security Policy Studies
      • A program that focuses on the theory and application of intelligence, diplomacy, military power, and related tools of statecraft to national defense policy formulation and power projection. Includes instruction in history, political theory, public policy analysis, civil-military relations, military and defense studies, homeland security, leadership, threat scenarios, regional and local issues, alliance and coalition issues, defense budgeting and economics, intelligence, and strategy. See other colleges that offer this major
    • International Relations and National Security Studies, Other
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Admissions

Application Fee

Undergraduate
No information
Graduate
$0
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Student Life

Student Demographics

Female Students
22%
Male Students
78%

Student Ethnicities
  1. Caucasian71.09%
  2. Hispanic/Latino10.82%
  3. Two Or More Ethnicities7.71%
  4. Black4.46%
  5. Asian4.38%
  6. Not Specified1.2%
  7. American Indian/Alaska Native0.19%
  8. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.15%

Student body breakdown

Total students enrolled

3,846

Graduate students

3,846

Full Time Students
55%
Part Time Students
45%

Student services

  • Meal plan
  • Counseling services
  • Remedial services
  • Work-study
  • Placement services
  • Study abroad
  • Weekend/evening classes
  • On-campus day care for student's children
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