Program Information
The NPS-MSSE 2-year program is designed for Department of Defense (DoD) organizations faced with a wide range of systems engineering and integration challenges. NPS educates and trains engineers with tools and technologies relevant to their work, resulting in employees with greater knowledge and expertise to better meet the needs of their customers. Specific program educational objectives (i.e. skills and abilities that graduates can bring to their position after having graduated the from NPS-MSSE and having received three to five more years of on-the-job training and professional development) are:
• Technical Leadership: Graduates will apply their engineering knowledge in leadership roles along diverse career paths in government service.
• Program Management: Graduates will perform research, design, development, procurement, integration, maintenance, and life-cycle management of systems for defense and national security.
• Operational Utilization: Graduates will apply systems engineering in diverse military settings and understand its capabilities and limitations.
The NPS-MSSE educational credit information is provided in the posted announcement on this website. Learn more at https://nps.edu/web/dl/degprogs_se_nonres_2
Announcement
Who May Apply
Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) civilians who meet both NPS academic requirements and the Army DACM Office eligibility requirements listed below may apply to the NPS-MSSE Program.
Eligibility/Academic Requirements
NPS Academic Requirements:
- Baccalaureate degree in engineering or related science or technical field
- GPA of 2.6 or better
- Successful completion of a college calculus sequence (3 quarter or 2 quarter semester classes)
Army DACM Office Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be coded as “1 – Permanent – Tenure Group 1” in the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System and meet eligibility requirements outlined in the NPS-MSSE announcement. Exceptions may apply; see announcement.
- Must be a GS-11 through GS-15, or broadband/pay band equivalent.
- Must meet certification level required in current acquisition position in one of the Acquisition Functional Areas (AFA) below OR must be within their certification grace period required for their current Army acquisition position in one of the following AFAs below:
- Test & Evaluation
- Engineering & Technical Management
- Must have a Conditional Letter of Acceptance from NPS
NPS Application Process
Eligible Army acquisition workforce civilians must obtain a conditional letter of acceptance from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). Applicants may accomplish this by directly visiting https://my.nps.edu/web/dl/degProgs_SE_nonRes and following the instructions for Army DACM Office applicants. Individuals who obtained conditional letters of acceptance for prior year’s application can submit their conditional letter of acceptance for the current NPS-MSSE announcement. Please confirm with NPS that there are no additional requirements. You must meet all NPS-MSSE eligibility requirements in order to participate in the program if you should be selected for participation by the Army DACM office.
Requests for officially sealed transcripts from all schools attended (undergrad/grad) must be sent directly to NPS. Applications and all requests for official transcripts (sealed) from all undergraduate/graduate schools attended must be received by NPS no later than the date posted in the current announcement. NPS also accepts official transcripts electronically from institutions providing that service. Official transcripts can be electronically transferred to admissions@nps.edu. While you are awaiting your conditional letter of Acceptance from NPS you can initiate your Army DACM Office application.
Army DACM Office Application Process
The online application process used to submit an application for consideration of funding for the NPS-MSSE program is AAPDS. AAPDS is an automated application system that can be accessed via the Career Acquisition Management Portal (CAMP). Eligible Army acquisition workforce civilians must click on the “Career Acquisition Personnel and Position Management Information System” (CAPPMIS). Once in CAPPMIS, select the “AAPDS” tab and then select the “Apply” tab. Select the blue link under status (if available) to apply to the program.
Contacts
USAASC Point of Contact (everything consideration of funds and application related)
Ms. Uhura N. Smith
Email: uhura.n.smith.civ@army.mil
NPS-MSSE Point of Contact (everything admissions and curriculum related):
Ms. Heather Hahn
Distance Learning Education Technician
Department of Systems Engineering
Naval Postgraduate School
Email: hlhahn@nps.edu
Dr. Wally Owen
Program Officer
Email: wowen@nps.edu
