Educational Skill Requirements

The majority of NPS curricular programs are developed based on Education Skill Requirements (ESRs). Education Skill Requirements define the fundamental concepts required in the graduate education curriculum as directed by each curriculum sponsor and Subject Matter Expert (SME). These ESRs represent the criteria essential for successful performance in billets requiring each subspecialty.

The Program Officers and academic staff at the Naval Postgraduate School coordinate biennial curriculum reviews with the curriculum sponsors for each curriculum. These reviews are conducted to ensure that the ESRs are current and relevant to the needs of the military, that programs meet the knowledge, skill and competencies of the ESRs, and that the changing needs of the sponsors are reflected in each curriculum. The ESRs for each curriculum offered at Naval Postgraduate School are included in this catalog at the end of each curriculum listing as applicable.

Curriculum content is continually updated to maintain pace with changes in each field of study. The Naval Postgraduate School Program Officers and faculty maintain a continuous dialogue with curriculum sponsors and Subject Matter Experts. These dialogues culminate in the biennial curriculum reviews. Curriculum sponsors and SMEs are active in each curriculum in areas such as providing current and relevant material and speakers for classes, forwarding potential thesis topics that are of interest to the military, and providing opportunities and financial support for student experience tours and travel.

These partnerships between the Naval Postgraduate School and the curriculum sponsors ensure that the educational needs of each subspecialty community are continually met through relevant education in each curriculum at NPS.