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MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N71/DEC//

SUBJ/MASTER OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS DISTANCE LEARNING DEGREE PROGRAM ENROLLMENT 
FOR MARCH 2021//

REF/A/DOC/OPNAVINST 1520.23C w/CH-3/20150107//

NARR/REF A IS NAVY GRADUATE EDUCATION POLICY//

RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces application procedures for the March 2021 
distance learning Master of Systems Analysis (MSA) degree program (curriculum 
363).

2. Background:
    a.  Operations research, systems analysis, and decision science are 
increasingly crucial to the current operating environment characterized by 
distributed maritime operations and a return to great power competition. 
Officers with these essential skills are needed throughout the Navy and as a 
result, the Navy prioritizes this expertise for selection and assignment.
    b.  The program targets Navy unrestricted line officers who might not 
otherwise be able to attend Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in residence. It 
is open to other uniformed officers, federal civilians, and defense 
contractor civilians on a space-available basis. This program focuses on the 
practice of the Operations Research/Systems Analysis profession. It prepares 
students to apply critical thinking and analytical skills to support key 
decisions in both operational and staff assignments. Coursework focuses on 
data analysis, modeling and simulation, optimization, risk-benefit analysis, 
and cost analysis as they apply to real-world military situations and cases. 
Navy officer graduates receive a 3210P subspecialty code, Operations Research 
Analysis, and are eligible to be detailed to 3211-coded Operations Analysis 
billets. MSA is also a designated degree program available for assignment to 
OPNAV 6511P-coded Requirements Officer billets.
    c.  The program is a 24-month part-time program delivered using a mix of 
distance learning methods. Students take two courses per quarter for eight 
consecutive quarters. One course each quarter requires weekly, 3-hour 
sessions using video tele-education or web-based conferencing. The other 
course each quarter is delivered asynchronously using web-based instruction. 
Web-based courses are paced week-to-week, but students have the flexibility 
to do coursework at times of their choosing during the week. The programs can 
be delivered virtually anywhere.
    d.  A four-course subset of the MSA degree program all delivered 
asynchronously using web-based instruction may be taken as a stand-alone 
Systems Analysis (SA) certificate (curriculum 281). A student who completes 
the SA certificate may apply for enrollment in the MSA degree program and 
receive one-for-one course credit towards the MSA degree requirements. Navy 
officer graduates of the certificate program receive a 3210L subspecialty 
code.
    e.  New MSA and SA cohorts are scheduled to begin each fall and spring 
quarter.
For the spring quarter academic year 2021 (AY21), classes start the week of 
29 March 2021.

3.  Tuition:
     NPS is mission-funded to provide tuition-free graduate education to 
active duty Navy and Marine Corps officers. Seats not filled by active-duty 
Navy and Marine Corps officers will be made available for open enrollment to 
other uniformed officers, Department of the Navy and other federal government 
civilians, and defense contractor civilians under tuition sponsorship by 
their organization or agency. The open enrollment tuition for other-service 
military, government civilians, and defense contractors are $2,500 per 
course. NPS is required to have a support agreement (DON form 7600A or 
DD1144) in place with each government funding sponsor before acceptance of 
funding documents. All students are required to purchase their textbooks.

4. Application Process:
    Officers interested in the degree or certificate program may visit the 
NPS web pages for detailed eligibility and application process. The deadline 
for online applications for AY21 quarter 3 is 8 January 2021. MSA webpage: 
https ://nps.edu/web/dl/degprogs_msa. SA Cert webpage: 
https://nps.edu/web/dl/cert_sa.

5.  Post Graduation:
     Per reference (a), officers participating in this program must agree to 
remain on active duty for three years following completion of the degree 
program (or one year following completion of the certificate program). This 
obligation is discharged concurrently with any other service obligation 
already incurred. This agreement does not obligate the Navy to retain the 
officer on active duty.

6.  Point of Contact:
     NPS MSA program office, via email at msadegprog@nps.edu.

7. This message will remain in effect until superseded or 31 March 2021, 
whichever occurs first.

8.  Released by RADM James S. Bynum, Acting Deputy Chief of Naval Operations 
for Warfighting Development (N7).//

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