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The U.S. Navy and the other military services send a number of their officers to graduate-level institutions each year to obtain advanced degrees. The primary purpose of providing these officers graduate education is so they can fill positions in their services whose duties require the knowledge and skills gained in graduate school. Furthermore, the benefits of a graduate education extend beyond the specific assignment for which the officer was educated, applying to subsequent assignments as well, albeit less directly. However, at an estimated cost of about $245,000 per officer for a funded master's degree, the cost of this education is substantial. For fully funded education, the service must pay not only the cost of the education but also the pay and allowances associated with an officer's billet allocated for education. Additionally, an opportunity cost is incurred: While the officer is attending school, his or her services are lost to the operational billets in which he or she could be gaining experience. The question frequently arises as to whether the benefit gained from a graduate education is worth the cost. While the quantitative effects of graduate education can be estimated, evaluating the qualitative effects of a graduate education poses a number of challenges.
This study analyzes the utilization and retention of Naval officers who have received Navy funding for their graduate education. Two databases are used to analyze utilization and retention: the 1993 officer master file and a cohort file of officers who were commissioned in 1980. The 1993 officer master file looks at utilization first by all subspecialties together, second by gender, and finally by designator. The cohort file is used to analyze both utilization and retention. The results indicate that, overall, the Navy receives a relatively good return on its investment. Specifically, the Restricted Line and Staff Corps officer communities have the best utilization rates. The study reveals that Unrestricted Line officers tend to have relatively lower utilization rates than officers in other communities. The cohort data indicate that fully-funded graduate education subspecialists generally have a higher retention rate than their counterparts without fully- funded graduate education.
This study analyzes the utilization and retention of Naval officers who have received Navy funding for their graduate education. Two databases are used to analyze utilization and retention: the 1993 officer master file and a cohort file of officers who were commissioned in 1980. The 1993 officer master file looks at utilization first by all subspecialties together, second by gender, and finally by designator. The cohort file is used to analyze both utilization and retention. The results indicate that, overall, the Navy receives a relatively good return on its investment. Specifically, the Restricted Line and Staff Corps officer communities have the best utilization rates. The study reveals that Unrestricted Line officers tend to have relatively lower utilization rates than officers in other communities. The cohort data indicate that fully-funded graduate education subspecialists generally have a higher retention rate than their counterparts without fully- funded graduate education.
Company officers at the United States Naval Academy are responsible for the leadership development of midshipmen. To attract higher quality officers to serve as company officers for the Brigade of Midshipmen and to provide officers with an opportunity for an advanced degree, the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program was established in 1997. This program allows Navy and Marine Corps officers to receive a Master of Science in Leadership and Human Resource Development from the Naval Postgraduate School. After the first year, the program graduates serve two years as company officers and work closely with the midshipmen of the brigade. This research uses data obtained from semi- structured interviews and self-administered questionnaires of 27 LEAD program graduates. It focuses on the perceptions of graduates concerning the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the program, and makes recommendations for change and improvement. This research adds to the body of knowledge and recommendations that exist and serves as a five-year retrospective on the perceptions of the effectiveness of the program and whether or not the program is perceived to be meeting its goals.
This thesis examines the effect of graduate education on the career progression of Navy surface warfare officers. The probability of promotion to LCDR (O-4), CDR (O-5) and CAPT (O-6) grades as well as the probability of screening for XO and CO are used as career progression milestones. The analysis examines the effect on career outcomes of a graduate education background in general, differences in the effect of holding a Navy-funded graduate degree versus a non-funded degree, and whether the funded degree was in a technical or non-technical curricula. The thesis also investigates the effect of utilization of graduate education on career progression. Finally, the thesis examines the determinants of who decides to pursue (or is chosen to attend) a funded graduate program. The results support the conclusion that officers who select (or are selected for) the graduate education program have stronger undergraduate backgrounds and stronger job performance early in their careers. These traits raise a question of selection bias, since officers who have graduate education may have been more likely to promote even if they did not have graduate education. A test for selection bias was developed and incorporated in the career progression models. The results indicate that a fully funded graduate degree has a positive effect on the selected measures of career progression. The probability of promotion to O-6 was higher for officers who utilized their graduate degrees as an O-5 compared to those who utilized earlier in their careers. Finally, officers with non-technical graduate majors had a higher probability of promoting than those with technical majors.