Opinion survey of naval officers who have received a Navy sponsored graduate degree

Abstract

A survey of naval officers who have received a Navy sponsored graduate degree was conducted by a questionnaire to determine their opinions concerning numerous topics related to obtaining a graduate degree and the utilization of their graduate education. Results showed that obtaining a graduate degree was perceived as having a positive influence on officer retention. Most officers think a graduate degree should be obtained during the five to eight year point in their career. Approximately 70% of the officers who have received a graduate degree have been assigned to a P- coded billet. The majority indicated that fitness reports submitted by graduate schools for officer students should not be considered as equivalent to those received from operational/shore billets by Selection Boards for promotion. The most frequently occurring reason for seeking a graduate education was to remain competitive with contemporaries. The report summarizes responses to each question and recommends the direction of future research.