Analysis and utilization of Financial Management graduates from the Naval Postgraduate School

Abstract

In the present era of fiscal austerity, the need for post graduate education and the role of NPS has been closely scrutinized for their relevance to Navy and DoD objectives. The primary focus of this thesis was to determine if the Navy has been effectively utilizing NPS Financial Management graduates. A sample population of NPS Financial Management graduates, from the years 1981 to 1985, was career tracked up through 1995 for purposes of determining utilization and retention. Utilization rates, i.e., the percentage of officers that complete a payback tour, were further determined for each officer community within the population. Cohort files, built from yearly Navy Officer Master File (OMF) extracts, provided the data for this population. Analysis of the utilization and retention rates indicates that the Navy is getting a good return on its graduate education investment. Staff Corps officers achieved the highest utilization. Unrestricted Line and Restricted Line officers, while utilized at lower rates because of career considerations associated with their primary warfare specialty, nevertheless bring invaluable operational experience and perspective to' critical Financial Management billets.