NAVY and Postgraduate Education

[Creiners]

Hello again. I greatly appreciated all the input and information I received from the forum regarding my previous NUPOC post.

Anyways, I wanted to ask if I have to join the EDO community to attend graduate school at MIT or NPS? I know a postgraduate degree with a technical major is required for the EDO community, but can a URL officer pursue one as well?

Can SWO(N)s, Submariners, NPS Instructors, or NR Engineers attend Naval Postgraduate School or MIT during their shore duty? I'm interested in the Nuclear Engineer's degree (it's between a Masters and a PhD, for those that don't know) that MIT offers, but it seems as if only the EDO community has access to this specific postgraduate degree program (while serving active duty).

I've been messaging an EDO member whom currently attends MIT, and he told me he was a SWO(N) enlisted nuke for six years, he got his B.S. in Nuclear Engineering while he was enlisted, he then commissioned as an URL officer. I'm assuming he commissioned through the STA-21 program, he didn't specify, and I'm ignorant on all the various enlisted-to-officer programs. Anyways, he then laterally transferred from SWO(N) to the EDO community after his first sea duty as an URL officer. Now he's working on a dual masters degree at MIT. He told me the Navy pays entirely for everything. He said he's not sure how the Navy pays for his education, but they just do even though it's transparent to him. Tuition Assistance alone won't even come close to paying for a MIT degree (the average tuition for a postgraduate degree at MIT is $41,000 per nine months).

I know this may seem overly ambitious and too far down the road, but I just want to obtain as much information as I can now so I can make the best possible academic and vocational decisions in regards to my future career, whether it be naval or civilian.

P.S.- I've read somewhere that the only way into the EDO community is laterally transferring from the SWO(N), provided you're an URL officer of course. Is this truly the only possible way?- Are there no exceptions?

Please and Thank you!

[Gamecock]

Hello again. I greatly appreciated all the input and information I received from the forum regarding my previous NUPOC post.

Anyways, I wanted to ask if I have to join the EDO community to attend graduate school at MIT or NPS? I know a postgraduate degree with a technical major is required for the EDO community, but can a URL officer pursue one as well?

Can SWO(N)s, Submariners, NPS Instructors, or NR Engineers attend Naval Postgraduate School or MIT during their shore duty? I'm interested in the Nuclear Engineer's degree (it's between a Masters and a PhD, for those that don't know) that MIT offers, but it seems as if only the EDO community has access to this specific postgraduate degree program (while serving active duty).

I've been messaging an EDO member whom currently attends MIT, and he told me he was a SWO(N) enlisted nuke for six years, he got his B.S. in Nuclear Engineering while he was enlisted, he then commissioned as an URL officer. I'm assuming he commissioned through the STA-21 program, he didn't specify, and I'm ignorant on all the various enlisted-to-officer programs. Anyways, he then laterally transferred from SWO(N) to the EDO community after his first sea duty as an URL officer. Now he's working on a dual masters degree at MIT. He told me the Navy pays entirely for everything. He said he's not sure how the Navy pays for his education, but they just do even though it's transparent to him. Tuition Assistance alone won't even come close to paying for a MIT degree (the average tuition for a postgraduate degree at MIT is $41,000 per nine months).

I know this may seem overly ambitious and too far down the road, but I just want to obtain as much information as I can now so I can make the best possible academic and vocational decisions in regards to my future career, whether it be naval or civilian.

P.S.- I've read somewhere that the only way into the EDO community is laterally transferring from the SWO(N), provided you're an URL officer of course. Is this truly the only possible way?- Are there no exceptions?

Please and Thank you!

I went through the MIT program a few years back.  I earned the Naval Engineer's degree as well as a master of science in nuclear science and engineering.

To answer your first question.....the only billets at MIT are for EDOs.... SWO(N), Sub officers, NPS instructors, and NR Engineers will not attend MIT.  The EDO community will typically send 8 guys there a year for the Naval engineering program and 1 guy a year for the nuclear engineering program.  Nominally, you get sent there for three years, but there are some guys who only get sent for 2 years.  The one nuclear guy that gets sent each year only gets 2 years.  even if you are the nuke guy, there is no guarantee you'll be able to earn the Nuclear Engineer's degree (you have to get an extension in order to complete some other MIT requirements), but you will definitely earn the MS degree.  If you are one of the Nav Eng guys, you'll easily be able to earn a second masters degree because the navy requires you to take a bunch of classes above and beyond that which MIT requires for the degree.  

EDO community changed the way they assess guys a few years back... EDO community only takes a handful of lateral transfers from other communities each board....so don't count on this being a good option.

Cheers,

GC


MIT Link for EDOs http://web.mit.edu/2n/

[Creiners]

Ok. Thanks for the info.