Distance Learning programs provide DoD civilian and military personnel with the highest quality, most military-relevant graduate education available anywhere in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The various DL programs available have been specifically designed to meet current and future needs of DoD in advanced military technology and operational capability. Specific advantages are:

• DoD relevance of the program,
• availability of custom options,
• minimal job interference,
• quality learning, and
• cost effectiveness.

Programs of study are usually designed so that students can complete a DL program at their activity by taking on average a course load of one course per quarter. Alternate schedules may also be designed upon sponsor request.

Advantages:

Custom Options: Sponsoring agencies requiring graduate education in a specific technical area such as communication systems, computer networking, power systems, radar/EW systems, signals intelligence, and others, are invited to explore the design of a specific part-time M.S.E.E. option for their employees.

Minimal Job Interference: Students participate in resident courses at the Naval Postgraduate School through real-time video teleconferencing (VTC). Course attendance requires three to five hours per week, conducted on-site without the need to commute or attend classes after hours.

Quality Learning: The real-time full two-way VTC classroom environment allows students to participate with NPS resident students in questions and discussions of the material and examples being covered. In addition, VTC office hours are scheduled for students to discuss and further clarify course concepts, homework problems and other course related material directly with the professor. Internet connections permit the instructor to view computer-oriented laboratory work of remote students in a window on a local workstation while the instructor interacts with the students themselves through VTC.

Cost Effectiveness: The cost per student to the sponsoring agency is highly competitive with other local university or distance learning options, even while most other programs do not offer the full interaction capability with the instructor. Although special preparation and VTC facilities are needed for the distance learning courses, these same courses are being offered to resident students at NPS. Dual enrollment of courses reduces our marginal costs in providing the distance learning program. This cost reduction is passed onto sponsoring agencies. Agencies can leverage their education and training funds by a factor of at least 5 to 1 through the distance learning program when compared to the cost of sending a student for on- campus study.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department of the Naval Postgraduate School offers a variety of graduate programs in DL format for competency, graduate certificates and degrees. Historical list of courses offered in DL format is available here.

• Individual Courses for competency: Courses offered for competency consist of a single course or a sequence of courses covering a desired subject area (e.g., radar, electronic warfare, networking, communication systems, etc...). Courses are chosen from our current resident offerings.
• Courses for graduate certificates: 
  • Certificate programs provide the fundamental background and analytical skills needed in a specific technical area to individuals involved in the specification, design, or management of technical systems or programs pertaining to that area.
  • Courses are chosen from our current offerings and are compatible with degree requirements, enabling certificate recipients to apply graduate credits received during the certificate(s) towards NPS degrees. Specific information on available certificates is available here.
• Courses for degrees: 
  • Degree programs are full programs of graduate study in Electrical and Computer engineering. Programs with various option tracks, such as computers, electric ship power systems, military communication systems, navigation and guidance systems, networking, sensors and signal processing, may be designed from specific sponsor requirements.
  • We currently offer programs of study leading towards Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE), Master of Science in Computer Engineering(MSCE), Master of Science in Engineering Sciences with concentration in Electrical Engineering (MSES(EE)), and Master of Engineering with Concentration in Electrical Engineering (Meng-EE) Degrees.
  • Specific information describing each degree program is available  here.
  • Contact us for further information regarding customized programs of study.

Program Time Completion Constraints

• An Academic Certificate must be completed within a 3-year span from admission into the program. 
• A degree program must be completed within a 5-year span from admission to the program.

Currently, the department offers real-time classes by

• Zoom is a cloud video conferencing tool that supports Video and Voice over IP, text chat, and interactive white board, application sharing, document sharing, and video sharing. Zoom is supported by NPS as a learning tool, in connection with Sakai LMS, to enable a better learning and instructional experience.
• Microsoft Teams is a messaging platform for your class, group, team, or department. It provides a workspace for real-time collaborations and communication, meetings, file and app sharing.
• Asynchronous Delivery. Video taped lectures course related documents, homework assignments or computer-based projects and tests are made available to students, and a course completion schedule established with the instructor. Students interact with the instructor via e-mail/phone as needed. This option is currently limited to a small number of courses in the Digital Signal Processing area. Please contact the DL Business manager for further details.

Individuals applying online need to select a specific program during the application process. The following section lists all DL programs currently offered by the ECE Department. 

For Degree Programs:

• 571 for the special program leading to the MSES-EE (NR)  Program -  open ONLY to current Naval reactors employees who are graduates of the Bettis Reactors School

• 592 for programs of study leading towards the MSEE, MSES-EE, M-Eng Degrees Programs. Note: Several different tracks are available under each of these programs.  To avoid additional delays in the application process, applicants must indicate which track they wish to pursue in the "student comment section".

For Academic Certificate Programs:

• 284 for the program leading to the Guidance, Navigation & Control Systems Academic Certificate.

• 286 for the program leading to the High Performance Computer Architecture Certificate

• 287 for the program leading to the Digital Communications Academic Certificate

• 288 for the program leading to the Cyber Warfare Academic Certificate

• 290 for the program leading to the Signal Processing Academic Certificate.

• 291 for the program leading to the Electric Ship Power System Academic Certificate

• 292 for the program leading to the Electronic Warfare (EW) Engineer Academic Certificate

• 293 for the program leading to the Journeyman (EW) Engineer Academic Certificate

• 294 for the program leading to the Senior EW Engineer Academic Certificate

• 295 for the program leading to the Network Engineering Certificate

• 296 for the program leading to the Cyber Systems Certificate

• 297 for the program leading to the Wireless Network Security Certificate

• FY24 costs for each DL course are $3,200/student joining courses currently already scheduled.  Costs to offer specific ECE courses in DL mode are $32,000 for groups of ten or fewer students, and $3,200/per student for 10 or more students. Costs shown do not include textbook/software.
• Expected FY25 costs for each DL course are $3,500/student. Costs to offer specific ECE courses in DL mode are $35,000 for groups of ten or fewer students, and $3,500/per student for 10 or more students

NPS can accept only applicants with a US government affiliation with payment made by intra-government transfer who satisfy certain entrance requirements. This includes the following personnel:

• Military officers
• Government employees
• Employees of corporations that are contractors with the Department of Defense. 

Entrance Requirements:

Entrance to the Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum at the Naval Postgraduate School is through a three-part requirement consisting of a minimum grade point average (GPA) at the undergraduate level, a sufficient mathematics background, and a sufficient background in technical undergraduate studies. Applicants with a B.S.E.E., will usually satisfy the last two requirements automatically. NPS also has a program preceding the graduate study where students without a B.S.E.E. can obtain a B.S.E.E. equivalence through a combination of prior undergraduate credit and appropriate 2000 level courses taken at NPS. This then allows them to enter the fully accredited M.S.E.E. program. Contact us for more details.

Students participating in a program at The Naval Postgraduate School may incur service and/or employment obligations. It is the students responsibility to check with their own parent command/organization to determine whether education from NPS incurs service and/or employment obligations.

Navy Personnel, please refer to the DoN Policy for Officer Graduate Education Service Obligations memo.

ECE DL Programs can currently be accessed in one of the following enrollment options:

1. by cohort of at least 10 students sponsored by a specific customer. Such programs can be tailored to the specific needs of the sponsoring customer with regards to topics covered, methods of delivery and class schedules to accommodate students' working schedules.

2. by individual course enrollment into a course already offered in a DL format to another customer.  Enrolled DL students access live/delayed video streaming recordings of the DL course(s) on the Web.  They have  full access to the instructor by email/telephone/fax;

3. by individual course enrollment in an online course offered asynchronously. This option is currently limited to a small number of courses in the Digital Signal Processing area. Please see below for more information. Students have access to recorded lectures, projects/tests via the Web and access to the instructor via Zoom/MS Teams/email/telephone/fax.

To discuss further options, please contact us.

Interested applicants must be sponsored by their commands/employers to be admitted to NPS. Thus, prior to applying to NPS, individuals interested in enrolling should secure authorization to enroll in one of the DL programs offered and verify funding availability to cover tuition expenses from their Command/Employer.  Complete application packages MUST be received by NPS before admission decisions can be made. Incomplete applications will be  hold back until arrival of necessary documentation. 

To be considered for admission to NPS in one of our DL programs, interested individuals must

1. Apply to NPS by filling out the online application,

2. Request undergraduate transcripts from their undergraduate and/or graduate institution to be sent to the Admissions Office. 

Admissions Office
Naval Postgraduate School
1 University Circle, He-046
Monterey, CA 93943-5100

www.nps.edu/admissions
E-mail Admissions (admissions@nps.edu)

Finally, The Sponsoring Command/Customer must send tuition payment to NPS to cover enrolled participants.

All ECE courses are available to be offered via distance learning, pending sufficient enrollment. Most of the DL courses taught are expected to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams.  A few are available asynchronously online.  Please see schedule posted below for details and contact us for current information.

Current expected courses scheduled to be offered in Distance Learning Mode are listed here.  

The ECE Department currently offers several customized DL programs designed to address specific specific sponsor needs. Contact Prof. Cristi to learn more about how to design a customized program.

1. Schedule for sponsored student cohorts

Customers and Commands wishing to arrange for customized programs and/or enroll student cohorts in one of our DL programs should follow the schedule below. 

 Schedule for Customers/Commands sponsoring cohorts of minimum of 10 students to DL Program(s)                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                               Tasks Deadlines

2. Schedule for individually sponsored students

Individual students who are sponsored by their command/employers and wishing to enroll into scheduled DL courses and/or asynchronous offerings need to contact the DL Manager listed below to check for course availability and apply to NPS online at the following website.

• Download the DL Student Handbook.
• Access NPS account and change temporary password.
• Access Python records and enter required mailing address to receive degree/certificate diploma.

Our DL programs are customized to meet specific sponsor needs. This section lists three different programs designed for specific customers. Please contact us to design your DL program.

1. Master of Engineering (M-Eng EE concentration) Degree - Electronic Warfare Focus

This course-based degree program is designed to provide a solid theoretical foundation focused on electronic warfare (EW) including electronic attack, electronic protection and electronic support. Students may earn up to three EW certificates over a period of three to five years, while working towards completion of the M-Eng degree requirements. 

2. Master of Engineering (M-Eng EE concentration) Degree 

This course-based degree program is designed to provide a solid theoretical foundation focused on various aspects of electronic engineering, and can be designed to match specific customer needs. Current topics areas include EW, cyber/networks, electronics, ship power, communication systems, signal processing. Students may earn certificates while working towards completion of the M-Eng degree requirements. 

3. Master of Science in Engineering Science with major in Electrical Engineering - Electric Ship Power Systems Focus (special program open to graduates of the Bettis Reactor Engineering School)

This MSES(EE) Degree Program offered via DL was designed to provide graduates of the Bettis Reactor Engineering School a solid theoretical foundation in electrical power conversion and electro-mechanical power conversion at the advanced level, complemented with electives in signal processing and control areas. Details here.

Students get nominated to a degree during their last quarter of taking courses required for the degree or when they complete their thesis requirements (for programs including a thesis component only).

Students enrolled in degree programs who also satisfy requirements for certificates get nominated for the certificates satisfied when they get nominated for the degree, UNLESS they specifically request to be nominated for the satisfied certificates before that time.

Students enrolled in certificate programs only get nominated to a certificate during their last quarter of taking courses required for the certificate.

Students MUST take the following steps to insure they get nominated in a specific quarter NLT the end of the second week of their last quarter (i.e., the expected graduation quarter). Paperwork received after deadlines will postpone nomination to the following quarter.

1. For students enrolled in a degree program:

 a) Fill and sign the relevant Degree Checklist(s).

Notes:

- All NPS courses taken to satisfy minimum degree requirements must be listed, along with credits associated.

- Transferred courses: Credits from, graduate courses taken at other institutions may be counted provided that they have been approved by the NPS Academic Council PRIOR to nomination to receive the degree, and official transcripts for courses have been received by the Admissions Office.

- Transferred courses titles & associated credits must be included on the relevant Degree Checklist to be taken into account.

b) Fill in the Academic Certificate Enrollment form found at the back of the Degree Checklist ONLY if requirements to certificates have been satisfied along the way.

2. For students enrolled in certificate programs only: Students enrolled in a certificate program have a 3-year span to complete certificate requirements and are expected to be nominated at the end of 3 years by default. Students completing certificate requirements early and wanting to be nominated upon completion of their course requirements must send an email to ECE-EdTech@nps.edu NLT the 2nd week of the quarter during which they take the last certificate course to be nominated at the end of that quarter.  

3. For all DL students: Fill in the ECE Department DL Student Graduation Checklist.

4. Upload degree related paperwork in your dropbox located in the EC0000 Sakai Student Guide and email ECE-EdTech@nps.edu afterwards (email ECE-EdTech@nps.edu to be provided access to EC0000 if you do not already have it).  Incomplete paperwork will not be processed.

5. Update Python Records

Under Student Information:  Fill in the “Diploma Name Format” box (this is how your name will appear on your diploma and/or academic certificate).  Do not include rank and/or title.

Under My Profile: Family Members Tab:  Add a mailing address in the “Transcript/Diploma/Certificate Mailing” block.   Your final documents will not be mailed to any other address selection appearing in Python.

Thesis Information:  The title of your Thesis/Dissertation will be printed on your final transcript.  Ensure title and other info is correct.  Update once your thesis has been approved & signed by the Department Chairman.

Note:

- Your diploma or certificate, along with your official transcripts, will be mailed ONLY to this address listed in Python.

- The Registrar’s office will not mail official documents to the address types listed under “Dependents, DL-Home, DL-Work, Home (AfterGrad), Home (Monterey), Permanent Residence, or Work (AfterGrad)”