Naval Science Classes

Naval Science (NS) courses are when Midshipmen have an opportunity to formally study various aspects of the Naval services.  All Midshipmen are required to enroll in one NS course a semester. Midshipmen can log into ACES to find course times and instructors.

The typical course sequence for Navy Option Midshipmen is as follows:

  • Fall Freshman Year - NS 101 (Introduction to Naval Science): Organization, missions, and branches of specialization within the US Navy and Marine Corps.
  • Spring Freshman Year - NS 111 (Seapower & Maritime Affairs): The role of seapower in national and foreign policy, and as an instrument of political and military strategy. Includes comparative study of United States and other nations' maritime strategies.
  • Fall Sophomore Year - NS 331 (Naval Ship Systems): Quantitative study of basic naval ships' systems. Focus on propulsion and various auxiliary systems. Ship design, stability, and damage control.
  • Spring Sophomore Year - NS 223 (Naval Leadership and Management): Study of organizational behavior and management in the context of naval and Marine Corps organization. Topics include leadership, management functions, planning, controlling, and directing.
  • Fall Junior Year - NS 353 (Navigation): Theory, principles, and procedures of ship navigation, movements and employment. Dead reckoning, piloting, celestial and electronic principles of navigation.
  • Spring Junior Year - NS 231 (Concepts and Analyses of Naval Tactical Systems): The study of weapons systems used aboard naval vessels and aircraft. Detection systems; systems integration into current naval platforms and their offensive and defensive capabilities.
  • Fall Senior Year - NS 423 (Leadership & Ethics): The study of officer responsibilities in naval administration. Discussions of counseling methods, ethics, military justice, human resources management, leadership, and supply systems.
  • Spring Senior Year - NS 453 (Naval Operations): Components of general naval operations, including concepts and application of tactical formations and dispositions, relative motion, maneuvering board and tactical plots, rules of the road, and naval communications.

The typical course sequence for Marine Option Midshipmen is as follows:

**three Marine Corps courses will be scheduled during the Midshipman's four years at a time convenient for the instructor and the Midshipman.

  • Fall Freshman Year - NS 101 (Introduction to Naval Science): Organization, missions, and branches of specialization within the US Navy and Marine Corps.
  • Spring Freshman Year - NS 111 (Seapower & Maritime Affairs): The role of seapower in national and foreign policy, and as an instrument of political and military strategy. Includes comparative study of United States and other nations' maritime strategies.
  • Fall Sophomore Year
  • Spring Sophomore Year - NS 223 (Naval Leadership and Management): Study of organizational behavior and management in the context of naval and Marine Corps organization. Topics include leadership, management functions, planning, controlling, and directing.
  • Fall Junior Year
  • Spring Junior Year
  • Fall Senior Year - NS 423 (Leadership & Ethics): The study of officer responsibilities in naval administration. Discussions of counseling methods, ethics, military justice, human resources management, leadership, and supply systems.
  • Spring Senior Year