Overview

The objective of this special program is to provide both naval officers and civilian employees of Naval Reactors (NR), an advanced education leading to a Master of Science in Engineering Science with major in either Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. This is a non-thesis program for individuals who work as engineers and who wish to pursue a master's degree via Distance Learning. The program sponsor is NAVSEA and the subject matter expert is SEA-08.

Entry Date

Students usually enter this program at the beginning of the academic quarter following completion of the BRES. Application for entry is to be made through the program coordinator and primary consultant for Naval Reactors. The program is also available to civilian employees of Naval Reactors who have completed BRES. For further information, contact the Academic Associate, or the Primary Consultant for this program.

Degree Requirements for Mechanical Engineering

The student must complete 20 hours of advanced graduate level (ME4XXX) NPS courses. This requirement may be met by completing a sequence of five courses via Distance Learning in a program approved by the Chairman of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. There are two (2) technical tracks, one in the Fluids, Thermal, and Propulsion area and the other in Solids, Structures, and Vibrations. A minimum of four (4) of the courses must be from one track or the other. This Master of Science in Engineering Science (Major in Mechanical Engineering) program may be completed in five academic quarters following completion of BRES.

Degree Requirements for Electrical Engineering

The student must complete 28 hours of graduate level (EC3XXX and EC4XXX) NPS courses. This requirement may be met by completing a sequence of seven courses via Distance Learning in a program approved by the Chairman of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This Master of Science in Engineering Science (Major in Electrical Engineering) program may be completed in seven academic quarters following completion of BRES.

Credit for Completion of BRES

This program is designed to build upon the BRES courses and the power plant design experience. The following BRES courses are considered as integral to this program and equivalent to 16 credit hours of ME3XXX level NPS courses:

• BRES 200 Mathematics
• BRES 340 Applied Structural Mechanics
• BRES 350 Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow
• BRES 360 Reactor Dynamics, Control and Safeguards

In addition, BRES 370 Reactor and Power Plant Design Project is considered partially in lieu of a thesis.

The NPS transcript will include 16 credits for the BRES program. The Quality Point Rating (QPR) for the NPS transcript will be computed based only on the NPS courses completed by the student.

Subspecialty

Graduates of BRES earn a Navy Subspecialty Code of 5200, which applies to their reactor design training. This Naval Postgraduate School curriculum will not affect that subspecialty code nor provide any additional subspecialty code(s).

Typical Course of Study

Upon entry into the program students will typically enroll in one course per quarter, to be taken via Distance Learning. All requirements must be completed within three calendar years from entry. Students will select a program of study from available courses and submit a program for approval by the Chairman of Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.

Courses Required

Requirements for Entry

• Successful completion of the Bettis Reactor Engineering School (BRES)
• Nomination for the program by the designated program coordinator and primary consultant for Naval Reactors. The nomination to the Director of Admissions must include original transcripts of the student's undergraduate and BRES records. The Director of Admissions will provide copies of all records to the Academic Associate in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering depending on the degree the student is pursuing.

Application Information

Applications are handled by the NPS Admissions Office. Please visit the admissions website or contact them at admissions@nps.edu.

Tuition & Service Obligation

For information regarding tuition, please contact the NPS Tuition office at tuition@nps.edu, or contact this offering’s POC at walter.smith@nps.edu.

For information regarding service obligation, please visit the Admissions Office’s Eligibility/Service Obligation page.

Other Information

Per OPNAVINST 1520.23C, a Navy officer will incur a 2 year service obligation upon completion or withdrawal from the MSES-ME program, which is served concurrently with any other service obligation. All students must submit a command-signed Participation Agreement (PA) prior to enrolling in the program. The Participation Agreement is available via the online application and can be printed, signed, scanned and emailed to admissions@nps.edu.