The new United States Naval Community College (USNCC) wrapped up the first phase of its pilot program in June 2021. Launched six months earlier in January, almost 600 students, hand-picked from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard based on from recommendations from their Commands, selected their study concentrations from these six fields:

As the program matures, so does the number of fields of study. For the second pilot class, starting in January 2022, 5,000 sailors and 500 Coast Guard get to pick their choice from these eight fields:

  • Military studies
  • Cyber security
  • Network administration
  • Nuclear engineering technology
  • Data analytics
  • Organizational leadership
  • Maritime logistics
  • Aviation maintenance technology

During the four phase, two-year program, students work online toward their associate degrees at any of these participating schools:

  • Northern Virginia Community College
  • University of Arizona
  • University of Maryland Global Campus
  • Alexandria Technical and Community College
  • State University System of New York (SUNY Online)

The USNCC is also planning some follow-on education opportunities for graduates that want to take advantage of them for the 2024/2025 academic year.

How the College Functions with Other Initiatives

The Navy Community College is independent of other education initiatives, including tuition assistance – although that education option is still available to other sailors, Marines and Coast Guard members.

In an administrative message, the Navy said of its USNCC initiative: “The USNCC offers enlisted Sailors and Marines the opportunity to participate in world-class, naval relevant education programs. No tuition fees, mandatory course fees, or other course material costs are incurred by either participating students or parent commands.”

Community college is just one part of the Navy’s overarching education mission of establishing a singular Naval University system taking sailors from an associate degree all the way to advanced post-graduate. Under that singular umbrella, the Community College will be part of a total education system that includes the Naval War College, Marine Corps University, Naval Postgraduate School and Naval Academy.

The USNCC and the Naval University systems as a whole came about as part of the 2019 Education for Seapower campaign, designed to improve sailors’ intellect to keep up with today’s and prepare for tomorrow’s technical advancements in equipment – both on land and at sea.

In the Secretary of the Navy’s strategic guidance to the Navy and Marine Corps he said, “Our mission demands leaders who possess the highest intellectual and warfighting capabilities in order to confront the many dangers of a complex world. The institutions of our naval education enterprise will work together to develop leaders with the warfighting rigor, intellectual dynamism, and innovative creativity to maintain strategic advantage against competitors and global adversaries.”

 

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Kness retired in November 2007 as a Senior Noncommissioned Officer after serving 36 years of service with the Minnesota Army National Guard of which 32 of those years were in a full-time status along with being a traditional guardsman. Kness takes pride in being able to still help veterans, military members, and families as they struggle through veteran and dependent education issues.