Masters degree

LadderdaddyO

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Question: Lets say after you graduate the USNA your commitment is 5 yrs.
Now you would like to go back to school and get your Masters Degree.
Does the two years while getting your master count for any part of your commitment ?
How many years more do you sign on for getting your masters?(DOD paid)
Lets say you make a career as an officer does any of your schooling count on the back end of you career?
example 4 yrs USNA + 2 YRS masters degree + 25 yrs of service= 31yrs of service.
Thanks
 
Question: Lets say after you graduate the USNA your commitment is 5 yrs.
Now you would like to go back to school and get your Masters Degree.
Does the two years while getting your master count for any part of your commitment ?
How many years more do you sign on for getting your masters?(DOD paid)
Lets say you make a career as an officer does any of your schooling count on the back end of you career?
example 4 yrs USNA + 2 YRS masters degree + 25 yrs of service= 31yrs of service.
Thanks

As I recall, time spent in school never counts as "payback" (towards your commitment). Typically, you owe the military 2 yrs of payback for each year of grad school. There are exceptions, such as USUHS, which is a 7-yr commitment for med school. I believe your school time does count toward your overall time served -- but it may not kick in until you hit 20 yrs of "real" active duty (not school) -- but I'll defer to someone who's served more recently to confirm that.

Also, your first tour after you earn your advanced degree is typically referred to as your "payback tour" -- you may not have a lot of say where you go; although the goal is to have you doing something related to your new degree, it doesn't always work out that way.

You may not need to wait your full 5 yrs before going to grad school. Some USNA students start their masters degrees while at USNA and finish up right after graduation. Others may go to NPG or a civilian school for their first shore tour. Finally, your choices of masters programs may be limited by your warfare speciality. For example, years ago (it has changed) Intel officers could only do 2 masters programs at NPG -- Soviet studies and info technology. It really depends on your warfare community, needs of the Navy, timeframe, etc.
 
There's a very competitive program called VGEP @ USNA. As I understand it, a Mid who has enough units (due to extra-heavy course loads, validated classes, summer programs, etc) can apply to begin a master's degree @ participating DC-area colleges during their 1/C year and stick around for an extra 7 months to complete the program before beginning his/her active duty service commitment. It does not add time to their service commitment, but also does not add to their "time in" -- at least, as my Mid has explained it to me.

I know less about IGEP, which is another graduate degree program, that I believe does add to one's service commitment.
 
VGEP, or any other graduate program that the Navy pays for does add to one's service commitment.
 
I believe the additional service obligation for VGEP was eliminated in 2001.

USNA's Computer Science Dept describes the obligation this way:
<<An additional service obligation is incurred by participating in VGEP equal to three times the length of the graduate school program. For Naval Officers, this commitment is served concurrently with their Naval Academy obligation. For Marine Corps officers, the obligation is served consecutively with the Naval Academy obligation.>>

The Navy pays the cost of U of Maryland tuition, but not books, expenses, etc.; tuition @ some of the participating schools is far higher than UM and the Mid/Ofcr is responsible for that.
 
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Yes you serve it concurrently but if I remember right they say since it is equivalent to a two year program you owe six years which adds one year to your commitment.
 
My 2/C Mid went to a VGEP presentation a couple months ago where the explanation was that the program did not add to Navy service commitment (and added just a few months to USMC commitment). That said, there are always exceptions/program delays/special needs. I'm just reporting feedback from that.

For the initial questioner: just get into USNA, do well, and look into opportunities available there when your time comes. Things change, programs are adjusted, needs of the military evolve. Good luck.
 
There is no free lunch, get that. I don't care about any "specifics" that "someone somewhere" said. If the Navy Dept. is giving you money you will owe something at some point (concurrently or regardless).

Don't worry about this crap that you will learn in the future. The HARDEST (and I cannot put enough emphasis on this) obstacle at this point is getting in. Do that and everything will fall in place, almost literally.
 
- An officer's four years at USNA do not count toward retirement. The clock starts on commission day. NAPS time and prior enlisted military service does count and is calculated off an officer's eligible for retirement date, better know as End of Obligated Service (EAOS) date. Example, my class all had a eligible for retirement date of May 31, 2009. My date was nine months earlier due to my time at NAPS.

- Per OSD requirements, for most graduate programs officers who are selected owe three months for each month they attend school the for the first year and then a month for each month after that. The Naval Postgraduate program is typically a two year program so officers owe four years. This obligation does not push out an officer's EAOS, it pushes out the earliest the officer can separate from the Navy prior to his/her EAOS.

- Areas of study is influenced by an officer's APC score, undergraduate area of study and their Detailer.
 
I served 21 years on active duty after graduating from USNA and got my Master's partially paid for via Tuition Assistance around the half-way mark. (Couldn't get full-time graduate program, so I spread it out with night classes over multiple years. Fun times writing a Master's Thesis during my 6-week maternity leave with a newborn who woke every 2 hours at night. Highly recommend getting your grad ed done before marriage and kids are in the pic!)

My husband is also a USNA grad with 27 years of active duty time. The Navy sent him to three full-time graduate schools: 1. Georgia Tech for an MS in Env. Eng. 2. Naval War College for an MA in National Security Studies 3. Kellog School of Business (Northwestern) for a 6-week certificate program

Payback time began as soon as the degrees/schools were completed - not tacked on at the end.

As parkhurst89 stated, the four years of Academy time do not count towards retirement. However, where they do come into play is if a service academy graduate becomes a federal employee. I am now a GS and can "buy" my four years of Academy time to get credit towards federal retirement.
The military deposit is 3% of the basic pay earned as a midshipman, plus interest, which works out to be a very small sum.

Our family is a great example of one that has benefited incredibly from the military/Navy's generous education programs. Furthermore, we have transferred our Post 9/11 GI Bills to our two kids, one of whom is going to be a plebe this summer. Since the benefits have to be used before the dependent turns 26, I need to research the options and implications of doing so since that time will be concurrent with the 5 year post-Academy obligation..... topic for another thread!
 
Didn't realize how old this post was....but still good to have recent/updated information.

The 2-for-4 years is not applicable anymore.

The governing Navy document is NAVADMIN 195/07 (http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents/NAVADMINS/NAV2007/NAV07195.txt). Not sure exactly on USMC service requirements.

IGEP is 5 years for education LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 20 months and 6 years GREATER THAN 20 months, served CONCURRENTLY, so for USNA grads studying at or below 20 months right after graduation, there is no additional obligation.

Otherwise it is 3 years for any education program leading to a Masters, served concurrently. Once a USNA officer reaches over two years past graduation, any graduate education will lead to additional obligation. Once an officer fulfills their USNA obligation, it will be three additional years of obligation.

As mentioned, your officer clock does not stop once you commission, unless you do it on a sabbatical leave program (which most don't).
 
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usnabgo08- if you don't mind me asking, how long of a requirement would law school add on? I understand that you can't apply until after two years out of USNA and then you work as a JAG (is that what they call it?) I also know that these spots are EXTREMELY limited, I was just wondering what the time requirement following that is?
 
See this webpage for more information. http://www.jag.navy.mil/careers/careers/opportunities_lep.html.
I simply searched for "navy obligations law school" and this was the first link. The current instruction states that the obligation is incurred in a 2:1 ratio (2 years active duty for every year in law school) and this is in addition (not concurrent) to any other obligation(s) owed. One must have served on active duty between two and six years (enlisted time counts for prior enlisted) before being accepted...so non-prior USNA grads might not have completed their initial obligation unless they are picked up in the last year of eligibility.

I believe most law programs are 3 years...so that would be 6 + USNA obligation...so probably ~8 year (presuming 3 years of active duty service) AFTER completing law school, which would end up around the 11 year mark.

Not sure if USNA1985 can clarify on whether my math/time length makes sense, but that is how I read/interpreted the instruction.
 
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