United States Naval Academy

Inside the Classroom

The United States Naval Academy is the undergraduate college that prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The competition for admission is tough: Those selected to become midshipmen must have the drive and motivation to accept a four-year challenge that is both intellectual and physical. If you can make the grade, however, your tuition is free, and your employment in either the Navy or Marine Corps is not only guaranteed, it's mandatory.

The Academy offers a choice of 18 majors grouped into three academic divisions: humanities and social sciences, mathematics and science, and engineering and weapons. All graduates receive a B.S. degree, regardless of their major, due to the curriculum's technical nature. Minors programs are also available in French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Core requirements for all majors include courses in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, the humanities, professional military subjects, and physical education.

Basic eligibility requirements are that incoming "plebes" be U.S. citizens of good moral character, between 17 and 23 years of age, unmarried, not pregnant, and with no dependents. Each applicant's high school record is carefully scrutinized in an effort to select well-rounded students who excel in both academics and sports, and who display leadership in their extracurricular activities.

Each incoming class brigade starts the Naval Academy education with Plebe Summer, a seven-week experience designed to transform civilians into midshipmen with a minimum of gentleness. Perhaps the Academy's website describes this ordeal best: "You start your days at dawn with an hour of rigorous exercise and end them long after sunset, wondering how you will make it through the next day. Forget television, leisure time, or movies. You will have barely enough hours in the day to finish your assigned plebe tasks." In addition to the general military lessons of discipline, time management, and physical condition, the Academy also uses time to instruct students on fundamental naval subjects like seamanship, navigation, boat handling, and the use of weapons.

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