Upon graduation, Midshipmen are commissioned as either Ensigns in the United Staets Navy or Second Lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps to begin their military careers. Those entering the Marine Corps attend The Basic School (TBS), where they receive training in leadership and are assigned their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Naval officers begin their careers based on service selection in the fields listed below. Click on the community title to visit the official Navy/Marine Corps website for more details, or click here to visit the NROTC Careers website.
If you’re a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO), you have what it takes to lead by example. Maintain and operate the most advanced fleet of ships in the world—along with the crews that support them. Your team of Sailors will look to you for guidance, so you’ll need to become an expert on everything from engineering to combat systems to navigation. Communicate your mission and goals with your crew to ensure everything is smooth sailing. If you see yourself commanding a Naval ship as a Captain one day, this is the role that will get you there.
Newly commissioned Surface Warfare Officers will be assigned to a surface ship, leading a team of Sailors responsible for a component of the ship – anything from electronics to weapons to engineering systems. In this setting, Officers are working toward full Surface Warfare qualification.
Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) are involved in virtually every aspect of Navy missions. As a SWO, you may be in charge of any number of shipboard operations and activities while at sea, working with or within any of these specialized forces:
Cruiser-Destroyer Forces:Provide ship attack and defensive measures with a wide array of missile and fire power capabilities, providing anti-air, -submarine and -surface warfare support.
Amphibious Forces:Embark and transport vehicles, equipment and personnel for amphibious assault operations.
After completing these initial sea tours, Surface Warfare Officers may be selected to serve on high-level staffs, commands or strategic projects or they may be selected to work in recruitment. The ultimate goal for many: to one day command their own ship.
Newly-commissioned Ensigns serve their first sea tour as a Division Officer on a conventional ship, leading a team of Sailors responsible for everything from electronics to weapons to ship operations. Here, officers work towards their Surface Warfare Officer qualification on a tour that lasts approximately 24 months.
After their first sea tour, officers will attendNaval Nuclear Power School (NNPS)in Charleston, SC. This 24-week graduate-level course of intensive study covers a variety of science and technology-based subjects, from calculus to thermodynamics to electrical engineering to reactor dynamics. NNPS provides the foundational knowledge necessary for a theoretical understanding of nuclear propulsion.
Next comesNuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU), often referred to as Prototype, in either Charleston, SC, or Ballston Spa, NY. This 26-week course of instruction involves hands-on training with several operational reactor prototypes. Here, officers apply the concepts learned at Nuclear Power School – studying systems and components of a nuclear propulsion plant and working with all the associated systems of a full-scale operating plant. The training culminates with qualification as Engineering Officer of the Watch.
Following nuclear power training, officers are assigned as a Division Officer in the reactor plant of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for approximately 28 months. During this assignment, Nuclear Surface Warfare Officers complete their Prospective Nuclear Engineer Officer (PNEO) training and qualification, which is a Department of Energy certification recognized by the civilian nuclear power industry.
After completing their sea tours, Surface Warfare Officers may fill positions anywhere from Nuclear Power School and Prototype to other jobs ashore. They may be selected to serve on high-level staffs, work on strategic projects, or further their education by taking advantage of the many graduate school opportunities the Navy has to offer. The ultimate goal for many: to one day command their own surface ship.
The intricate machinery aboard a nuclear-powered submarine is complex—but managing the intricacies between the people demands just as much expertise. Submarine Officers hold leadership roles in every department on a submarine. Whether you are managing the nuclear reactor plant aboard or driving the vessel through the depths of the sea, you’re always leading by example. Every decision is a reflection of your judgement, so you must have the courage to trust it. Ultimately, it is your job to manage your team and help keep your missions on track.
Newly commissioned Ensigns move on to receive the advanced training that is at the core of Navy Nuclear Propulsion, starting withNaval Nuclear Power School (NNPS)in Charleston, SC. This 24-week graduate-level course of intensive study covers a variety of science and technology-based subjects from calculus, to thermodynamics to electrical engineering to reactor dynamics. NNPS provides the foundational knowledge necessary for a theoretical understanding of nuclear propulsion.
From there, Submarine Officers attendNuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU), often referred to as Prototype, in either Charleston, SC, or Ballston Spa, NY. This 26-week course of instruction involves hands-on training with several operational reactor prototypes. Here, officers apply the concepts learned at Nuclear Power School – studying systems and components of a nuclear propulsion plant and working with all the associated systems of a full-scale operating plant. The training culminates with qualification as Engineering Officer of the Watch.
Next comes theSubmarine Officer Basic Course (SOBC), a 12-week course of instruction located in Groton, CT. There, officers learn all about submarine operations, including safety, damage control, seamanship and sonar systems along with the responsibilities of leading an advanced submarine crew as a division officer before reporting to an assigned submarine.
The roughly 15 months of shore-based training ends with an assignment as a Division Officer on a submarine, managing a team of highly trained Enlisted Submariners. Officers work toward a rigorous submarine qualification program that culminates in being designated as “Qualified in Submarines,” earning the right to wear the coveted Gold Dolphins insignia and take on all the responsibilities that go with it. Typically, this is a 32-month tour alternating between deployments, patrols, various ports of call around the world, as well as periods of time at home port conducting maintenance, training, local operations or taking leave.
After the Division Officer/Junior Officer sea tour comes a shore assignment lasting approximately two years. During this period, Officers fill positions anywhere from Nuclear Power School to Prototype to Submarine School. They may be selected to serve on high-level staffs or strategic projects, or further their education by taking advantage of the many graduate school opportunities the Navy has to offer. The ultimate goal for many is to one day command their own submarine.
In addition, Submarine Officers who choose to continue their time as a submariner can earn up to an additional $40,000/year as a Department Head.
As a Submarine Officer, you will also earn eventual qualification as Prospective Nuclear Engineering Officer (PNEO) – a Department of Energy certification recognized by the civilian nuclear power industry and an impressive item for your résumé following your time in the Navy.
After successfully completing the ASTB and passing the flight physical, midshipmen await selection as either a pilot or a Naval Flight Officer (NFO). After commissioning, new Ensigns begin an extensive series of training schools, beginning with basic aviation education at NAS Pensacola. After primary school, the students divide for fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft training, and then continue to split for more specialized training. Upon completion of flight training, naval aviators are assigned to a fleet replacement squadron, receive their wings, and train to operate a specific aircraft.
As a Navy Fighter Pilot, the sky is your domain. You’ll be part of an elite group of aviators who fly and fight in the world’s most lethal jets—all from the deck of an aircraft carrier. To do this job well, you’ll need critical thinking skills, unshakeable determination and the will to persevere through the toughest challenges. As a Navy Fighter Pilot, your missions are among the most daring and most important. Complete complex air maneuvers while flying at Mach speeds. Catapult off carriers at 170 mph and land on moving runways only 300 feet long. Gather intel, drop ordnance and conduct defensive missions—all in the most versatile strike fighters on the planet, the F/A-18 Hornet and the cutting-edge F-35C Lightning II.
A pilot who flies fixed wing aircraft can serve on a variety of platforms. In the C-2 Greyhound, you’re the supply line for everything a carrier needs—transporting parts, personnel and mail to the 5,000 people aboard, rain or shine. In the cockpit of the E-2C Hawkeye, you’re on patrol as the command control center in the sky. If you’re flying the P-3 Orion or the brand-new P-8 Poseidon, you’re hunting for submarines using cutting-edge software, radar, sonar and acoustics to protect the strike group. Every aircraft has their own idiosyncrasies which need the best pilots out there to defend from the skies.
As a Helicopter Pilot, the sky is your domain. Hover over the sea for search and rescue, extract Sailors and Special Forces from a hot landing zone or track and neutralize enemy submarines in the defense of your ship. Aerial maneuvers in a MH-60 Romeo or MH-60 Sierra helicopter require hours of training, versatile skills and a little bit of creativity to get the job done.
Pilots aren’t the only Officers behind our aircraft. Naval Flight Officers are the navigators, the lookouts and the weapon operators inside naval aviation. Whether you’re hunting submarines from a P-8 Poseidon, navigating an E-2 Hawkeye through enemy territory or dropping bombs from the backseat of an F-18 fighter jet—it’s your skills that make the mission possible.
Navy Nurse Corps Officers may serve at any one of more than 250 Navy and medical facilities around the globe, from Hawaii to Japan, Germany to Guam, and Washington, D.C., to Washington state. As a Navy Nurse, you may work at one of the highly acclaimed National Naval Medical Centers in Bethesda, MD, Portsmouth, VA, or San Diego, CA. You might even provide medical support aboard one of two dedicated hospital ships—the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy. Additional opportunities are available on surface ships, with aircraft squadrons, or even with the Fleet Marine Force.
Executing the full spectrum of cyber, cryptology and signals intelligence; information operations; computer network operations; and electronic warfare missions across the cyber, electromagnetic and space domains, Information Warfare Officers (IWOs) play a vital role. Their mission: to deter and defeat aggression, to provide warning of intent, and to ensure freedom of action while achieving military objectives in and through cyberspace. Serving as Officers (four-year degree required), IWOs are leaders in the Information Dominance Corps (IDC) – a group of highly specialized information experts fully integrated across surface, subsurface, air, space and cyberspace domains. With shared functions, capabilities and resources, IDC members leverage their skills to optimize decision making and to maximize the use of sensors, weapons, network communications and control systems for purposes of national security and warfighting.
Newly commissioned Ensigns attend an eight-week IW Basic Course of instruction in Pensacola, Fla. – learning the fundamentals of everything from Electromagnetic Theory to Tactical Cryptology to Signals Intelligence Reporting. From there, IWOs are required to complete specific qualifications as part of their operational training during Fleet tours and are expected to pursue advanced education opportunities. In the course of service, specialized training received could lead to credentialing, certification and/or licensure opportunities from a number of national boards and organizations. Promotion opportunities are regularly available but are competitive and based on performance.
Midshipmen interested in SEALs or Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) start the process during their junior year of college. Midshipmen must complete the Physical Screening Test (PST) and get selected for a SEAL or EOD cruise.
Candidates begin their training in Panama City, Florida. The candidates attend nine weeks of dive school at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center. Candidates will learn about scuba diving, physiology, and basic dive medicine. After dive school, candidates will transfer to the 42 week Basic EOD School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The school teaches candidates about air ordnance, improvised explosive devices, nuclear ordnance, and underwater ordnance. EOD candidates then attend three weeks of Basic Airborne Training at Fort Benning, Georgia where static line parachuting is taught. The last phase of EOD training is three weeks of EOD Tactical Training in San Diego, California. EOD officers learn small unit tactics, weapons training, and helicopter insertion. After the Tactical Training, EOD officers are assigned to an EOD Mobile Unit.
Candidates begin their training in San Diego, California. The first test for a SEAL officer is the three week Basic Orientation, which prepares the candidate for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S). BUD/S consists of three, seven week phases: basic conditioning, combat diving, and land warfare training. After BUD/S, candidates must complete the SEAL Qualification Training (SQT), which prepares SEAL candidates for integration with a SEAL platoon. Before the SEAL candidate officially becomes a SEAL, the candidate must complete SERE School and parachuting qualifications. Once all these steps have been completed, candidates will officially become SEAL officers and will get to report to their SEAL platoon.
Marine officers have a wide variety of potential communities available including ground combat, logistics, aviation, artillery, and intelligence. However, as every is trained to be a riflemen first, and every Marine officer a rifle platoon leader. Each community involves specialize training completed after The Basic School. Please visit the official Marine Corps Officer website for more details.
