Let's face it, you know you need a Masters Degree to promote. It's definitely a requirement by the time the O5 board convenes, and it is becoming a bigger deal for O4.
But let's say you struggled with classwork. You weren't the greatest in school, and now that it's been a few years, you're worried about going back.
Not to fear! Look at getting a graduate certificate from NPS first. Some advantages:
- No TA costs, so minimal paperwork to file.
- Take one class a semester. Typically this is 3 hours of lecture a week, with an hour of homework, and two-three exams a semester.
- NPS professors are much more understanding about last minute TDY, deployments, etc. I've had exam dates changed quickly to accommodate my deployments.
You can search for classes here:
http://www.nps.edu/Academics/DL/DLPrograms/dlProgramSearch.html
If you select the certificates on the left side, you can see the whole list. The certificates will go on your record as graduate work, so you'll get credit when looked at for promotion boards. On top of that, you can use the credits later to count towards a degree from NPS (either in residence or via distance).
This is definitely a win-win, since you get credit for anything you do, plus you control the pace at which you complete the certificate.
