When the USS Montpelier (SSN 765) returns late this fall from its South American deployment, 13 officers on board the submarine will be more than halfway through a master's of engineering management degree, thanks to two new programs at Old Dominion.
The submariners will be the first to receive Navy-funded graduate courses via a CD-ROM pilot program with the university. While under way, the students will gather at a regularly scheduled time to watch the prerecorded instruction from Old Dominion engineering faculty on one of the sub's large-screen displays.
Additionally, the officers will have access to laptop computers for self study and will interact with professors via e-mail.
During the deployment, students will complete two courses toward the degree - "Cost Estimation and Financial Analysis" and "Quality System Design." When the submarine returns, officers will continue with an additional four CD-ROM courses during maintenance and at-sea periods.
The program incorporates normal Navy organization and material management activities into the curriculum's case studies.
"We're really excited to jointly participate with Old Dominion in this unique education project," said Cmdr. Ron LaSalvia, Montpelier's skipper. "It's one of the best ideas I've seen come to the waterfront."
Coupled with Old Dominion's recently established program granting 12 credits toward master's programs in the College of Engineering and Technology to graduates of the Navy's Officer Nuclear Power School, the CD-ROM pilot program allows the USS Montpelier officers to complete a master's degree in about a year.
"Old Dominion is certainly pleased to jointly develop the first full degree program available to operational submarines via any means, as well as the Navy's first complete CD-ROM degree program," said Dick Whalen, director of military activities. "It fits in directly with our continuing support to the military community and we are optimistic that this new education initiative will soon be expanded throughout the Navy nuclear power officer community."
The pilot program is administered by the Middlesex Research Center of Landover, Md., which coordinates the delivery of education programs worldwide under the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education.
In another first, the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tarawa this month became the first West Coast-based vessels to join Old Dominion's distance learning program for ships at sea. Officers and enlisted personnel are taking two M.B.A. courses during their six-month cruise.
