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Special Warfare Education Group (Airborne)
Graduate Research Management Office
Graduate Civilian Education
Fully-Funded Master's Degrees
Fort Bragg, N.C.
ARSOF Graduate Civilian Education: Fully Funded Master's Degrees
It is the SCoE vision that eligible ARSOF Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers will have an opportunity to compete for a master’s degree along appropriate Professional Military Education (PME) and career timelines. Two of the specific programs designed for SOF Operators are highlighted below.
NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE (1) GRADUATE LEVEL DEGREE PAID FOR BY THE ARMY (EXCLUDING TUITION ASSISTANCE). THEREFORE, YOU MAY ONLY ATTEND ONE PROGRAM. IT IS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY FOR BOTH, HOWEVER IF SELECTED, YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO ATTEND ONE.
National Defense University: Joint Special Operations Master of Arts Program
AY 2015/16 Class Demographics • 42 Total Students • 13 Officers • 26 Non-Commissioned Officers • 3 Warrant Officers |
In September 2010, the United States Army Special Operations Center of Excellence, Special Warfare Education Group (SWEG) Airborne, in partnership with the National Defense University (NDU), began offering a fully accredited program for a Master of Arts in Strategic Security Studies (MASSS).
The program mirrors the Joint Special Operations Master of Arts (JSOMA) offered by NDU’s College of International Security Affairs. The SCoE/NDU program is offered to eligible Non-Commissioned Officers, Warrant Officers, Officers from all Special Operations Branches and support personnel assigned to a Special Operations Unit, that have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
The 10-month curriculum offers a strategic perspective on the global threat environment; the rise of newly empowered and politicized ideological movements; the relationship between political objectives; strategy; all instruments of national power; and the roles of power and ideology. Through seminars, independent study, research and the writing of a thesis, students will develop strategies for working with other agencies and with members of the international coalition. Through a combination of academic and practical learning, the program will prepare professionals to develop and implement national and international security strategies for conditions of peace, crisis and war.
Students who complete the MASSS degree should be able to meet the following learning objectives:
(1) Analyze the 21st-century geopolitical environment characterized by the rise of nonstate armed groups and the uneven erosion of state sovereignty;
(2) Evaluate the roles of power and ideology, the rise of newly empowered and politicized ideological movements, and the bases for authority and legitimacy;
(3) Understand the relationship between political objectives, strategy and all instruments of national power;
(4) Develop skills needed for thinking critically and strategically and for differentiating between policy and analysis. Put knowledge into practice in complex circumstances involving collaboration with diverse partners.
The JSOMA program is fast-paced and demanding. Students’ education backgrounds will vary — some may have completed their undergraduate degree recently, while others may have completed it years ago. To better prepare all students for the academic rigors of the program, the SWCS Education Management Division is coordinating with the Army Center for Enhanced Performance – Fort Bragg to develop an academic-success program tailored to the needs of the students.
The curriculum begins in August. Interested Soldiers should submit their application packet to the Graduate Research Management Office, ATTN: Michelle Worsley Room 369, Bank Hall. Please review the AY 17 MILPER Announcement for all prerequisites and eligibility criteria.
Complete Packets Must Include:
• ORB or ERB with a current DA Photo
• Last Three (3) OERs or NCOERs
• DA Form 1618 Endorsed by the first O-6 in your Chain of Command
• Example HRC Branch Approval Memo
• Example HRC Branch Approval Memo (Enablers)
• Statement of Purpose (250-500 words), detailing SOF’s return on investment for your selection and must include any relevant research areas you would be interested in pursuing.
• Official Undergraduate Transcripts
Packets can be submitted via email at Graduate Research Management Office, ATTN: Michelle Worsley, hand delivered to room 369 Bank Hall, or mailed to:
COMMANDER, USAJFKSWCS, AOJK-EDG
ATTN: MICHELLE WORSLEY
3004 Ardennes Street Stop A
Fort Bragg, North Carolina 28310
LINK TO AY 17 MILPER MESSAGE (PDF)
Naval Post Graduate School (NPS): Special Operations/Irregular Warfare Curriculum
25 New ARSOF Students Bi-Annually 18-Month Program ILE completed during program |
Eligible ARSOF ILE Resident-Select Officers may apply to attend an 18-month program in Naval Postgraduate School within the Department of Defense Analysis in Monterey, California. The Special Operations/Irregular Warfare Program focuses on counterinsurgency, terrorism and counterterrorism, unconventional warfare, information operations, and other "high leverage" operations in U.S. defense and foreign policy. The core program also provides a strong background in strategic analysis, decision modeling, organization theory, and formal analytical method. Successful completion of this program results in a Master of Science in Defense Analysis and counts as your Intermediate Level Education (ILE) course.
More information on NPS’s Defense Analysis Special Operations Curriculum can be found here: NPS’s Defense Analysis Special Operations Curriculum
Interested Soldiers should submit their application packet to the Graduate Research Management Office Room C428, Bank Hall. Please review the Army Competitive Category Intermediate Education Opportunities and Procedures MILPER Announcement for all prerequisites and eligibility criteria.
Complete Packets Must Include:
• ORB or ERB with a current DA Photo
• Last Three (3) OERs or NCOERs
• DA Form 1618 Endorsed by the first O-6 in your Chain of Command
• Example HRC Branch Approval Memo
• NPS Conditional Acceptance Letter (Apply online to NPS at www.nps.edu)
• Statement of Purpose (250-500 Words) in Academic Essay Format
• Official Undergraduate Transcripts
Packets can be submitted via email at Graduate Research Management Office, ATTN: Michelle Worsley, hand delivered to room 369 Bank Hall, or mailed to:
COMMANDER, USAJFKSWCS, AOJK-EDG
ATTN: MICHELLE WORSLEY
3004 Ardennes Street Stop A
Fort Bragg, North Carolina 28310
For additional information, questions, or concerns please contact Graduate Research Management Office or (910) 908-4594.
For additional information, questions, or concerns please contact Graduate Research Management Office, ATTN: Michelle Worsley or (910) 908-1517.