Chapter 2

Composition, Purpose and Structure of the Academic Council

2.1 Statement of Academic Council Purposes and Authority

(Approved: February 16, 1994) (Amended October 27, 2004)

The purpose of the Academic Council is to establish, monitor, review, certify, and advise on policies and procedures which will ensure high and consistent academic standards of graduate education throughout the Naval Postgraduate School. It will prosecute this responsibility by:

1. reviewing curricula and degree and academic certificate program requirements;
2. by adjudicating exceptions and deviations from standard procedures in particular instances or special circumstances;
3. and by advising the Provost on ways to maintain and improve the quality of education at the school.

The Academic Council shall concern itself both with quality control aspects of the School's academic programs and with ways to promote the development of academic excellence in the unique context of professional graduate education. At the request of the Provost, the Academic Council shall also provide advice and assistance in formulating, revising and clarifying the educational mission of the School.

The Academic Council is authorized to:

1. approve new degree and academic certificate programs and major alterations to existing degree and academic certificate programs;
2. approve nominations for degrees;
3. approve nominations to candidacy for doctoral degrees;
4. append the accolade of With Distinction to individual Master's Degrees;
5. approve special programs of study.

Any matter subject to the Council's approval must be submitted to the Council for its consideration.

2.2 Composition of the Council

(Approved: February 16, 1994)

The Academic Council shall have membership representing the administration of the School, as well as representatives from each of the academic activities on campus. Membership requirements and election procedures are listed in the following sections.

2.2.1 Officers from the School At Large

(Approved: February 16, 1993) (Amended January 12, 2007)

• Provost
• Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
• Dean of Students
• Director of Programs
• Chair of Faculty Scholarship committee

2.2.2 Officers from Departments and Academic Groups

(Approved: February 16, 1994) (Amended December 5, 2001)(Amended January 12, 2007)

In addition, there must be one member of the Council from each of the following academic activities:

• Computer Science Department;
• Defense Analysis Department
• Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
• Electronic Warfare Academic Group
• Graduate School of Business and Public Policy
• Information Sciences Department
• Mathematics Department
• Mechanical and Astronautical Engineering Department
• Meteorology Department
• Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation Academic Committee
• National Security Affairs Department
• Oceanography Department
• Research Department
• Physics Department
• Space Systems Academic Group
• Systems Engineering Department
• Systems Engineering & Analysis Curriculum Committee

The members of each Department¹ shall elect from among their own number a representative and an alternate to the Academic Council. Nominees for these positions shall be approved by the responsible Department or Group Chair prior to such election. The Department Chair and visiting faculty shall not be eligible to serve as Academic Council representative or alternate. Both the representative and alternate shall serve concurrent three-year terms. Terms shall be staggered so that approximately one-third of the elected membership will rotate each year. Representatives may be reelected by their Departments.

If a representative is unable to complete his/her term of office, the Department shall hold an election to replace the representative. The new representative shall start a new three-year term upon election.

No individual may serve as representative or alternate representative for two activities simultaneously.

The alternate, in the case of temporary absence of a representative, shall replace that representative at Academic Council meetings.

The Faculty Scholarship Committee may likewise select an alternate to serve in the temporary absence of its Chair. Alternates shall have all the rights and responsibilities of regular representatives.

¹Any academic activity having cognizance of degree requirements. In this document, Academic Groups are included in the definition of a Department

2.3 Chair of the Council

(Approved: February 16, 1994)

The Chair of the Council shall be the Provost of the Naval Postgraduate School. The duties of the Chair are:

1. to make appointments to standing committees;
2. to establish and compose ad hoc committees;
3. to chair meetings of the Council, including ensuring that rules of order are maintained during meetings;
4. to promote the interests of the Council with the full weight of his /her office.

If the Chair of the Council is unable to attend a Council meeting, the Secretary of the Council becomes responsible for providing the Chair of that meeting.

2.4 Secretary of the Council

(Approved: February 16, 1994)

The post of Secretary of the Council shall be held by the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs of the Naval Postgraduate School. The responsibilities of the Secretary are as follows:

1. to serve as meeting Chair for Council meetings in the absence of the Council's Chair;
2. to administer all correspondence of the Council, including management of the agenda package for each meeting, and to serve as the Council's point-of-contact for the School;
3. to allocate tasks to the standing committees of the Council according to their by-direction authority;
4. to confer with parties submitting agenda items which are not appropriate for Council consideration, referring the party to the appropriate office for consideration;
5. to maintain a current list of the membership of the Council, including alternates, and to notify the members of changes in Academic Council membership;
6. to maintain a list of those offices and individuals who require hardcopy versions of the Manual, and to circulate the Manual to these parties in accordance with the policy expressed in this document;
7. to execute by-direction authority as indicated in this document.
8. to make administrative changes to the Manual as required.

2.5 Standing Committees

(Approved: February 16, 1994) (Amended January 12, 2007)

The Academic Council is comprised of four (4) standing committees.

2.5.1 Appointment

(Approved: February 16, 1993)

Each standing committee shall consist of three or more members of the Academic Council, appointed by the Chair of the Council. The Chair of each standing committee shall be elected by the committee members, and shall serve at the pleasure of the committee. No member of the Council shall serve simultaneously on more than one standing committee.

2.5.2 Replacing Members

(Approved: February 16, 1993)

In the event that a member of a standing committee vacates his/her Council seat, the representative who replaces him/her as a member of the Council shall also replace him/her as a member of that standing committee, finishing the unexpired portion of the term. However, if the vacating member is the Chair of a standing committee, an election for the Chair must take place before the next meeting of the Council.

A temporary absence of less than fifteen weeks does not create a vacancy.

2.5.3 Course Review Committee

(Approved: February 16, 1993)

The Course Review Committee recommends approval or disapproval to the Academic Council of all new and modified courses. The Committee also establishes procedures and guidelines for adding, dropping, or modifying courses.

2.5.4 Curriculum, Certificate, and Degree Requirements Committee

(Approved: February 16, 1993) (Amended October 27, 2004) (Amended January 12, 2007)

The purpose of the Curriculum, Certificate, and Degree Requirements Committee is to inform and advise the Council on matters involving the requirements a student must fulfill in order to earn a degree or academic certificate at the School.

The Committee shall consider the following types of requests:

1. requests submitted by Departments for the establishment of new curricula;
2. requests submitted by Departments for the establishment of new degree or academic certificate programs;
3. requests submitted by Departments for changing the requirements of existing degree or academic certificate programs;
4. requests submitted by students, Program Officers, or Departments seeking the waiver of specific candidacy requirements, including
   • request for waiver of QPR requirements;
   • request for waiver of course requirements;
   • requests submitted by the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs that the Council formulate or modify policies involving curricula and degree requirements.

Examples of this last item include policies on course load restrictions, credit for thesis work, and Engineer's degree requirements.

2.5.5 Ph.D. Committee

(Approved: February 16, 1993)

The purpose of the Ph.D. Committee of the Academic Council is to establish, monitor, review, certify, and advise on policies and procedures which will ensure high and consistent academic standards of Ph.D. programs throughout the Naval Postgraduate School. At the request of the Academic Council, it will fulfill these responsibilities by:

1. formulating policies and procedures which pertain to the Ph.D. degree;
2. developing policies to maintain and improve the quality of Ph.D. education at the School;
3. reviewing new doctoral programs and changes to existing Ph.D. programs.

2.5.6 Special Programs Committee

(Approved: February 16, 1993) (Amended January 17, 2007)

Special degree programs at the School are:

1. those programs leading to a Bachelor's Degree;
2. all Master's Degree programs which are not described explicitly in the NPS Academic Catalog
3. all programs of civilian students leading to a Master's Degree.
4. The purpose of the Special Programs Committee is to review all special degree programs at the School, to propose policies governing special programs and to recommend Council action on agenda items related to special programs.

2.6 Ad Hoc Committees

(Approved: February 16, 1993) (Amended January 17, 2007)

Ad hoc committees may be created by the Council to perform specific functions on a one-time basis. The size and membership of ad hoc committees is determined by the Chair of the Council. The members of ad hoc committees may serve simultaneously on other committees of the Council.