Operations Analysis Sub-Specialty Code (3211E)

The Navy now has a subspecialty coding system for officers based on their undergraduate education. The program was initiated by N81, and the first code is the 3211E code to support the navy's need for officer analysts. The code identifies junior officers who have analytical skills and training that qualify them to fill designated shore billets that involve analytical studies important to the future of the U.S. Navy. Officers with a 3211E code will be given special consideration for assignment to Naval Postgraduate (NPG) School in Monterey to earn a masters degree.

The Navy uses subspecialty codes to identify officers with requisite knowledge not specifically related to their warfare designator to fill critical billets both at sea and ashore.  Until recently subspecialty codes only were awarded to officers who earned masters degrees in critical areas.  The highest level codes are P codes, which require a master’s degree program covering critical skills designated by the navy.

The NPG School strongly supports the 3211E program; to quote the Chairman of the OR Department. "The idea of the 3211E code is great! I believe that USNA graduates with a technical BS, which includes the E code coursework listed below, will be very well positioned to excel in the NPS OA curriculum. In fact, if the coursework is sufficiently recent to allow similar coursework at NPS to be validated, then these students should be able to finish our program with a MSOR and the 3211P code in 6 quarters or fewer."

James N. Eagle, Professor and Chairman, Operations Research Department, Naval Postgraduate School

Three midshipmen in the class of 2002 earned the 3211E code.  One of these midshipmen, Cole Muller, entered the NPG’s master’s degree program in OR right after graduation as a result of the Naval Academy's Immediate Graduated School Program.  He completed his program in four quarters and converted his E code into a P code.  He is the first officer to earn a 3211P code in four quarters. Ten midshipmen in the class of 2003 earned the 3211E code.

Requirements:

Midshipmen with Mathematics (SMA) or Quantative Economics (SQE) majors can readily satisfy the requirements for this code. The requirements are as follows.  To qualify for the 0042E code an officer must have taken the following college courses:

  1. Linear Algebra or Matrix Algebra - sophomore/junior level (1 semester or 1 quarter).  SM261
  2. A multivariate calculus course (more than 2 variables and with a linear algebra/matrix theory prerequisite or co requisite) or an advanced calculus course (a theory course).  SM279 or SM331/SM331H
  3. Probability Theory - sophomore/junior level (1 semester or 1 quarter).  SM239
  4. Statistics - junior/senior level (1 semester or 2 quarters).  SM339
  5. Simulation: Modeling and Theory - junior/senior level (1 semester or 1 quarter).  SA421
  6. Either Linear Programming or Search and Detection Theory - junior/senior level (1 semester or 1 quarter).  SA401 or SA410
  7. A course with a major programming requirement using Java, C++, Visual Basic or Matlab. The course taken must be at a level acceptable at the school taken to count as either a required or an elective course in the school's computer science major, mathematics major, operations research major, or statistics major.  SI204 or SM365
  8. The student must have an overall quality point average (QPA) upon receiving the bachelor's degree of at least 2.7 and a QPA in the above courses of at least 3.0. Where a A=4, B=3, C=2, ...

OPNAV-N81 OA Presentation (slideshow)

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Date page last revised: 8-31-2004