Faculty/Staff

To directly apply for U.S. Naval Academy Marine Detachment billets, read and reference the MARADMIN pending in early April 2025 that details all billet vacancies for the following year. Also reference the next section on this page to download an application and view the MARADMIN. A summary of the billet opportunities at USNA are as follows: 

- Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Master's Program, which produces the additional MOS of 8803. Participants in this program will PCS to Annapolis, MD for a 36 month tour. The first 12 months, each participant will strictly participate in graduate education, sponsored by Naval Postgraduate School, but hosted on-site at the Naval Academy. Upon completion of the LEAD program, each participant will transition to serve as a Company Officer of Midshipmen for a 2-year utilization tour. All LEAD students must arrive NLT 31 May of the summer they are expected to report. Note: LEAD is no longer being screened for via CCLEB. 

- Faculty and staff billets available will have the Billet MOSs (BMOS) of 0102, 8006, 88XX. The majority of the 8006 billets and the 0102 billet do not require graduate education as a prerequisite to apply.  For specific details on graduate education requirements, reference the annual MARADMIN to identify which billets will be available the following year and eligibility requirements. 

- Academic Instructor billets (88XX BMOS).  If you are a student at the Naval Postgradaute School (NPS) or at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), you will earn an Additional MOS (AMOS) and have the opportunity to serve your utilization tour at the Naval Academy in an instructor billet, contingent upon your degree program. Reference the MARADMIN to identify which billets will be available the following year and AMOS required to teach in each respective billet. These include 8220, 8820, 8824, 8826, 8844, 8846, and 8850.

The Advanced Degree Program, screened and selected via the CCLEB and CPIB, offers a Masters Degree in History, with participants earning the AMOS of 8878.  Payback tours for this AMOS only take place at the United States Naval Academy as a Military Historian/History Instructor. 

FY27 Available Billets (Assignment in Summer 2026 for Academic Year 26-27):

• Interested applicants should reference the MARADMIN pending release in early April 2025 to view all billet vacancies for the following year.
• Application deadline for FY27 is 2359 on 31 May 2025.
• Applications will be submitted to the MMOA-3 organizational mailbox at SMB_MMOA_GRAD_EDU@USMC.MIL. Applicants will submit all of the items outlined in the following sections as one single PDF for processing. Board correspondence can be written to "President, U.S. Service Academy Selection Board."
• LEAD Master's Program - the information contained at this link/website is produced by the USNA Division of Leadership and Education and provides interested participants information on the program only. Do not follow the application steps on that site as the instructions do not apply to USMC applicants and are outdated. See below and review the MARADMIN for how to apply.
• You are welcome to request consideration for more than one billet but it must be specified in your application. 

Applications for the 8803 LEAD billet should include:

• USNA Application
• LEAD Applicants ONLY: LEAD Program Application
• Command endorsement. At a minimum, the application will be endorsed by the first O-5 Commanding Officer in the Chain of Command.
• Academic transcripts. Electronic preferred and unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• Letters of recommendation (optional)

Applications for all other billets should include: 

• USNA Application
• Command endorsement.  At a minimum, the application will be endorsed by the first O-5 Commanding Officer in the Chain of Command.
• Academic transcripts. Electronic preferred and unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• Letters of recommendation (optional)

Am I less competitive for selection as a non-USNA grad?

No. The board looks for a diverse group of officers with varying backgrounds who have accessed into the Marine Corps from a myriad of commissioning sources to enable the successful mentorship of midshipmen. 

I am confused by the application submission process. Where should I send my application?

All packages will be submitted to MMOA-3 (smb_mmoa_grad_edu@usmc.mil) in accordance with the directions provided in the MARADMIN.  

To whom should letters of recommendation and endorsements be addressed? 

Letters of recommendation and the command endorsement should be addressed to the President, U.S. Service Academy Selection Board

Do you have a template?

Any application paperwork that needs to be standardized has been linked. Follow basic Naval letter format per the Navy Correspondence Manual for your endorsements and any other communication with the board. If you are unsure how to do this, contact your S-1 for assistance.

What are you looking for in terms of an academic reference for the LEAD application?

Academic references should be a professor, academic department chair, or other professional academic instructor who can speak to your abilities as a student. This reference should not be from an administrator in a registrar's office but rather from an individual from whom you would feel confident asking for a letter of recommendation if you were to apply for graduate school.

Information for Marines Inbound to USNA

USNA Marines fall under Marine Barracks Washington (8th&I).  Upon your arrival to USNA, you must also check-in with the Consolidated Admin (CONAD) section at 8th&I. 

8th&I CONAD is located in Building 8, 1st Floor, room 117. Parking is extremely limited. We recommend you park on the Washington Navy Yard and walk to one of the entrances. 

USNA Uniforms:

• Monday/Tuesday: Service "B"/"C" seasonally
• Wednesday/Thursday: Woodland Utilities
• Friday: Service "B"/Blue Dress "D" seasonally 

Notes: The barracks cover is the only cover authorized at USNA for wear with Service uniforms. You will need to have your Service "A" and Evening Dress or Blue Dress "A" readily available for various functions throughout the year.

Base (Yard Access): You can drive aboard USNA with a military ID. Gate access restrictions are below:

• Gate 1: Open Sun-Thurs 0600-1800/Fri-Sat 0600-0200 for vehicles, 24 hours for pedestrians with CAC (scan turnstile)
• Gate 3 : Open to pedestrians 24 hours with CAC (scan turnstile)
• Gate 8 : Open 24 hours for vehicles and pedestrians 

Useful Documents;

• Bio/Data Sheet Template for USNA Inbound Marines 
• CONAD at Marine Barracks Washington Map
• Map of the Yard