Naval Nuclear Power School 4847219 225722936 2008-07-15T02:21:57Z 128.210.192.143 /* Overview */ {{Infobox_University |name = Naval Nuclear Power School |image_name = NNPTC_Logo.gif |motto = Knowledge, Integrity, Excellence |established = [[1955]] |type = Military Technical School |head_label = Commanding Officer |head = CAPT [[Thomas Bailey]], USN |city = [[Goose_Creek%2C_South_Carolina|Goose Creek]] |state = [[South Carolina]] |country = [[United States|USA]] |students = 2,500 |staff = 500 |campus = [[Naval base]]| |website= [https://www.netc.navy.mil/nnptc/ https://www.netc.navy.mil/nnptc/] |}} '''Naval Nuclear Power School''' is a [[nuclear engineering]] school operated by the [[U.S. Navy]] to train enlisted sailors, officers, and KAPL and Bettis civilians for [[United States Naval reactor|shipboard nuclear power plant]] operation and maintenance on [[naval ship|surface ships]] and [[submarines]] in today's [[nuclear navy]]. Due to its depth and fast pace, it is regarded as the one of the most difficult academic programs in the [[United States military]]. == Overview == Enlisted personnel must have already graduated from the class A school pertaining to their rating assignment as a [[Machinist's Mate]] (MM), [[Electrician's Mate]] (EM), or [[Electronics Technician]] (ET) before commencing their training at the Naval Nuclear Power School. Those in the program make up 3% of the enlisted Navy. While the rigorous training program differs slightly in terms of content for the officers and enlisted ratings, the following topics are provided to all program attendees: * [[Mathematics]] * [[Nuclear Physics]] * [[Electric power|Electrical theory]] and [[Electricity generation|equipment]] * [[Nuclear reactor|Reactor plant technology]] * [[Thermodynamics]] aka ''Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow'' * [[Chemistry]] * [[Materials engineering]] and [[metallurgy]] * [[Health physics]] * [[Nuclear reactor physics|Reactor principles]] The principal difference between the enlisted course and the officer course is the more extensive post-Calculus mathematical examination of reactor dynamics studied by the officers, and the officers' study of the entire scope of "cross-rate" knowledge. The nuclear program is widely acknowledged as having the most demanding academic program in the U.S. military today. The school operates at a very fast pace and stringent academic standards are required for all subjects. Students typically spend 45 hours a week in the classroom, and study anywhere from an additional 10 to 50 hours per week, giving the average student around a 65 hour, 6 day work week minimum. Students cannot study or do homework outside of the classroom, as the material is classified. A security badge must be used to access the training building. Prospective enlisted enrollees in the Nuclear Power Program must pass a general science exam as well as have a qualifying score on the ASVAB exam. Enrolling students are required to be able to attain a "confidential" security clearance. After enrolling, students may still be later disqualified from the program for military or academic reasons. Students who fail tests and otherwise struggle academically are required to interview with instructors to review the students' academic performance. They may then be given remedial homework or other study requirements. Failing scores due to personal negligence in the school can result in charges of "dereliction of duty" under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, depending on whether or not the student was determined to be lacking effort, or lacking the ability to complete the program. Under performing students can be held back in order to repeat the coursework with a new group of classmates, but generally under performing students are released from the Nuclear Power Program and are re-designated into normal Navy rates (jobs). Many colleges and universities award several years of college credit to graduates of Naval Nuclear Power School for the unclassified portions of the curriculum. Because large parts of the curriculum are classified, the amount of college credit awarded does not accurately reflect the depth of the coursework. The American College of Education recommends an average of 60-80 semester-hours of college credit for completion of the entire Naval Nuclear Power Training Command curriculum, which comprises both Nuclear Field "A" School and Naval Nuclear Power School (the acual amount is based on the specific training pipeline completed - MM, EM, or ET). Sailors with one to two years of college credit may easily find themselves only a few classes away from a bachelors degree upon completion of the training pipeline, though NNPTC in and of itself is not a degree-granting institution. Several universities do offer degrees in Nuclear, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics Engineering/Engineering Technology, and a number of them grant the full ACE-recommended credits to NNPTC graduates. Further, under the Navy's SOCNAV college program, the residency requirements at these civilian institutions are reduced to only 10-25%, allowing a student to take as little as 12 units of coursework through the degree-granting institution (typically 4 courses) to complete their bachelors degree. Further, naval nuclear plant operators are very sought after in the civilian nuclear industry and related fields. Graduates of Nuclear Power School go on to Nuclear Prototype Units for six additional months of hands-on experience and training at operating Nuclear propulsion plants. Upon separation, many sailors choose to work at civilian [[nuclear power plant]]s or in similar industries. Women were not allowed into the Naval Nuclear Field until 1980, and currently only serve on aircraft carriers (Enterprise and Nimitz-class) and shore commands. ==History of locations== Originally, the school was located at the [[Naval Submarine Base New London]] in [[Groton, Connecticut]]. In [[1962]], the school was then moved to (the now former) Naval Training Center [[Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland|Bainbridge, Maryland]] and later to (the now former) Naval Training Center [[Orlando, Florida]]. In addition to the school at Bainbridge, there was a second Nuclear Power School at the [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]], in Vallejo, California. That school was started January 1959 and closed in 1977 when the training was consolidated in Orlando. Today, the Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC)] is located on the [[Naval Weapons Station Charleston]] in [[Goose Creek, South Carolina]]. Construction of the Charleston facility was completed in 1998, with the commands operating in both locations simultaneously for a number of months before the last class graduated from Orlando. ==College Equivalence== The [[American Council on Education]] has evaluated the course of instruction at NNPTC and recommended the following credits be given:<ref name ="American Council on Education Evaluation of NNPTC">[http://militaryguides.acenet.edu/ShowAceCourses.asp?aceid=NV-1732-0026 ACE Military Guide | Course Exhibit<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *5 hours in general physics *3 hours in heat transfer and fluid flow *3 hours in nuclear reactor engineering *1 hour in atomic and nuclear physics *1 hour in radiation protection technology *3 hours in general chemistry and principles of materials *4 hours in technical mathematics. Additionally, for Machinist's Mates *3 hours in applied thermodynamics and heat transfer *3 hours in power plant systems *3 hours in basic electricity For Electronics Technicians or Electrician's Mates *2 hours in hydraulic systems *2 hours in DC circuits *2 hours in AC circuits *2 hours in digital principles *2 hours in electric machines ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Charleston, South Carolina]] [[Category:Nuclear technology]] [[Category:Nuclear organizations]] [[Category:Educational institutions established in the 1950s]] [[Category:Educational institutions with year of establishment missing]]