Naval Science (NS)
ROTC subjects do not carry academic credit at MIT, but they can be counted toward the PE requirement. Up to two points per year with a maximum of four points.
Naval Science
NS.100 Naval Science Leadership Seminar
Subject meets with NS.200, NS.300, NS.400
Prereq: None
U (Fall, Spring)
0-2-2 units
Leadership seminar addresses professional issues of military leadership, ethics, foreign policy, internal affairs and naval warfare doctrine. Subject matter centers on preparation for commissioned service in the US Naval Forces by examining the role of the junior officer in the employment of naval power. Mostly student originated, the periods include panel discussions, practical applications, guest lecturers from academia, and speakers currently serving in deployed naval forces.
B. Connors
NS.11 Introduction to Naval Science
Prereq: None. Coreq: NS.100
U (Fall)
3-0-3 units
Introduction to Naval Science. General introduction to the US Navy and Marine Corps. Emphasizes organizational structure, warfare components, and assigned roles/missions of US Navy/USMC. Covers all aspects of naval service from its relative position within DOD, to specific warfare communities/career paths. Also includes basic elements of leadership/Navy core values. Designed to give student initial exposure to many elements of naval culture. Provides students with conceptual framework and working vocabulary. Completion of MIT NROTC Orientation Program strongly recommended.
R. Seiffert
NS.12 Seapower and Maritime Affairs
Prereq: None
U (Spring)
3-0-6 units
A study of the US Navy and the influence of sea power upon history. Incorporates both a historical and political science process to explore the major events, attitudes, personalities, and circumstances which have imbued the US Navy with its proud history and rich tradition. Deals with issues of national imperatives in peacetime as well as war, varying maritime philosophies which were interpreted into naval strategies/doctrines, budgetary concerns which shaped force realities, and the pursuit of American diplomatic objectives, concluding with the current search for direction in the post-Cold War era and beyond.
A. Francher
NS.200 Naval Science Leadership Seminar
Subject meets with NS.100, NS.300, NS.400
Prereq: None
U (Fall, Spring)
0-2-2 units
Leadership seminar addresses professional issues of military leadership, ethics, foreign policy, internal affairs and naval warfare doctrine. Subject matter centers on preparation for commissioned service in the US Naval Forces by examining the role of the junior officer in the employment of naval power. Mostly student originated, the periods include panel discussions, practical applications, guest lecturers from academia, and speakers currently serving in deployed naval forces.
B. Connors
NS.21 Leadership and Management
Prereq: None
U (Fall)
3-0-6 units
Explores leadership from the military perspective taught by professors of military science from the Army, Navy and Air Force. Survey of basic principles for successfully managing and leading people, particularly in public service and the military. Develops skills in topics such as oral and written communication techniques, planning, team building, motivation, ethics, decision-making, and managing change. Relies heavily on interactive experiential classes with case studies, student presentations, role plays, and discussion. Also appropriate for non-management science majors.
J. Huck
NS.22 Navigation
Prereq: NS.11 or permission of instructor
U (Spring)
3-0-6 units
Comprehensive study of the theory, principles, and procedures of piloting and maritime navigation, including mathematics of navigation, practical work involving navigational instruments, sight reduction by <em>pro forma</em> and computerized methods, charts, publications, and voyage planning. CORTRAMID cruise recommended.
J. Nothacker
NS.300 Naval Science Leadership Seminar
Subject meets with NS.100, NS.200, NS.400
Prereq: None
U (Fall, Spring)
0-2-4 units
Leadership seminar addresses professional issues of military leadership, ethics, foreign policy, internal affairs and naval warfare doctrine. Subject matter centers on preparation for commissioned service in the US Naval Forces by examining the role of the junior officer in the employment of naval power. Mostly student originated, the periods include panel discussions, practical applications, guest lecturers from academia, and speakers currently serving in deployed naval forces.
B. Connors
NS.31 Naval Ships Systems I: Engineering
Prereq: None
U (Fall)
3-0-6 units
Lecture series on technological fundamentals of applied and planned naval ships Systems from an engineering viewpoint. Topics include stability, propulsion, ship control and systems.
J. Stabile
NS.32 Naval Ship Systems II Weapons
Prereq: NS.31 or permission of instructor
U (Spring)
3-0-6 units
Overview of the properties and behavior of electromagnetic radiation pertaining to maritime applications. Topics include communications, radar detection, electro-optics, tracking and guidance systems. Sonar and underwater sound propagation also discussed. Examples taken from systems found on naval ships and aircraft. Selected readings on naval weapons and fire control systems. Physics I (GIR) and Calculus II (GIR) recommended.
J. Stabile
NS.33 Evolution of Warfare
Prereq: None
Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered
Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Spring)
3-0-6 units
Traces development of warfare from dawn of recorded history to present, focusing on the impact of major military theorists, strategists, tacticians, and technological developments. Seeks to understand the relationships between military training, weaponry, strategies and tactics, and the societies and cultures that produce and then are defended by those military structures. By examining the association between a society and its military, students acquire basic sense of strategy, develop an understanding of military alternatives, and see the impact of historical precedents on military thoughts and actions.
J. Garland
NS.400 Naval Science Leadership Seminar
Subject meets with NS.100, NS.200, NS.300
Prereq: None
U (Fall, Spring)
0-2-4 units
Leadership seminar addresses professional issues of military leadership, ethics, foreign policy, internal affairs and naval warfare doctrine. Subject matter centers on preparation for commissioned service in the US Naval Forces by examining the role of the junior officer in the employment of naval power. Mostly student originated, the periods include panel discussions, practical applications, guest lecturers from academia, and speakers currently serving in deployed naval forces.
B. Connors
NS.41 Navigation and Naval Operations
Prereq: NS.22 or permission of instructor
U (Fall)
3-0-6 units
Comprehensive study of tactical and strategic considerations to the employment of naval forces, including communications, tactical formations and dispositions, relative motion, maneuvering board, and nautical rules of the road.
M. Monahan
NS.42 Leadership and Ethics
Prereq: NS.21
U (Spring)
3-0-6 units
Analyzes ethical decision-making and leadership principles. Students read and discuss texts written by such philosophers as Aristotle, Kant, and Mill to gain familiarity with the realm of ethical theory. Students then move on to case studies in which they apply these theories to resolve moral dilemmas. Provides a basic background in the duties and responsibilities of a junior division and watch officer; strong emphasis on the junior officer's responsibilities in training, counseling, and career development. Student familiarization with equal opportunity and drug/alcohol rehabilitation programs. Principles of leadership reinforced through leadership case studies.
J. Houdeshell
NS.43 Fundamentals of Maneuver Warfare
Prereq: None
Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Spring)
Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered
3-0-6 units
Introduces the United States Marine Corps' historical operating concepts as well as the employment of current doctrine known as "maneuver warfare." Utilizes historical examples from past military campaigns, as well as the current Marine Corps' doctrine and philosophy, to increase the student's critical thinking and decision-making ability. Aims to create future leaders capable of identifying and solving complex problems in future operating environments across the spectrum of conflict. Module one outlines the fundamental concepts, themes, and historical conflicts involving and relating to maneuver warfare. Module two articulates and describes the Marine Corps' current warfighting doctrine. Module three describes the Marine Corps' future operating concept and advancement of warfighting doctrine.
B. Connors
