Advanced Acquisition Program - Program Management Certificate - Curriculum 211 (DL)

Program Officer

Madeleine Fuentes, LCDR, USN

Code GB, Ingersoll Hall, Room 220

[phone], DSN 756-7793

[e-mail]

Academic Associate

Jeffrey Dunlap

Code GB, Ingersoll Hall, Room 242

[e-mail]

Program Director

Christina Hart, Ph.D.

Code GB, Ingersoll Hall, Room 334

[phone], DSN 756-6269

[e-mail]

 

Brief Overview

The Advanced Acquisition Program (AAP) is a 12-month, graduate certificate program designed for both the DoD acquisition workforce and professionals working with system acquisition and program management.  Students develop an in-depth knowledge of the defense business and acquisition process. 

This cohort-based program is offered part-time with flexible delivery mode options of online, resident and on-location.  Completion of the AAP certificate satisfies DAWIA Level II and supports Level III in Program Management.  Students also earn up to 19.5 graduate credit hours toward a NPS master's degree program.  Additionally, AAP provides DoD students with up to 195 hours of Continuous Learning under the Continuous Learning program (CLP), 31.5 Continuing Education Units (CEU), 6.38 Business Credits toward the requirement of 24 for the GS-1102 series. 

The AAP is a three-phased graduate certificate program of seven courses delivered over four NPS academic quarters. While the three phases must be completed in sequence, there is no requirement to complete them in the normal one-year time frame (four academic quarters).

Requirements for Entry

A baccalaureate degree with above-average grades is desired. 

Program Length

Four Quarters

Graduate Certificate Requirements

Requirements for the AAP are met by successful completion of all seven courses. Graduate credit is obtained by maintenance of a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Should a graduate of AAP matriculate into the Master of Science in Defense Program Management (816) curriculum, or the Master of Science in Program Management (836), graduate credit for AAP courses will be applied to the curricula as appropriate.

Past Sponsors

U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command, Warren, MI; U.S. Army Soldier Support Center, Natick, MA; U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, RI; U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA.

Program Phases

The program is administered with a phased approach:

• Phase I is a full-quarter distance-learning course taught via web-based technologies (6 hours in class per week) concentrating on Acquisition and Program Management breadth.
• Phase II is a series of five one-week courses (40 hours in class per week) taught on-location at the command, in-resident at NPS, or online via web-based technologies.
• Phase III is a full-quarter, distance-learning course taught via web-based technologies (4 hours of class per week) concentrating on Program Leadership through examination of case studies from actual Defense systems, IPT exercises, and application and written analysis of program management concepts.

Required Courses: Curriculum 211

Quarter 1

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
MN3331	Principles of Acquisition and Program Management		5	1

Quarter 2 and 3

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
MN3361	Software Acquisition Management		2	0
MN3362	Acquisition Design Verification and System Assessment		2	0
MN3363	Acquisition Manufacturing and Quality Management		2	0
MN3364	Business Financial and Contract Management		2	0
MN3365	Acquisition Logistics and Program Sustainment		2	0

Quarter 4

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
MN4366	Defense Acquisition Case Studies		4	0