Officer Planner

If you are an enlisted Sailor, you’ll find the enlisted ranks are loaded with successful career paths for you to strive for and achieve.

But if your dream is to become an Officer, commitment and hard work, infused with the assistance of some of the programs below can help you earn your commission.

What you need to do first, is explore your interests and see where they match within the Navy. To do this, you can visit Accelerate Your Life™. There you will find out more about yourself and learn about career opportunities within the Navy that match your interests and abilities.

After you’ve decided which career fields best suit your skills and abilities, you can then check out the many programs (found below) which have been designed to help you achieve your commission as an Officer.

Service Member Opportunity Colleges (SOCNAV)

This program enables you to go through a series of colleges (due to transfers and relocations) and not worry about your credits transferring. Many colleges are either located on or accessible to Navy installations.

American Council On Education (ACE)

The American Council on Education (ACE) has developed a new automated process that assigns recommended college credits for military training. This new system will eliminate much of the tedious paperwork formally involved before you were granted the credit hours.

Chief Warrant Officers (CWO)

The Warrant Officer program is open to enlisted personnel who have completed at least 12 years of service and have earned the rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) or above. (Warrant Officers are senior to Chief Petty Officers and junior to Ensigns.)

Limited Duty Officers (LDO)

The Limited Duty Officer (LDO) program is available to all Warrant Officers with at least two years experience, Chief Petty Officers with at least 10 years of service, and first class Petty officers with 10 years of service who have passed the CPO exam. LDOs will earn their commission as an Officer due to extensive experience and/or expertise in a certain specialty. LDOs are normally limited to the duties of their specialty.

Seaman to Admiral – 21

This program combines several commissioning programs to assist you in earning your commission as Officer.

Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCSPACE)

The Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCSPACE) provides schooling for sailors on the move. Using instructor and technology-based schooling, students can experience a challenging education aboard a ship or at a remote site environment. Some methods used for this successful program include:

• Computer Delivered Courses: Computer Interactive Video, CD-ROM and the Internet are used.
• Instructor-Taught Courses: Instructors can teach at bases around the world and are embarked on ships.
• Video Teleconferencing Courses

Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program (MECP)

This nationally accredited academic program is for enlisted personnel interested in becoming an Officer in the Nurse Corps. This program provides full pay allowances for your enlisted paygrade while still allowing you to be eligible for promotion.

Medical Service Corps In-Service Procurement Program (MSCIPP)

The Navy covers your tuition, and you take care of your qualifying degree.

Enlisted Commissioning Program (ECP)

This nationally accredited academic program is open to enlisted personnel in all ratings. The ECP provides full pay and allowances for your enlisted paygrade while still allowing you to be eligible for promotion. When you finish your specialty academic program, you will be commissioned as an Ensign.

Testing Credit Programs

The Navy utilizes standardized testing to help you save time and money while earning credits for college. Through these programs, you are able to bypass introductory classes in subject areas you’re already familiar with. The tests they currently use are the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Support (DANTES/DSST).