Naval Postgraduate School offering new accelerated master’s degree program in AI

In one of the latest moves by the Defense Department to build up its AI workforce, the Naval Postgraduate School has announced a new one-year master’s degree program in artificial intelligence.

The accelerated program — which will include 21 courses and require residency in Monterey, California, where the school is located — is open to qualified active-duty military officers and DOD civilian employees who have a computer science background, according to NPS, which indicated that interested candidates can apply through the organization’s admissions office.

The first cohort is expected to start in July 2026, according to a news release.

“In addition to equipping graduates with deep technological understanding of AI to include coding, modeling, experimentation and ethical governance, the new master’s degree will prepare military leaders to embed AI into new tactical and strategic concepts of all-domain warfighting,” per the release, which noted that the curriculum will address topics such as deep learning, “trustworthy and responsible AI,” adversarial and secure machine learning, computer vision, and applications in robotics and decision support.

“The program will go beyond algorithms, embedding AI education in the context of real-world military applications,” such as command, control, communication, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and space, according to the release.

Robotics and autonomous systems are a growing focus for Pentagon leadership, as are generative AI tools and other applications for artificial intelligence capabilities across the enterprise.

For example, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan recently announced a $448 million investment in a so-called Shipbuilding Operating System, or Ship OS, that is powered by Palantir-developed software.

Applied AI is also at the top of the DOD chief technology officer’s newly shortened list of critical tech areas for the department.

“We are in the age of AI. Its impact on maritime operations, from seabed to space, and across the seven joint warfighting functions, is and will be profound,” Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza, commander of Naval Information Forces, said in the news release. “We must act with urgency to integrate this transformational technology and educate leaders who can employ it decisively and at scale across the fleet. The Naval Postgraduate School has been a cornerstone of our efforts to empower and operationalize AI, and this new AI master’s degree underscores that commitment.”