Minor in Naval Science

Program Learning Outcomes for the Minor in Naval Science

Upon completing the minor in Naval Science, students will be able to:

  1. Gain a broad understanding of the United States Navy and Marine Corps to include their current structure, organization, missions, and national security importance.
  2. Become familiar with the significant events, attitudes, personalities, and circumstances that have shaped the naval service and understand their relative impact on American history.
  3. Become familiar with organizational behavior and management, to include individual and group behaviors, performance incentives and degraders, and different leadership styles. 
  4. Gain an understanding of Western moral traditions and ethical philosophy as they relate to military leadership and the conduct of warfare, to include Aristotle, Bentham, Mill, Kant, and Aquinas.
  5. Develop critical analysis, writing, verbal skills and demonstrate practical application through experiential learning, case study analysis and Socratic discussion. 

Requirements for the Minor in Naval Science

Students pursuing the minor in Naval Science must complete:

  • A minimum of 6 courses (18 credit hours) to satisfy the minor requirements.
  • A minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
  • A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional program guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab. 

The minor in Naval Science (NAVA) is available to all degree-seeking Rice students in undergraduate degree-granting programs. 

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this minor. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the minor’s academic advisor, or where applicable, the Program Director. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the minor's Official Certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in Naval Science18

Minor Requirements

Core Requirements
NAVA 101NAVAL ORIENTATION3
NAVA 103SEA POWER AND MARITIME AFFAIRS3
NAVA 203LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT I3
NAVA 402LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS3
Elective Requirements
Select 2 courses from the following:6
NAVIGATION I
NAVAL OPERATIONS AND SEAMANSHIP
EVOLUTION OF WARFARE 1
NAVAL ENGINEERING
FUNDAMENTALS OF MANEUVER WARFARE 1
Total Credit Hours18

 Footnotes and Additional Information

Policies for the Minor in Naval Science

Program Restrictions and Exclusions

Students pursuing the minor in Naval Science should be aware of the following program restriction:

  • As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, i.) students may declare their intent to pursue a minor only after they have first declared a major, and ii.) students may not major and minor in the same subject.

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s transfer credit advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities. 

Program Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the minor in Naval Science should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guidelines:

  • No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) as transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the minor.
  • Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director (and/or the program’s official transfer credit advisor) on an individual case-by-case basis.

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Naval Science website: https://nrotc.rice.edu/

Opportunities for the Minor in Naval Science

Academic Honors

The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Naval Science website: https://nrotc.rice.edu/