Carnegie Mellon University
Classes and Descriptions

Classes and Descriptions

The following are courses that Navy Options are required to take during their 4 year degree:

32-101 Introduction to Naval Science--A general introduction to the naval profession and to concepts of Seapower.  Instruction emphasizes the mission, organization, and warfare components of the Navy and Marine Corps.  Included is an overview of officer and enlisted ranks and rates, training and education, and career patterns.  The course also covers naval courtesy and customs, military justice, leadership, and nomenclature.  This course exposes the student to the professional competencies required to become a naval officer.

32-102 Seapower and Maritime Affairs--This course surveys US naval history from its European origins to the present with emphasis on major developments and the geopolitical forces shaping with these developments. Also included is discussion of the theories and writings of naval historian and strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan.  The course will finish by covering present day concerns in seapower and maritime affairs, including the economic and political issues of merchant marine commerce, the law of the sea, the navy and merchant marine of the former Soviet Union (FSU), and a comparison of US and FSU maritime strategies to include the rise and decline of the Soviet Navy.

32-201 Leadership and Management--This course is a comprehensive advanced-level study of organizational behavior and management.  Topics include a survey of the management functions of planning, organizing, and controlling; an introduction to individual and group behavior in organizations; an extensive study of motivation and leadership.  Major behavioral theories are explored in detail.  Practical applications are explored by the use of experiential exercises, case studies, and laboratory discussions.  Other topics developed include decision-making, communication, responsibility, authority, and accountability.

32-212 Navigation--An in-depth study of piloting and an introduction to celestial navigation theory.  Students learn piloting skills, including the use of charts, visual and electronic aids, and the theory and operation of magnetic and gyro compasses.  Students develop practical skills in both piloting and celestial navigation.  Other topics include tides, currents, effects of wind and weather, plotting, use of navigation instruments, types and characteristics of electronic navigation systems, and the typical day's work in navigation.  Also included is a study of the international and inland rules of the nautical road, relative motion, vector analysis theory, and relative motion problems.

32-311 Engineering: Ship Systems I--A detailed study of ship characteristics and types, including: ship design, hydrodynamic forces, stability, compartmentalization, propulsion, electrical and auxiliary systems, interior communications, ship control, and damage control.  Included are basic concepts of the theory and design of steam, gas turbine, internal combustion, and nuclear propulsion.  Shipboard safety and firefighting are also discussed.

32-312 Naval Ship Systems II: Weapons--This course outlines the theory and employment of weapons systems.  The student explores the processes of detection, evaluation, threat analysis, weapon selection, delivery, guidance and explosives.  Fire control systems and major weapon types are discussed, including capabilities and limitations.  The physical aspects of radar and underwater sound are described in detail. The facets of command, control, and communication s are explored as a means of weapons system integration.

32-411 Naval Operations and Seamanship--Designed as an introduction to naval operations and shipboard evolutions, vessel behavior and characteristics in maneuvering, applied aspects of ship handling, and afloat communications.  This course builds upon the information presented in Navigation, Engineering, and Weapons Systems.  An understanding of the nautical rules of the road, relative motion, and vector analysis are utilized in discussion regarding the conduct of naval operation, to include formation tactics and ship employment.  The student will also be introduced to the various components of naval warfare and their role in sea control and power projection missions within naval and joint operations.

32-402 Leadership and Ethics--The study of naval junior officer responsibilities.  The course exposes the student to a study of ethics, decision making, and responsibility as well as counseling methods, military justice administration, naval human resources management, directives and correspondence, naval personnel administration, material management and maintenance and supply systems.  This capstone course in the NROTC curriculum builds on and integrates the professional competencies developed in prior course work and professional training.