Title 10Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§8549 Defense industry civilians: admission to defense product development program

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle C— - Navy and Marine Corps › Part PART III— - EDUCATION AND TRAINING › Chapter CHAPTER 855— - UNITED STATES NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL › § 8549

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Navy may let qualified defense industry workers study at the Naval Postgraduate School. They can only enroll in programs that lead to a master’s degree or a professional continuing education certificate in subjects about defense product development and systems engineering. No more than 125 defense industry students may be enrolled at the same time. To stay enrolled, the student must keep working for the same private company that supplies important defense systems, products, or services to the Department of Defense. Each year the Secretary must say it is okay before industry students attend. The Secretary must find that the training helps the school’s military mission, helps shorten the time to develop and field defense systems with contractors, and can be done only if there is room and no need to add more faculty, courses, labs, or other facilities. The program must teach things not easily found elsewhere and must focus on how military and contractors work together. The school sets courses based on DoD needs. Tuition for these students must be at least the same rate charged to other U.S. employees outside the Navy. While attending, industry students must follow the same rules about grades, attendance, behavior, and enrollment as civilian government students. Money the school gets for this training stays at the school to cover the costs and must be clearly recorded.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §8549

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of the Navy may permit eligible defense industry employees to receive instruction at the Naval Postgraduate School in accordance with this section. Any such defense industry employee may only be enrolled in, and may only be provided instruction in, a program leading to a master’s degree or professional continuing education certificate in a curriculum related to defense product development and systems engineering. No more than 125 such defense industry employees may be enrolled at any one time. Upon successful completion of the course of instruction in which enrolled, any such defense industry employee may be awarded an appropriate degree under section 8548 of this title or an appropriate professional continuing education certificate, as applicable.
(b)For purposes of this section, an eligible defense industry employee is an individual employed by a private firm that is engaged in providing to the Department of Defense significant and substantial defense-related systems, products, or services. A defense industry employee admitted for instruction at the school remains eligible for such instruction only so long as that person remains employed by the same firm.
(c)Defense industry employees may receive instruction at the school during any academic year only if, before the start of that academic year, the Secretary of the Navy determines that providing instruction to defense industry employees under this section during that year—
(1)will further the military mission of the school;
(2)will enhance the ability of the Department of Defense and defense-oriented private sector contractors engaged in the design and development of defense systems to reduce the product and project lead times required to bring such systems to initial operational capability; and
(3)will be done on a space-available basis and not require an increase in the size of the faculty of the school, an increase in the course offerings of the school, or an increase in the laboratory facilities or other infrastructure of the school.
(d)The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that—
(1)the curriculum for the defense product development program in which defense industry employees may be enrolled under this section is not readily available through other schools and concentrates on defense product development functions that are conducted by military organizations and defense contractors working in close cooperation; and
(2)the course offerings at the school continue to be determined solely by the needs of the Department of Defense.
(e)The President of the school shall charge tuition for students enrolled under this section at a rate not less than the rate charged for employees of the United States outside the Department of the Navy.
(f)While receiving instruction at the school, students enrolled under this section, to the extent practicable, are subject to the same regulations governing academic performance, attendance, norms of behavior, and enrollment as apply to Government civilian employees receiving instruction at the school.
(g)Amounts received by the school for instruction of students enrolled under this section shall be retained by the school to defray the costs of such instruction. The source, and the disposition, of such funds shall be specifically identified in records of the school.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Pub. L. 115–232, § 807(c)(1), renumbered section 7049 of this title as this section. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–232, § 809(a), substituted “section 8548” for “section 7048”. 2013—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–239 inserted “or professional continuing education certificate” after “master’s degree” and “or an appropriate professional continuing education certificate, as applicable” before period at end. 2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–417 substituted “125” for “25”. 2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–163 inserted “and systems engineering” after “curriculum related to defense product development” and substituted “25” for “10”. 2004—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 108–375 substituted “President” for “Superintendent”. 2003—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 108–136 substituted “Determination” for “Certification” in heading and struck out “, and certifies to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives,” after “determines” in introductory provisions.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 8549, act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 528, prohibited assignment of female members, except those designated under section 8067, to duty in aircraft engaged in combat missions, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title V, § 531(a)(1), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1365.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of

Amendments

and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title. Request for Increase in Number of Defense Industry Civilians Authorized for Admission Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title V, § 589(c), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1769, as amended by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 809(b)(10), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1841, provided that: “If the Secretary of Defense determines that it is in the best interest of the Department of Defense to increase the maximum number of defense industry employees authorized to be enrolled in the Naval Defense Development Program or the Air Force Institute of Technology at any one time, as specified in section 8549(a) and 9414a(a) of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a request for such an increase, including draft legislation to effectuate the increase.” Program Evaluation and Report Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title V, § 535(b)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–113, provided that: “(1) Before the start of the fourth year of instruction, but no earlier than the start of the third year of instruction, of defense industry employees at the Naval Postgraduate School under section 7049 [now 8549] of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), the Secretary of the Navy shall conduct an evaluation of the admission of such students under that section. The evaluation shall include the following:“(A) An assessment of whether the authority for instruction of nongovernment civilians at the school has resulted in a discernible benefit for the Government. “(B) Determination of whether the receipt and disposition of funds received by the school as tuition for instruction of such civilians at the school have been properly identified in records of the school. “(C) A summary of the disposition and uses made of those funds. “(D) An assessment of whether instruction of such civilians at the school is in the best interests of the Government. “(2) Not later than 30 days after completing the evaluation referred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report on the program under such section. The report shall include—“(A) the results of the evaluation under paragraph (1); “(B) the Secretary’s conclusions and recommendation with respect to continuing to allow nongovernment civilians to receive instruction at the Naval Postgraduate School as part of a program related to defense product development; and “(C) any proposals for legislative changes recommended by the Secretary. “(3) Not later than 60 days after receiving the report of the Secretary of the Navy under paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense shall submit the report, together with any comments that the Secretary considers appropriate, to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 8549

Title 10Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73