U.S. Department of Defense



Low-residency Graduate Education Program (LGEP) FAQsGeneral Program QuestionsWhat is the Low-residency Graduate Education Program (LGEP)?The LGEP will allow Naval officers to pursue world-class low-residency graduate education in domains such as strategy, management and international relations in their current duty station, minimizing disruption to operational tempo and career progression. Unlike traditional graduate education, low-residency programs typically require a student to spend limited time on campus and supplement this time with online learning. Why would LGEP be beneficial?LGEP is intended to expand the number of officers pursuing graduate studies while maintaining current operational tempo and readiness. LGEP will help officers in warfighting communities with high operational tempos to obtain graduate degrees necessary for promotion. Degrees earned through LGEP will fulfill the requirement for one year of in-residence, strategically-focused education for promotion to O7.How are candidates selected for LGEP? Those who do not yet have a graduate degree or those whose previous graduate degree is not in a strategic study related or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) discipline will be prioritized during selection. Selected applicants will be evaluated by professional and academic criteria, especially those who show a history of strong academic performance demonstrated by undergraduate college transcripts. See the “Application Questions” section below for further details about the application process. How are universities selected for the program? The partner schools all met the following selection criteria to be included in the LGEP:A regionally accredited university or college in a fleet concentration areaNationally recognized tenured faculty with expertise in the specific academic fields of interest to DoN (e.g., international studies, public policy, business administration, international relations, international affairs, and public administration)Top low-residence education programs with state of the art distributed/online learning capabilitiesFlexible education formats to accommodate naval officers’ education needsWilling to accept naval officers without a competitive application process and without requiring GRE/GMAT scoresWilling to potentially modify academic curriculum or schedule to specifically meet naval officers’ educational needsHas LGEP reached an agreement with the schools to waive specific application requirements for applicants?Each partner school has separate requirements. Although the partner schools have agreed to waive the GRE/GMAT requirement, they may not waive other requirements for admission.Is this LGEP program for the 2020-2021 academic year?Yes, the current pilot program application opening is for the 2020-2021 academic year. We will explore expanding the program in future years based on the results of the pilot program.Will other schools be participating in this program?Depending upon the initial results of the pilot program, the LGEP may involve additional partner schools in future years.Can I only apply to programs near my current duty station?No, you are not limited to only applying to programs near your current duty station. However, schools will initially be matched to applicants based upon geographic location to minimize disruption to naval officers’ careers. Applicants are to indicate their current duty station on the application materials and any anticipated change of station (if applicable) with the projected time and location of move.Does the “travel included” allow for students to travel to any of these schools? Or is there a distance limit to how far students can travel? This is an initial pilot program. Travel will be included, however, note that the intent of the program is minimize disruption to operational requirements. Therefore, prospective students will be aligned to partner university programs based on geographic location as much as possible. It is important that applicants provide their current geographic location, any upcoming change to their duty station (with date), and a prioritized list of schools (1-5) in the LGEP application to OCLO. Do you know the specific “on campus” requirement for each program? Each specific school’s program and travel requirements are different. Additional information can be found about programs at each partner school’s respective website. The program is only for specific low-residency degree programs at the partner schools, so we recommend that applicants check the OCLO website for the links to each partner’s program. Each school has a different requirement for on-campus participation. Has there been a determination as to what the daily workload will be for these programs? Aside from the time required to be on campus, will there be an additional time commitment for the program off-campus? Each specific school’s program is different, but the time commitment for in-residence participation on campus is typically about two days per week. Additional information can be found about each program at each school’s respective website. There will be a time commitment to complete assignments outside of the classroom using distributed online learning capabilities via computer and/or phone.Is there an address available for the selection board? Applications should be sent via encrypted email to OCLO@navy.mil or encrypted via the DoD SAFE file exchange application.My undergraduate degree is in International Studies – would I only be considered for International Studies/ International Relations/ Global Policy programs instead of other programs, such as business administration?Regarding previous undergraduate studies, students will be considered for the range of graduate partner programs, not just those similar to their undergraduate degrees. We recommend explaining why you would like to study in the respective new area(s) in your statement of purpose, and why having education in that area would benefit the DoN. Is this program only available if you intend to start classes in the Fall of 2020? Our current operational schedule and my projected rotation date would not allow me to start graduate education until the Spring of 2021 Semester. The initial LGEP pilot will begin in Fall of 2020. Depending upon the results of the pilot program, LGEP might increase the number of students and/or partner schools going forward in the out-years, which may provide an opportunity to apply for the next cohort. Has it been determined whether the candidate selection will be conducted annually or semi-annually?We are currently planning for this program candidate selection and program implementation to continue on an annual basis, pending available resources. However, future program implementation will be adjusted based on the results of the pilot program. Is LGEP a set of orders where officers would be students for the length of the program, or would they attend school while still completing a set of Navy orders (i.e., they have a job in the Navy and complete school during their off time)? Students will attend the LGEP partner school program while completing a set of Navy orders (e.g., they would have a job in the Navy while also completing school). The selected LGEP low-residency education programs are designed to minimize disruption to career paths and provide an opportunity for officers to fulfill the graduate education requirement for O7. Is there anything that I can do to “stand out” in my application?The statement of purpose is a key component of the application package where the applicant explains why he/she would like to participate in the LGEP and how the education would benefit the DoN. The statement of purpose is the part of the application package where you can best describe your situation and career goals, and where you would be able to best “stand out.” All required components for the application package are provided on the OCLO website. Application Questions:What do I need to submit to OCLO in order to apply to LGEP?Submit the command endorsement, applicant biography, statement of purpose explaining why you would like to participate in the program and how the education would benefit the Department of the Navy, academic transcripts from all previous undergraduate education and/or higher education including transfer credits, a general information form, and a list of the applicant’s top five preferred study programs. GRE/GMAT scores are NOT required. Specific information regarding required application documents and a checklist are included on the OCLO website. Currently, GRE/GMAT isn’t required, is this expected to continue in the future? Yes, it is currently expected that the partner program universities will not require the GRE/GMAT.Is electronic submission acceptable, or do the documents need to be mailed in? Only electronic submission will be accepted. Please send applications via encrypted email to OCLO@navy.mil or encrypted via the DoD SAFE file exchange. Are original transcripts from undergraduate degrees required or will a copy from our OMPF record suffice? Should I mail them directly to the LGEP program, and if so, to what address? The initial application to LGEP requires a PDF copy of unofficial transcripts sent as part of the application package via encrypted message to OCLO@navy.mil. Applicants selected for the program may then be required to submit official transcripts as part of an expedited admissions process that has been coordinated with the partner schools. Please do NOT send official transcripts directly to the schools without first being accepted into the LGEP program or per instructions from an LGEP representative. Is a photo required on the biography?A photo of the candidate is typically included in military biographies, but it is not required to apply to LGEP. We recommend that applicants use the standard format for naval officer biographies. What should the command endorsement focus on? Should I also include professional letters of recommendation?The command endorsement should focus on your qualification for the program and how your selection would fulfill community needs. If you are selected for LGEP, then you would apply to the specific school through an expedited process that might include providing letters of recommendation. Each school’s application process is a bit different, so we recommend visiting the specific partner schools’ website for information on the application requirements.Besides a command endorsement from my commanding officer, is it possible and/or helpful for me to submit an endorsement from an Admiral?LGEP applicants need only endorsements from commanding officers – higher echelon endorsements are not required but are welcome, especially if they provide additional context on the applicant’s circumstances or on the potential community benefit of selecting the applicant.Where do I provide my top five program preferences? Document templates and a checklist are posted on the website for application requirements. The general information form will have an area to list your top five programs and PCS information.I noticed that we must pick our top five programs. However, how can I apply to a college that is not local if low-residency is required? Seems as if there are only a couple of options in my area. Are there other universities that may be options? For the LGEP pilot program, you might only have one or a couple of available partner schools in your duty area. Schools will be matched with applicants based on a number of factors such as geographic location, prioritized student program preference, career progression, and applicant ability to be accepted into the individual school’s Master’s program. The most likely schools that you would be matched to would be in your area to minimize disruption to officers’ careers and travel. If there is more than one school in your area, the ranking of top school preferences will be a key factor of consideration when matching participants to schools. We request that applicants to provide their top five preferences of schools for the pilot program to inform future LGEP planning.Is there a service obligation to participate in this program?Candidates must sign and commit to a Continued Service Agreement (CSA) IAW OPNAV INSTRUCTION 1520.23C and DOD INSTRUCTION 1322.10. Those students selected for LGEP will have a continued service obligation of three years, served concurrently with other service obligations. The service obligation commences upon completion of or withdrawal from the program. An active duty obligation is incurred whether the member successfully completes the LGEP fully funded graduate degree or fails to earn the graduate degree.If a student drops out of the program or fails to meet academic expectations, what are the consequences? Will it impact the service obligation?The service obligation commences upon completion of, or withdrawal from, the program. An active duty obligation is incurred whether the member successfully completes the LGEP fully funded graduate degree, or fails to earn the graduate degree.Do I have to apply separately to both the LGEP and the school(s) that I’m interested in attending? Does acceptance into LGEP guarantee acceptance to the school? Acceptance to LGEP does not guarantee acceptance to the partner school. Interested applicants will first apply to the LGEP and if selected, go through an expedited application process with the specific school(s). Applicants will be screened through the LGEP selection committee to increase the probability that selected candidates will be competitive for admission to the identified university.Regarding the timeline, I see that after student selection in July, it shows August as the timeframe for “student applications sent to schools for enrollment.” Is that a separate application that the student is responsible for or is it handled from your end?Each school’s application process and timeline is different. Applicants selected for the LGEP will apply to the school through an expedited application in the August timeframe. Eligibility Questions:I am currently stationed overseas/deployed. Does that disqualify me from applying to the program?Being stationed overseas or deployed does not disqualify you from applying to the program, but participation from overseas will not be supportable during the pilot program. Applicants who are currently deployed or stationed overseas but will soon return to CONUS should explain their specific situation in their statement of purpose and clearly identify any upcoming PCS locations/dates.I will soon be moving to a new command. Should I provide an endorsement from both my current and next Commanding Officer? The endorsement is required from your current command, but recommended also for your next command, if possible. If you will be soon moving to a new command, obtaining an endorsement from both commands is highly recommended.Is the LGEP program only for URL officers, or can other officers apply (e.g., Limited Duty Officers, etc.)?The program will be open to all O-2 to O-5 naval officers (Navy and Marine Corps), but URL officers will be prioritized for selection. The level of interest from different communities will inform the development of this program going forward - as well as the articulated need for this type of low-residency education. The initial year's LGEP applications will be for the pilot program, which is focused on gathering preliminary data in order to make any necessary program modifications and to inform future program planning. I already have a graduate degree. Can I apply for the program?Those applicants who have yet to obtain a strategically-focused or STEM graduate degree that satisfies the O7 requirement will have priority for the pilot program selection. In your statement of purpose, we recommend explaining why you would like to pursue this graduate degree and how the education would benefit the Department of the Navy. Can a Marine Officer assigned to OPNAV qualify for this program? Do I go through the Navy or through the Marine Corps to submit instead? Yes, officers O-2 to O-5 from both the Navy and Marine Corps can apply for this program. We recommend explaining your specific situation in your statement of purpose.I was accepted into a program with a partner university and I am thinking about deferring my current acceptance to the university in order to apply to LGEP. Can I just be accepted to LGEP since I am already accepted to the university?You need to apply with the other applicants initially through the LGEP process to be accepted into the LGEP to go through the initial selection process. The current low-residency degree programs within LGEP are only the specific partner degree programs listed on our website, so not all degree programs qualify. Please check the specific degree programs with the partner universities listed on the OCLO website. ................
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