Tomich Hall - Building 1269
1269 Elliot Avenue
Telephone: (401) 841-4776

Website: http://www.usnwc.edu/Students/Senior-Enlisted-Academy.aspx
Facebook: www.facebook.com/USNSeniorEnlistedAcademy

Established in 1981, the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA) provides senior enlisted leaders with education and training in communication skills, leadership and management, national security affairs, Navy programs and physical fitness. The SEA is the Navy’s only professional military education institute for its senior enlisted force.

In 1995, the Chief of Naval Operations established the requirement that all prospective Command Master Chiefs and Chiefs of the Boat successfully complete this course prior to reporting for their first assignment. Starting in January 2005, the SEA seated 65 students per class and convened for 6 weeks. The SEA completed another expansion to the Perry Hall Annex in 2006, increasing the student capacity to 112 per resident class.

In 2015 the Navy announced that for E8s selected during the MAR 2016 selection boards and beyond, graduation from a Service SEA will be a prerequisite for promotion to E9. That year the Navy SEA moved to a blended solution to afford all E-8s the opportunity to attend the Navy SEA before pinning on E-9.

The SEA offers two courses; one for active-duty military (including FTS Reservists) and another for Selected Reservists. The SEA’s Active Duty course is comprised of nine weeks of distance learning (DL) followed by three weeks of in-residence education in Newport, Rhode Island. There is one week of admin/travel between the two phases, making the Active Duty course 13 weeks from start to finish. During the DL phase students read, write papers and interact with instructors and each other via the Blackboard Learning Management System. Students can expect eight to 10 hours of academic work each during the nine-week DL phase. Students must attend the DL phase and in-residence phase concurrently. The two phases cannot be split.

The eight-week Reservist course is comprised of six weeks of DL and two weeks of in-residence education. There is one week of admin/travel between the two phases, making the Reservist course nine weeks from start to finish. During the DL phase students read, write papers, and interact with instructors and each other via the Blackboard Learning Management System. Students can expect approximately eight to 10 hours of academic work each during the six-week DL phase. Again, the DL and in-residence phases must be completed concurrently and cannot be split up.

Together, the Navy SEA courses help to further develop senior enlisted leaders in their ability to provide ethical decision-support for leaders in naval, joint and multinational environments. By providing an understanding of national security, Joint Force operations, and leadership skills with a constant focus on flexibility and mission accomplishment, the Navy SEA prepares today’s senior enlisted leaders for tomorrow’s global challenges.