Does SWO training transfer into college credits?

[MM3Oyler]

I went through the Naval Nuclear Pipeline and a lot of those classes counted towards college credits. I am not far from completing a degree in engineering and just got accepted into the SWO community. After completing the SWO training will any of the courses taken in the pipeline transfer into college credits I could use towards my degree in engineering?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I went through the Naval Nuclear Pipeline and a lot of those classes counted towards college credits. I am not far from completing a degree in engineering and just got accepted into the SWO community. After completing the SWO training will any of the courses taken in the pipeline transfer into college credits I could use towards my degree in engineering?

You would have to contact the respective university you're interested in but very unlikely much.

 

[AllAmerican75]

I went through the Naval Nuclear Pipeline and a lot of those classes counted towards college credits. I am not far from completing a degree in engineering and just got accepted into the SWO community. After completing the SWO training will any of the courses taken in the pipeline transfer into college credits I could use towards my degree in engineering?

So are you asking if you'll be able to convert SWO training to college credits for a degree you will already have?

1. You can't commission into the SWO community without a Bachelors degree.
2. You won't perform any SWO pipeline training until AFTER you are already commissioned.
3. Conversion of training to college credits depends entirely upon the university, the department you're attempting to transfer credits into, the degree you're pursuing, and the accrediting body for that degree. Again, this doesn't make much sense if you already have the Bachelors degree.
4. If you're asking about a Masters degree, then the answer is "Maybe." See point 3.
5. SWO training is transferable to very little outside of the Navy with the exception of some engineering training and some QA certs. Either way, once you punch out after being a SWO, you're skillset is no longer a technical, wrench-turning, blue collar skillset but that of a white collar manager. The ability to plan, coordinate, organize, and maintain timetables for work and to meet deadlines and milestones is far more important. That is where the big bucks are made in private industry.

A word of advice -- because I've seen many a prior-Nuke fall into this trap as Divos -- as a Divo or DH, do NOT, under any circumstances, micromanage your Sailors like you did as a 2nd/1st Class or as they taught you to do so in the Nuke world. You will have a bad time and your ability to succeed will be impacted.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

So are you asking if you'll be able to convert SWO training to college credits for a degree you will already have?

1. You can't commission into the SWO community without a Bachelors degree.
2. You won't perform any SWO pipeline training until AFTER you are already commissioned.
3. Conversion of training to college credits depends entirely upon the university, the department you're attempting to transfer credits into, the degree you're pursuing, and the accrediting body for that degree. Again, this doesn't make much sense if you already have the Bachelors degree.
4. If you're asking about a Masters degree, then the answer is "Maybe." See point 3.
5. SWO training is transferable to very little outside of the Navy with the exception of some engineering training and some QA certs. Either way, once you punch out after being a SWO, you're skillset is no longer a technical, wrench-turning, blue collar skillset but that of a white collar manager. The ability to plan, coordinate, organize, and maintain timetables for work and to meet deadlines and milestones is far more important. That is where the big bucks are made in private industry.

A word of advice -- because I've seen many a prior-Nuke fall into this trap as Divos -- as a Divo or DH, do NOT, under any circumstances, micromanage your Sailors like you did as a 2nd/1st Class or as they taught you to do so in the Nuke world. You will have a bad time and your ability to succeed will be impacted.

I think he was asking if his SWO DIVO tours can translate into some college credits towards a MS in Eng.

 

[AllAmerican75]

I think he was asking if his SWO DIVO tours can translate into some college credits towards a MS in Eng.

Not likely; at least not one accredited by ABET. They simply don't contain enough academic or engineering rigor. They could potentially translate into MBA credits and there's a program at NPS to transfer certain qualifications (e.g. EOOW, CSOOW, etc.) and whatnot into time served for the professional requirement in order to qualify to take the PE exam.

 

[Pags]

Don't a lot of nukes get some sort of credit towards an engineering Management masters? A lot of the nukes I know on LinkedIn all have that degree from ODU.

 

[MM3Oyler]

So are you asking if you'll be able to convert SWO training to college credits for a degree you will already have?

1. You can't commission into the SWO community without a Bachelors degree.
2. You won't perform any SWO pipeline training until AFTER you are already commissioned.
3. Conversion of training to college credits depends entirely upon the university, the department you're attempting to transfer credits into, the degree you're pursuing, and the accrediting body for that degree. Again, this doesn't make much sense if you already have the Bachelors degree.
4. If you're asking about a Masters degree, then the answer is "Maybe." See point 3.
5. SWO training is transferable to very little outside of the Navy with the exception of some engineering training and some QA certs. Either way, once you punch out after being a SWO, you're skillset is no longer a technical, wrench-turning, blue collar skillset but that of a white collar manager. The ability to plan, coordinate, organize, and maintain timetables for work and to meet deadlines and milestones is far more important. That is where the big bucks are made in private industry.

A word of advice -- because I've seen many a prior-Nuke fall into this trap as Divos -- as a Divo or DH, do NOT, under any circumstances, micromanage your Sailors like you did as a 2nd/1st Class or as they taught you to do so in the Nuke world. You will have a bad time and your ability to succeed will be impacted.

Thanks for the advice, definitely have learned that. I already have a BS in Economics and an MBA, not your typical nuke, so I am just looking to continue my education when would get to shore duty and was just curious to know if anyone has heard of officers getting credits from the training that the Navy gave them like I hear the Nukes doing and maybe add up and shorten the number of classes I might have to take.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Thanks for the advice, definitely have learned that. I already have a BS in Economics and an MBA, not your typical nuke, so I am just looking to continue my education when would get to shore duty and was just curious to know if anyone has heard of officers getting credits from the training that the Navy gave them like I hear the Nukes doing and maybe add up and shorten the number of classes I might have to take.

Get your degree at NPS. 2 year vacation in Monterey. Don’t nuke this. Nuff said.

 

[MM3Oyler]

Get your degree at NPS. 2 year vacation in Monterey. Don’t nuke this. Nuff said.

These may seem like stupid questions but I have heard that the Navy pays for Chops to get their MBA. Will they do the same for a SWO to get a masters in engineering?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Don't a lot of nukes get some sort of credit towards an engineering Management masters? A lot of the nukes I know on LinkedIn all have that degree from ODU.

yep, basically a 2 year degree, I just had to send my info from nuke school to the school and was granted a 2 year degree.

 

[AllAmerican75]

Don't a lot of nukes get some sort of credit towards an engineering Management masters? A lot of the nukes I know on LinkedIn all have that degree from ODU.

That MEM is very different from an ABET-accredited MS in Engineering. Not bad if you don't have a masters, but the dude's already got an MBA which isn't very different.

These may seem like stupid questions but I have heard that the Navy pays for Chops to get their MBA. Will they do the same for a SWO to get a masters in engineering?

Yes. Focus on getting you SWO pin first and foremost, then when it comes time to talk to your detailer about shore duty, as about going to the Naval Postgraduate School. Honestly, if you are able to find free time during your Divo tours (not likely, though you may be unfortunate enough to end up on a ship going into the yards) then I would check Navy COOL and see if you can get your Six Sigma and PMP quals. Those will help immensely in the civilian world, depending upon what you want to do. Also, reach out to your local Air Wing, they usually have a LEAN-Six Sigma training program through the maintenance and quality assurance departments. That's how I got my LEAN six sigma cert done.

MM3Oyler, A word of caution, though: You will have limited free time and limited time ashore as a divo; don't burn yourself out by nuking this stuff. You've got an MBA and a BS in engineering plus nuke training and management experience which is all very valuable. At some point, more degrees don't really mean much in the civilian world unless you're trying to do something very specific (CFD/FEA research and development or metamaterials research and development; really a lot of stuff in bleeding-edge R&D) and you need to weigh the time and money and stress it takes to get that degree with what you're getting out of it. If you want to be a design engineer after you leave the Navy, then an MS in engineering is not a bad call but not necessarily necessary. If you want to go into management, then the MBA is good enough.

For a SWO career, a shore tour spent at a Fleet Command or COCOM or major staff is probably more beneficial because you will get face time with admirals, will network with dudes who will soon be admirals, and will expand your network outside of just the SWO community into the bigger Navy. This will pay dividends when you need to call in favors as a DH and CO/XO as well as provide career perks due to having admirals "recommend" you for orders.

Really, this is putting the cart before the horse: Your quals and SWO pin comes first, before you start making big plans. That requires you to get beaucoup time at sea and make sure you get the right watches and sets and reps in so you can actually have a SWO career. Worry about the Masters and the big career decisions when you're sitting in the wardroom drinking coffee and watching a movie with a brand new gold pin on your chest.