Selection of Naval Academy Graduates for Nuclear Training

摘要

This study examines some of the criteria used in selecting Naval Academy graduates for entry into the Navy's Nuclear Power Program. Data from 1, 096 Naval Academy graduates who attended Nuclear Power School (NPS) between 1997 and 2003 is analyzed using hierarchal linear regressions. Two models are used in the study. In the first model the independent variables are major type, service community assigned, and Order of Merit (class rank). In the second model the independent variables are major type, service community assigned, Cumulative Academic Quality Point rating (CAQPR), Technical Quality Point Rating (TQPR), and Military Quality Point Rating (MQPR). The dependant variable in both models is Nuclear Power School grade point average. The study found that the more engineering based and officer's major was at the Academy the better they perform at NPS. It also finds that officers assigned to the Surface Warfare-Nuclear community perform slightly better than those assigned to the Submarine community. Lastly, the strongest predictor examined is the variable that measures general cognitive ability. Order of Merit and CAQPR are the strongest predictors of NPS GPA in their respective models. TQPR is a weak predictor of NPS GPA and MQPR is negatively related to performance at NPS.