Study of Turkish Officers at the Naval Postgraduate School: Social, Cultural, and Administrative Issues

摘要

This thesis is a study of the Turkish officers at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). The study examines the Turkish officer experiences before and during their postgraduate education at NPS. Focused interviews were conducted with 20 Turkish officers. All interviews were taped and then transcribed. Analysis of the transcripts revealed ten critical themes. These themes covered many topics, including problems related to the postgraduate education process beginning in Turkey and ending at NPS in USA. The major findings drawn from the interviews included the lack of adequate information on postgraduate education prior to attending NPS, a general dissatisfaction among the Army and Navy officers with the way in which their curriculum subspecialties were chosen, the lack of information about credit requirements for graduation from NPS, the uncovered expenses of the married officers' dependents, and the high value that the Turkish officers place on NPS education. The thesis concludes with recommended courses of action that may help the Departments of the Turkish Army and Navy.