Defense Contract Management - Curriculum 815
Program Officer
Madeleine Fuentes, LCDR, USN
Code GB, Ingersoll Hall, Room 220
(831) 656-7793, DSN 756-7793
madeleine.fuentes1@nps.edu
Academic Associate
Rene G. Rendon, D.B.A., Associate Professor
Code GB, Ingersoll Hall, Room 331D
(831) 656-3464, DSN 756-3464
rgrendon@nps.edu
Brief Overview
The Defense Contract Management curriculum is an interdisciplinary program which integrates management theory, accounting, economics, finance, behavioral science, management theory, operations/systems analysis, and specific courses in acquisition and contracting. The 815 curriculum includes a concentration option in strategic purchasing. Student input includes officers and civilians from all DoD services, other federal agencies and allied nations. The curriculum is designed to provide officers and civilians with the skills to serve effectively in systems buying offices, field contracting offices, contract administration offices, and contracting policy offices. The program can be delivered in 12 to 18-months, by adding Joint Professional Military Education courses or elective academic certificates as required. The program contributes to Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification in the Contract Management career field. Additionally, the curriculum is aligned with the competencies established in the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Contract Management Body of Knowledge (CMBOK) and the Contract Management Standard (CMS). The curriculum supports preparation for the NCMA professional certification examinations including the Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM) and the Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM).
Competency: Our graduates will be effective contract managers.
Requirements for Entry
A baccalaureate degree with above-average grades is required. Completion of at least two semesters of college algebra or trigonometry is considered to be the minimum mathematical preparation. An APC of 345 is required for entry. International students should refer to the Admissions section for current TOEFL and entrance requirements.
Convenes
January and July.
Program Length
Four to Six Quarters.
Degree
Requirements for the Master of Science (MS) in Defense Contract Management degree are met en route to satisfying the Educational Skills Requirements.
Acquisition and Contract Management Subspecialty
Completion of this curriculum qualifies naval officers as Acquisition and Contract Management Subspecialists with a subspecialty code of 1306P, Army officers as Functional Area 51C, and Marine Corps officers with a 9656 MOS. The curriculum satisfies mandatory Defense Acquisition University (DAU) contracting courses required by the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA).
Typical Subspecialty Jobs
Contract Specialists
Contracting Officer
Director of Contracts
Contracts and Business Policy Staff Officer
Curriculum Sponsor
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Procurement)
Degree Requirements
Completion of a minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate-level courses, at least 12 hours of which are at the 4000 level.
Completion of an approved sequence of courses in the student's area of concentration with a minimum of 20 credit hours.
Completion of an acceptable capstone project.
Approval of the candidate's program by the Chair, DDM.
Typical Course of Study: Curriculum 815
US Navy students also complete an additional four courses leading to the Naval War College Command and Staff program diploma.
International students take IT1500 American Life and Institutions and IT1600 Communication Skills for International Officers in Quarters one and two.
Quarter 1
| MN3010 | Leading Innovative Organizations and People | | 4 | 0 |
| MN3070 | Fundamentals of Cost Benefit Analysis | | 4 | 0 |
| MN3156 | Financial and Managerial Accounting | | 4 | 0 |
| MN3303 | Principles of Acquisition and Contract Management | | 4 | 0 |
Quarter 2
| MN3301 | Acquisition of Defense Systems | | 4 | 0 |
| MN3312 | Government Contracts Law | | 4 | 0 |
| MN3315 | Acquisition Management and Contract Administration | | 4 | 0 |
| MN4014 | Competitive Strategy and Innovation | | 4 | 0 |
Quarter 3
| MN3320 | Contract Cost and Price Analysis | | 3 | 0 |
| MN3321 | Federal Contract Negotiations | | 3 | 0 |
| MN4053 | Defense Budget and Financial Management Policy | | 4 | 0 |
| ELECT | Elective | | | |
Quarter 4
| MN4044 | Defense-Focused Managerial Inquiry and Innovation Lab | | 3 | 2 |
| MN4999 | Elective | | 4 | 0 |
Quarter 5
| MN4090 | Capstone Applied Project | | 0 | 6 |
| MN4602 | Acquisition Test and Evaluation Decision Science | | 3 | 2 |
| MN4999 | Elective | | 4 | 0 |
| MN4999 | Elective | | 4 | 0 |
Quarter 6
| MN4090 | Capstone Applied Project | | 0 | 6 |
| MN4307 | Defense Acquisition Program Management Case Studies | | 4 | 0 |
| MN4371 | Acquisition and Contracting Policy | | 4 | 0 |
| MN4999 | Elective | | 4 | 0 |
MN4090 or Thesis or Innovation Lab Capstone.
Educational Skills Requirements (ESR)
Master of Science in Defense Contract Management Curriculum 815
- Advanced Management Concepts: The graduate will have the ability to apply advanced management and operations research techniques to defense problems. This includes policy formulation and execution, strategic planning, defense resource allocation, cost benefit and cost effectiveness analysis, federal fiscal policy, computer-based information and decision support systems, and complex managerial situations requiring comprehensive integrated decision making.
- Acquisition and Contracting Principles: The graduate will have an understanding of and will be able to apply the principles and fundamentals of acquisition and contracting within the federal government, including knowledge of the acquisition laws and regulations, particularly the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the DoD FAR Supplement (DFARS); the unique legal principles applied in government contract law and the Uniform Commercial Code; and the application of sound business principles and practices to defense contracting problems. Further, the graduate will be able to apply innovative and creative approaches not only to resolve difficult acquisition and contracting issues but to significantly influence the legal and regulatory structure within which acquisition decision making occurs. Finally, the graduate will have the ability to conceptualize, develop and execute strategic business alliances and relationships necessary to the successful acquisition of goods and services.
- Acquisition and Contracting Policy: The graduate will have an ability to formulate and execute acquisition policies, strategies, plans and procedures; a knowledge of the legislative process and an ability to research and analyze acquisition legislation; and a knowledge of the government organization for acquisition, including Congress, the General Accounting Office, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the federal and military contracting offices, the Boards of Contract Appeals, and the court system.
- Contracting Process: The graduate will understand the theory of and have the ability to manage the field contracting, contingency contracting, supplies and services contracting, system acquisition, and contract administration processes. This involves a knowledge of the defense system life cycle processes, including requirements determination, funding, contracting, ownership, and disposal; an ability to evaluate military requirements, specifications, and bids and proposals; an ability to utilize the sealed bid, competitive proposals and simplified acquisition methodologies; a comprehensive knowledge of all contract types and their application in defense acquisition; an ability to conduct cost and price analyses; and an ability to negotiate various contracting actions, including new procurement, contract changes and modifications, claims, equitable adjustment settlements, and noncompliance issues.
- Business Theory and Practices: The graduate will have an understanding of the business philosophy, concepts, practices, and methodologies of the global commercial industrial base, and the ability to apply these to the federal government acquisition environment.
- Federal and Defense Budgeting: The graduate will have an ability to apply economic and accounting principles, including monetary and fiscal theories, to defense acquisition and contracting issues.
- Program Management: The graduate will have an understanding of the basic principles and fundamentals of Program Management, with particular emphasis on the Procuring Contractor Officer's and Administrative Contracting Officer's roles and relationships with the Program Manager.
- Acquisition Workforce: The graduate will satisfy all requirements of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) and mandatory contracting courses required by the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) at Levels I, II, III.
- Ethics and Standards of Conduct: The graduate will have an ability to manage and provide leadership in the ethical considerations of military acquisition, including the provisions of procurement integrity, and to appropriately apply defense acquisition standards of conduct.
- Strategy and Policy: Officers develop a graduate-level ability to think strategically, critically analyze past military campaigns, and apply historical lessons to future joint and combined operations, in order to discern the relationship between a nation's policies and goals and the ways military power may be used to achieve them. This is fulfilled by completing the first of the Naval War College course series leading to Service Intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) and Phase I Joint PME credit.
- Analysis, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking: The graduate will demonstrate the ability to conduct research and analysis, and proficiency in presenting the results in writing and orally by means of an applied project and a command-oriented briefing appropriate to this curriculum.