ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

First-Rate Faculty and Staff
The Naval Academy's philosophy of education stresses attention to individual students by highly qualified faculty members who are strongly committed to teaching. Classes are small, with an average size of fewer than 18 students and a student-faculty ratio of 8:1. All courses at the Naval Academy are taught and graded by faculty members, not by graduate assistants.

Our 600-member faculty is an integrated group of officers and civilians in nearly equal numbers. Officers bring fresh ideas and experiences from operational units and staffs of the Navy and Marine Corps. The academy's civilian faculty members give continuity to the educational program and form a core of professional scholarship and teaching experience. Working together closely, these military and civilian faculty members form one of the strongest and most dedicated teaching faculties of any college or university in the United States.

Majors
Students at the Naval Academy can select one of 23 different majors grouped into six different divisions: Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division of Humanitites and Social Sciences, Division of Mathematics and Science, Division of Professional Development, Division of Leadership Education and Development and the Division of Character Development and Training. In addition to graduating with a Bachelor's of Science, students can attain a minor in one of seven different languages.

Students who excel at the Naval Academy have many opportunities to challenge and advance themselves through several special programs -- Trident Scholars, Honors Programs and Voluntary Graduate Education Program (VGEP).

Graduation Success Rate
For the seventh year in a row, the United States Naval Academy ranks among nation's leaders for graduating NCAA student-athletes on the Division I level. Navy graduated 100 percent of its student-athletes in six of the 20 NCAA sports reported on and averaged an overall rate of 96 percent for student-athletes in all sports - tied for the fourth-highest mark nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision schools.

Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Ricky Dobbs ('11) was named the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner for the Football Bowl Subdivision, becoming the second Navy student-athlete to win the award. The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award was started in 2001 by Dick Enberg in response to the growing trend of men's basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. Navy has produced six first-team honorees in their respective sports over the last five years, highlighted by Dobbs' award in 2010 and 2008 grad Evan Barnes, who was men's soccer's inaugural award winner in 2007. Additionally, women's basketball player Kate Hobbs ('07), women's soccer's Lizzie Barnes ('08), men's lacrosse's Andy Tormey ('09) and football's John Dowd ('12) each were named to the Lowe's Senior All-America First Team.

Scholarship Winners
USNA Rhodes Scholars - http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Notables/RhodesScholars/index.htm
USNA Marshall Scholars - http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Notables/MarshallScholars/index.htm
Fitzgerald Scholars - http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Notables/FitzScholars/index.htm

In addition to furthering their education at schools across the country, students at the Naval Academy annually are in competition for several prestigious scholarships. Since Navy's first Rhodes Scholar, E. Van Meter ('28), a total of 46 Naval Academy graduates have received the Rhodes Scholarship, including 13 since 2001. Among Navy's most recent recipients is former baseball player Trevor Thompson ('05). Also, 24 grads have won George C. Marshall Scholarships, including 14 since 2000. A trio of recent graduates earned Bowman Scholarships to the Naval Postgraduate School. Lightweight rower Chris Medford ('11), heavyweight rower Mike Shea ('11), rifle standout Kenan Wang ('11) and women's swimming's Mary Elyse Janowski ('12) were each honored as Bowman Scholars.

Standout swimmer Kelly Zahalka ('09) was a recipient of both the Harry S. Truman and Gen. George C. Marshall Scholarships, which paved the way for her to study for two years in the United Kingdom. Former women's track and cross country runner Kayla Sax ('10) became just the ninth student from the Naval Academy to be awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which has enabled her to contribute to research focused on alternative energy sources at the University of Cambridge.

Tom Paul ('12) of the lightweight rowing team was selected for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship this year. He is the 10th student from the Naval Academy to earn the scholarship.

Offensive lineman John Dowd ('12) was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2012 joining men's tennis player Nick Birger ('11), women's soccer's Beth Reed ('10) and track's Mark Van Orden ('10) as recent winners.

Academic All-Americans
Navy's CoSIDA's Academic All-Americans - http://www.navysports.com/trads/navy-cosida-AAA.html

Naval Academy student-athletes have totaled 86 Academic All-America certificates over the years, with 53 of those awards coming since the start of the 1999-2000 academic year. USNA student-athletes garnered six Academic All-America honors last year. The 2011-12 honorees included first-team football honoree John Dowd ('12), first-team men's soccer honoree Sam Miller ('12), second-team men's track & field honoree Cody Rome ('12), third-team men's soccer honoree Eric Wootten ('13), third-team women's cross country/track honoree Brigid Byrne ('13) and third-team women's lacrosse honoree Jasmine DePompeo ('13). Dowd, who was also a First-Team Academic All-American as a junior, is the first football player in school history to be a two-time First-Team Academic All-American.

Patriot League Scholar-Athletes
Navy Recipients - http://www.navysports.com/trads/patriot-scholar-athletes.html

Laura Gorinski ('13) of the women's swimming team and Cody Rome ('12) of the indoor track & field team were named Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year during the 2011-12 academic year.