What electives can students take at the Naval Academy?

I'm curious about the range of electives students can choose from at the Naval Academy. What types of subjects are available, and how do they fit into the overall curriculum?

The United States Naval Academy offers a diverse range of electives spanning multiple disciplines. It's important to note that while the Naval Academy undertakes a core structured curriculum designed primarily for future Navy and Marine Corps officers, students do have the availability to choose from a variety of electives.

These electives can be taken under various academic divisions:

1. School of Mathematics and Science: This division tends to offer electives such as Advanced Statistics, Bioinformatics, Astronomy, and Environmental Chemistry, among others.

2. Division of Engineering, Computing, and Weapons: Here, courses may include Robotics, Advanced Aerodynamics, Structural Design, and Cyber Operations, to name a few.

3. School of Humanities and Social Sciences: This division provides an extensive variety of electives ranging from American Foreign Policy, Global Politics, International Relations, Ethics and Moral Philosophy, Dramatic Literature, and Comparative Cultures and Politics.

4. Division of Professional Development: This division offers electives like Motivational Leadership, Advanced Seamanship and Navigation, and Managerial Economics.

Electives depend upon the academic pathway that a student chooses to follow. Typically, students will select their major at the end of their Plebe (freshman) year, which will determine the specific electives they're able to take in subsequent years.

The electives chosen should ideally supplement the academic major and core curriculum to build robust knowledge and skills that would be beneficial in their future career paths. In many cases, the electives also help to prepare the students for the professional examinations required for their chosen service selection.