John Burkhardt

United States Naval Academy

Founded in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy today is a prestigious four-year service academy that prepares midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically to be professional officers in the naval service. More than 4,400 men and women representing every state in the U.S. and several foreign countries make up the student body, known as the Brigade of Midshipmen. U.S. News and World Reports has recognized the Naval Academy as a top five undergraduate engineering school and a top 20 best liberal arts college. Midshipmen learn from military and civilian instructors and participate in intercollegiate varsity sports and extracurricular activities. They also study subjects like leadership, ethics, small arms, drill, seamanship and navigation, tactics, naval engineering, weapons, and military law. Upon graduation, midshipmen earn a Bachelor of Science degree in a choice of 25 different subject majors and go on to serve at least five years of exciting and rewarding service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps. The Academy is set on 338 acres between the south bank of the Severn River and historic downtown Annapolis, the state capital of Maryland. Annapolis is 33 miles east of Washington D.C. and 30 miles south of Baltimore. Midshipmen can choose from a total of 33 intercollegiate varsity sports: 18 for men, 12 for women, and three co-ed. Extracurricular activities are offered in areas ranging from engineering societies, military professional clubs and associations, to athletics, music, arts, and other special interests. The Naval Academy campus is called the Yard, and features tree-lined brick walks, French Renaissance and contemporary architecture, and scenic vistas of the Chesapeake Bay. The Bancroft Hall dormitory complex, the Naval Academy Chapel, and other century-old buildings make the Academy unique. Go to usajobs.gov for open positions of employment.