Naval Science (NS) courses are when Midshipmen have an opportunity to formally study various aspects of the Naval services. NS courses meet twice a week in the fall and three times a week in the spring, from 0800 to 0850 so that they do not conflict with most other course times. All Midshipmen are required to enroll in one NS course a semester. The course sequence is as follows:

• Fall Freshman Year - NS 11 (Naval Orientation): Organization, missions, and branches of specialization within the US Navy and Marine Corps.
• Spring Freshman Year - NS 52 (Seapower & Maritime Affairs): The role of seapower in national and foreign policy, and as an instrument of political and military strategy. Includes comparative study of United States and other nations' maritime strategies.
• Fall Sophomore Year - NS 145 (Naval Leadership and Management I): Study of organizational behavior and management in the context of naval and Marine Corps organization. Topics include leadership, management functions, planning, controlling, and directing.
• Spring Sophomore Year - NS 12 (Naval Ship Systems): Quantitative study of basic naval ships' systems. Focus on propulsion and various auxiliary systems. Ship design, stability, and damage control.
• Fall Junior Year - NS (131 Navigation): Theory, principles, and procedures of ship navigation, movements and employment. Dead reckoning, piloting, celestial and electronic principles of navigation.
• Spring Junior Year - NS 132 (Naval Operations): Components of general naval operations, including concepts and application of tactical formations and dispositions, relative motion, maneuvering board and tactical plots, rules of the road, and naval communications.
• Fall Senior Year - NS 126 (Concepts and Analyses of Naval Tactical Systems): The study of weapons systems used aboard naval vessels and aircraft. Detection systems; systems integration into current naval platforms and their offensive and defensive capabilities.
• Spring Senior Year - NS 146 (Leadership & Management II): The study of officer responsibilities in naval administration. Discussions of counseling methods, ethics, military justice, human resources management, leadership, and supply systems.