The faculty is roughly evenly divided between civilian professors and military instructors. The civilian professors nearly all
have a Ph.D. and can be awarded tenure, usually upon
promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. Very few of the military instructors have a
Ph.D. but nearly all have a Master's degree. Most of them are assigned to the Academy
for two or three years only.
Permanent Military Professors (PMP)
A small number of military instructors are designated as Permanent Military Professors (PMP) and all of these have a Ph.D. The
PMPs remain at the Academy until statutory retirement. Most of them are commanders in the Navy; a few are captains. Like civilian professors, they seek academic promotion to the rank of Associate Professor
and Professor. However, they are not eligible for tenure. Additionally, there are Adjunct Professors, hired to
fill temporary shortages in various disciplines. The Adjunct Professors are not eligible for tenure.