The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is an accredited research university operated by the United States Navy. Located in Monterey, California, it grants master's degrees, engineer's degrees and doctoral degrees. The school also offers research fellowship opportunities at the postdoctoral level through the National Research Council research associateship program.

The NPS student population is mostly active-duty officers from all branches of the U.S. Military, although U.S. Government civilians and members of foreign militaries can also matriculate under a variety of programs. Most of the faculty are civilians.

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) serves a similar purpose. The United States Army does not have a similar institution, choosing instead to send its members to either NPS, AFIT or civilian institutions.

NPS and AFIT should not be confused with military Staff college or War College. The functions are significantly different. NPS and AFIT concentrate on topics traditionally associated with civilian graduate schools, focusing on their application to the military whereas Staff Colleges and War Colleges concentrate instead on staff functions, civil-military affairs, tactics and strategy.

Under a recent joint agreement between the Air Force and Navy, and codified by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, AFIT and the Naval Postgraduate School have realigned their academic programs to reduce duplication, and both schools will be under the oversight of a common oversight panel. As an example of the consolidation, Navy officers are sent to learn aeronautical engineering at AFIT, while the Air Force officers learn meteorology at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Prior to being purchased by the U.S. Government, the school's campus was operated as the Del Monte Hotel. Some NPS buildings and the cactus garden date from that time.