10 U.S.C. § 8595 — United States Naval Community College: establishment and degree granting authority

(a) Establishment and Function. There is a United States Naval Community College. Its main job is to provide: (1) academic instruction and professional and technical education for eligible individuals in (A) academic and technical fields of the liberal arts and sciences relevant to the Navy and Marine Corps' current and future needs — including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and software engineering — and (B) their practical duties; (2) remedial, developmental, or continuing education programs, as set by the Secretary of the Navy, needed to support programs under (1); (3) support and advising services for people in those programs; and (4) ongoing monitoring of those individuals' progress. (b) Individuals Eligible for Programs. Subject to other eligibility rules the Secretary of the Navy sets, these people can take part: (1) enlisted members of the Navy and Marine Corps; (2) commissioned officers of the Navy and Marine Corps who haven't finished a college degree; (3) civilian employees of the Department of the Navy; and (4) other individuals the Secretary of the Navy identifies, as long as their access (A) fits the College's mission and (B) supports the Department of the Navy's mission or needs. (c) Degree and Credential Granting Authority. (1) In general. Under Secretary of the Navy regulations, the head of the College may — based on a recommendation from its directors and faculty — award degrees or academic credentials to graduates who meet the requirements. (2) Limitation. A degree or credential cannot be awarded unless (A) the Secretary of Education has recommended approving it under the Federal Policy Governing Granting of Academic Degrees by Federal Agencies, and (B) the College is accredited by the right civilian accrediting agency to award it, as determined by the Secretary of Education. (3) Congressional notification requirements. (A) When seeking this authority, the Secretary of Defense must give the Senate and House Armed Services Committees a copy of the required self-assessment questionnaire, submitted when sent to the Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, plus the Secretary of Education's later recommendations. (B) Whenever existing authority is modified or redesignated, the Secretary of Defense must report the reasons and any related Department of Education recommendation to those committees. (C) The Secretary of Defense must also report to those committees on any accrediting agency decision not to accredit the College for a new or existing degree or credential. (d) Civilian Faculty Members. (1) Authority of Secretary. The Secretary of the Navy may hire as many civilian professors, instructors, and lecturers at the College as the Secretary thinks are needed. (2) Compensation. The Secretary of the Navy sets the pay for people hired under this subsection.