The Nuclear Weapons Effects, Policy, and Proliferation (NWEPP) Graduate Certificate Program is a series of courses educating students in a broad range of nuclear weapons issues at the graduate level. There are four courses in the NWEPP program; students must complete three of the four courses to receive the graduate certificate. The four courses in the NWEPP program courses address the topics: the historical and current state of US nuclear policy and strategy implementation, the elements and technology involved in building nuclear weapons capabilities, the unique effects of nuclear weapon detonations, and applications of electromagnetic (EM) phenomena related to nuclear weapons.

Target Audience
The AFIT NWEPP program is targeted to mid-career Air Force officers, non-commissioned officers, and civilians with current or future assignments in the Air Force and DoD nuclear enterprise. The primary focus of NWEPP is providing formal graduate education in the areas of nuclear weapon effects, nuclear proliferation and technologies, and nuclear weapon strategy and policy to the Air Force's operational nuclear community.

Expected Completion Time
The NWEPP program consists of four, 10-week academic quarters (~9 months), part time. Students must complete three of the four courses, and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.00. The student must fulfill the course and GPA requirements within two years of enrolling and successfully completing the first course. Prospective students should be aware that this is a graduate level program with an expected time commitment of at least 12 hours per week for each class.

Program Format
The program consists of four distance learning (DL) academic courses intended to educate students in a broad range of nuclear weapons topics including: weapon effects, key technologies required to develop and sustain a nuclear weapons program, non-proliferation challenges in the modern world, and the evolution of nuclear weapon policy and strategy from the Manhattan Project to the present. Students receiving the NWEPP certificate will develop skills necessary to advise and develop new nuclear strategy and policy as world events change. They will sufficiently understand the technical nature of nuclear weapons to interface with the technical communities in the DOD and DOE responsible for developing and maintaining the nuclear stockpile. Finally, they will appreciate why nuclear weapons are unique, why they have provided an active deterrent for the US and its allies since their inception, and why that critical mission continues today.