The United States Naval Academy is the undergraduate college of the Naval Service (the Navy and Marine Corps). It is located in Annapolis, Maryland. Established in 1845 by suggestion of then Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, the land used for the Naval Academy originally was Fort Severn. Its mission remains largely unchanged from its original purpose: "To develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to provide graduates who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government."

Today, the Naval Academy features a four-year undergraduate program much like any other college, but also includes a wide array of professional and leadership courses, as well as a broad physical education program. Although midshipmen major in a wide array of subjects (ranging from liberal arts to engineering), all graduate with an officer's commission in the Navy or Marine Corps and a Bachelor's Degree of Science. This is because every midshipman progresses through a common "core matrix" consisting of engineering, physics, chemistry, calculus and Naval Sciences (such as navigation or propulsion systems).