Sergeants School Seminar Program
The Sergeants School Seminar Program (SSSP) curriculum is parallel to the resident Sergeants School curriculum with the same outcomes.
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Program Outcome - Graduates of the Sergeants School will serve as the backbone of the Marine Corps by upholding standards, customs, and traditions; fostering discipline and esprit de corps; and developing lethal, mission-ready warfighters.
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Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
- SLO 5.1 - Apply Marine Corps warfighting philosophy and tactical tenets to lead Marines and accomplish missions in complex and contested environments.
- SLO 5.2 - Demonstrate the leadership, discipline, and professional judgment required to develop Marines, enforce standards, and uphold the values, customs, and traditions of the Marine Corps.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Professional Communications
This lesson emphasizes the communication skills sergeants need to lead effectively in both workplace and operational settings. Students will learn about preparing for and participating in guided discussions, using interpersonal communication techniques, and delivering clear, confident presentations that foster trust, strengthen professional relationships, and support mission success. The lesson also highlights habits that promote continuous improvement, such as reflective journaling for personal and professional development. Students will identify common communication barriers and apply practical strategies to overcome them, including the use of purposeful questioning to enhance two-way understanding. By engaging in discussions and practical exercises, students will learn how to build rapport, resolve conflicts, and cultivate trust. They will then apply these skills in an oral presentation that aligns with a leadership purpose, is tailored to the audience, and is supported by effective delivery techniques and visual aids. Educational objectives include analyzing reflective writing, overcoming communication barriers, exploring questioning techniques, and mastering interpersonal communication principles.
Lesson 2: Developing a Bias for Action
This lesson underscores the pivotal role sergeants play in sustaining legacy standards while preparing Marines for the complexities of modern warfare. It emphasizes that, regardless of Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), sergeants must make timely, informed decisions aligned with the commander’s intent and effectively operate in uncertain and high-pressure situations. Students will explore the concept of "bias for action," focusing on readiness, adherence to core values, and the discipline to act decisively in the face of conflict. The lesson also introduces Boyd’s decision-making concepts and links decisive action to unit performance and warfighting readiness, encouraging initiative as a deliberate leadership habit. Educational objectives include applying critical thinking to communication, defining mission tactics and bias for action, and analyzing judgment in the context of combat against a thinking adversary.
Lesson 3: Military Correspondence
Clear, accurate, and professional writing is a fundamental skill for sergeants, as written products influence decision-making, document actions, and communicate intent. This lesson focuses on the administrative and communication tasks that NCOs routinely perform, emphasizing precision and professionalism in military correspondence. Students will learn to distinguish between formal and informal memorandum formats and master the structure of professional military emails, including subject lines, greetings, body organization, tone, and signature block requirements. Marines will practice synthesizing critical information into clear, logical written products, including information papers. In this course, students will develop an information paper and a point paper to reinforce the practical application of written communication in leadership. Educational objectives include examining memorandum differences, email structure, and creating a well-structured information paper or point paper.
Lesson 4: Military Leadership Foundations
This lesson explores the enduring leadership foundations rooted in character, values, and the intangible qualities that motivate others to follow. Students will analyze how personal value systems influence behavior and why effective leaders must align their personal credibility with mission goals to inspire others. The lesson connects Marine Corps leadership principles to historical warrior cultures, highlighting duty, ideals, and ethos as central to the profession of arms. Marines will evaluate how leadership traits shape relationships across ranks and how they influence command climate and organizational effectiveness. This lesson examines the responsibilities inherent in leadership at the NCO level and explores the institutional and organizational consequences when those responsibilities are neglected. The educational objectives include identifying leadership foundations, assessing their impact on relationships, and understanding methods to reinforce warrior ethos.
Lesson 5: Leadership Styles
This lesson teaches that effective leadership starts with understanding the individuals you lead—not just their administrative data, but their values, motivations, learning styles, and strengths. Students will explore how empathy and understanding of Marines’ needs foster dignity, morale, cohesion, and combat effectiveness. The lesson emphasizes that leadership styles should be flexible and aligned with both organizational values and mission needs. Educational objectives include analyzing the relationship between leadership styles and values, exploring the NCO’s impact on organizational cohesion, and understanding how leadership approaches affect the environment and morale. Through discussion and reflection, students will learn how to adapt their leadership styles to build effective teams.
Lesson 6: Leadership Responsibility
This lesson examines the unique trust and confidence inherent in the sergeant’s role and the responsibility that comes with it. Students will explore how leadership decisions, whether positive or negative, shape command climate, morale, and discipline. Through case studies and discussions, sergeants will analyze the impact of leadership on individuals and units, particularly when core values are neglected or violated. Educational objectives include understanding the institutional and organizational roles of the NCO, analyzing the effects of leadership decisions, and exploring the consequences of prohibited behaviors such as hazing, sexual assault, and fraternization. The lesson emphasizes accountability, ethical leadership, and the preservation of trust as essential for mission success.
Lesson 7: Warfighting
This lesson introduces the intellectual framework for understanding war, emphasizing its inherent violence, uncertainty, and human dimension. Students will examine Marine Corps warfighting philosophy and its application across all MOSs, focusing on how this philosophy influences practical leadership and tactical decision-making. The lesson highlights the inseparability of warfighting and leadership philosophies, shaping how Marines exercise initiative, think critically, and lead with judgment. Educational objectives include analyzing the influence of war’s nature and theory on NCO performance, evaluating maneuver warfare characteristics, and understanding how warfighting functions enable small-unit maneuver.
Lesson 8: Troop Leading Steps
This lesson provides sergeants with a disciplined and adaptable decision-making framework for dynamic combat environments. Marines know BAMCIS (Begin the planning, Arrange reconnaissance, Make reconnaissance, Complete the plan, Issue orders, Supervise) as a flexible approach to mission planning and execution. Within the “Begin the planning” process, the Tactical Thought Process is applied to METT-TC (Mission, Enemy, Terrain and weather, Troops and support available, Time, and Civil considerations) to anticipate enemy actions, identify vulnerabilities, and develop effective plans. The lesson emphasizes decentralized execution and the importance of initiative and topsight over rigid procedures. Educational objectives focus on the application of METT-TC for tactical decision-making, developing plans and orders, and preparing for squad- and platoon-level operations.
Lesson 9: Naval Expeditionary Operations
This lesson reaffirms the Marine Corps as the Nation's premier expeditionary force, capable of rapidly deploying and operating in austere environments. Students will explore the expeditionary mindset and its importance across all MAGTF (Marine Air-Ground Task Force) operations, particularly in joint and national security efforts. The lesson focuses on the strengths of the MAGTF, including its scalable integration of air, ground, and logistics capabilities, and how this integration enhances Marine Corps effectiveness in naval and joint operations. Educational objectives include understanding the characteristics of expeditionary operations, analyzing the MAGTF’s role in naval and joint operations, and studying the key tasks that support rapid response and operational success.
Lesson 10: Modern Warfare
This lesson frames the changing nature of warfare, focusing on contested maritime and littoral environments where peer and near-peer adversaries challenge U.S. forces across multiple domains. Students will learn about the Marine Corps' adaptation to modern warfare through concepts such as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment (LOCE), and Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs). The lesson also addresses the impact of emerging technologies, such as drones and electronic warfare, and how these shape battlefield dynamics. Students will explore how these new challenges demand flexibility, resilience, and the preservation of traditional small-unit leadership and discipline. Educational objectives include understanding how modern concepts like EABO and LOCE contribute to maritime and littoral operations and exploring the integration of emerging technologies in Marine Corps operations.
Lesson 11: Unit Readiness
Unit readiness defines a unit's ability to accomplish missions across the spectrum of operations, and sergeants are key to driving that readiness at the small-unit level. This lesson focuses on how to integrate individual, MOS-specific, and collective training with the commander’s priorities. Students will learn how to plan, execute, track, and improve training, ensuring that Marines remain mission-ready. Educational objectives include analyzing training programs that contribute to readiness, applying the Unit Training Management process to develop training schedules, and reinforcing the sergeant's responsibility to enforce training standards and maintain unit readiness.
Lesson 12: Leadership Development Tools
This lesson equips sergeants with the tools to develop their subordinates into future leaders while balancing mission demands. Students will examine leadership development as a continuous process grounded in personal example and self-improvement. The lesson emphasizes the importance of feedback as a tool for growth and confidence-building, rather than criticism. Educational objectives include differentiating between counseling and performance evaluations, explaining the role of counseling in development, improving coaching and counseling techniques, and understanding the NCO’s role in leadership development. Through practical exercises, Marines will demonstrate effective coaching and counseling behaviors.
Lesson 13: Career Progression
This lesson teaches sergeants how to navigate Marine Corps evaluation and reporting systems, which shape both their own careers and those of the Marines they lead. Students will gain an understanding of the Performance Evaluation System (PES) and Junior Enlisted Performance Evaluation System (JEPES), including the roles and responsibilities of participants and the implications of fair and accurate evaluations. The lesson focuses on interpreting Master Brief Sheets, understanding adverse reports, and preparing for selection boards. Educational objectives include explaining the roles in JEPES, interpreting fitness report data, and preparing subordinates for career progression.
Lesson 14: Developing Resiliency
Resilience is essential for combat effectiveness and sustained operations in austere environments. This lesson explores how to develop mental, physical, social, and spiritual resilience in Marines. Using case studies and doctrinal frameworks, students will learn how to build resilience in individuals and units, helping them thrive under stress and adversity. Educational objectives include analyzing resilience development, examining the relationship between fitness domains, and understanding how resilience enhances cohesion and unit effectiveness in high-pressure environments.
Lesson 15: Role of the NCO
This lesson defines the sergeant’s role as both the embodiment of Marine Corps values and the essential guardian of Marines’ responsibilities, directly impacting battlefield success and the broader institution. Students will examine leadership as a discipline that is cultivated through experience, self-reflection, and continuous growth, rather than as an innate trait. The sergeant is positioned as a critical link between the commander’s intent and mission accomplishment, translating strategic guidance into operational success. Marines will explore how the Marine Corps views leadership as a process of developing the qualities of each Marine to assume greater responsibility. The lesson emphasizes the importance for sergeants to understand the values and character of those they lead, while serving as mentors, guides, and standard-bearers. Additionally, once sergeants have mastered their MOS, they are expected to provide counsel and expertise to officers, with their failure to uphold duty potentially jeopardizing both individual Marines and unit readiness. Educational objectives include explaining the institutional and organizational responsibilities of the NCO in developing Marines, and evaluating how leadership principles contribute to military effectiveness and the profession of arms.
Eligibility and Enrollment
The Sergeants School Seminar Program is available to sergeants who have completed the Sergeants School DEP on MCeLE (EPME5000BA). SSSP (or the resident Sergeants School course) is a PME requirement for promotion from sergeant to staff sergeant. Read about the enrollment process.
Schedules
Each seminar will have an assigned instructor, and the schedule will depend on the seminar option (on site, online synchronous, online asynchronous, or weekend). Schedules for individual seminars are provided by the region.
Completion Benefits
Higher Education
The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends three (3) lower-division bachelor's degree credits in Leadership.
Resources
Contact us for any information or guidance about CDET's seminar-based distance education programs for enlisted Marines.
Read about the Elearning Ecosystem or log into the MCeLE Moodle portal.
Transcripts can be obtained via MCeLE.