Welcome to the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) Command and General Staff Officers Course (CGSOC) Interagency Student web page. The CGSC Interagency Exchange Program offers a unique professional development opportunity for US Federal Agency mid-level officials. It offers a collaborative, experiential, and educational partnership in which interagency students, US military students, and international military officer students gain expertise and knowledge in solving today's complex problems. They also gain unique insights into each others' culture, language, organization and processes.
Educates and trains field grade officers and mid-level civilian officials to be adaptive leaders, capable of critical thinking, and prepared to dominate in Unified Land Operations and collaborate in joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational environments in the US and abroad. The Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC) is taught in the CGSC Command and General Staff School (CGSS).
What an Interagency student can expect
CGSOC is geared towards mid-level officials with experience and knowledge of their agencies. The majority of the course is conducted in small groups of 16 with a mix of students with several US Army Occupational skills, US Military Sister Services, and at least one international military officer. This Master's Level Course uses the experiential learning model which allows the small groups to work together to exchange ideas and methodologies to identify problems in the current environment and come up with feasible solutions to those problems. The curriculum does not generally provide solutions. It helps the students understand how to think through problems and issues, i.e., "how to think not what to think." The students apply their understanding in a series of exercises and vignettes conducted throughout the course.
Students can also earn a Master's degree, free-of-charge, through CGSC or at minimal cost through one of several other Masters programs offered by local universities affiliated with CGSC. All Master's Degree programs have significant additional workload and require additional time and effort. The Master's degree is optional for CGSOC students, but highly encouraged. Some partner agencies require their students to earn a Master's degree while attending CGSOC.
The IA student will graduate with a refined knowledge of the current and future operating environment, the ability to identify and analyze operational level issues, develop superb problem solving skills, gain a firm understanding of organizational leadership, and develop a network of military and civilian contacts with a shared understanding of each other's processes.
What CGSOC expects from an Interagency student
Since the primary learning model is the experiential learning model, the IA student is expected to contribute to the small group's learning by bringing his/her unique experiences and knowledge into the classroom. The curriculum requires a great deal of reading and reflecting on a wide range of diplomatic, informational, military and economic topics across the spectrum of conflict and peace-time support operations. The students read the material, reflect on it, and then discuss their thoughts, concerns and issues in the small group setting to come up with a broader, collective understanding of the issues.
Since all courses offered by CGSOC are taught at the graduate level, all students must have at least a bachelor's degree. Interagency civilian students enrolling in CGSOC should normally be at the GS-13/14 or FSO-3/2 level and must have at least a SECRET clearance to be able to fully participate in the curriculum. Prerequisites include:
- The P920 Course available online through the Student Blackboard site (https://cgsc.blackboard.com/) (an AKO username and password are required). This must be completed prior to the start of CGSOC. P920 course includes modules on Organization, Doctrine, Logistics, Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) and Symbology.
- A writing diagnostic essay, a biography or resume, and an unofficial copy of undergraduate transcripts
- The P930 Course taught after arrival at CGSOC. In-class instruction includes US military terminology, organization, tactics, logistics, and command and control.
CGSOC Resident Fort Leavenworth: One course per year is offered. Interagency students report during the week after the July 4th holiday, and complete Orientation and Preparatory Course for Interagency Students. Classes start in early August - Graduation is 2nd week in June of the following year. There is a 2-week mid-winter break late
December through early January and a week-long spring break in mid- March.
NOTE: Students attending CGSOC must be identified by sending agencies by March 31.
A graphical depiction of a typical CGSOC course is shown below.
Prior to Arrival for CGSOC: CGSOC, Interagency Student Division, will coordinate with the students to assist them in completing preparations for the course before start of classes. These preparations will include establishing an AKO account at www.us.army.mil.
Key Inprocessing Information
Provides information concerning reporting dates, prep course dates, inprocessing, and course start and end dates.
- As soon as possible, you must obtain a valid and current Army Knowledge Online (AKO) account if you do not already have one. If you do not have an account, contact the interagency student division at (913) 684-2443 or email firstname.lastname@example.org for instructions on how to obtain one.
- Report to the Interagency Student Division in Lewis and Clark, Room 3514N, anytime during normal business hours during the arrival window. Interagency Orientation will be from 0830 to 1330 each day. You will also attend the CGSC Preparatory Course
CGSS: Interagency Student Division – (913) 684-2443