The Defense Financial Manager: An Assessment of Knowledge Requirements and the Naval Postgraduate School Financial Management Graduate Curriculum

Recognizing the need to improve the capabilities of the Department of Defense DoD financial management workforce, the American Society of Military Comptrollers ASMC has developed an exam based certification program for DoD financial management personnel, the Certified Defense Financial Manager CDFM Program. The purpose of this thesis is to 1 assess how well the Naval Postgraduate School Financial Management curriculum covers the body of knowledge requisite to pass the CDFM examination 2 recommend options to improve coverage and 3 develop a student reference guide to aid students in preparing for the exam. The core competencies, knowledge elements, and specific topics that comprise the CDFM body of knowledge were identified through an extensive literature review. Key NPS faculty members were surveyed to assess the level of coverage the Financial Management curriculum provided. The results of the assessment show that the Financial Management curriculum covers approximately 80 of the knowledge requirements in varying degrees, but doesnt provide sufficient coverage of enough of them to fully prepare graduating students to pass the CDFM exam.