Just wanted to add a good way to get specialization points.
I do as many high xp Admiralty assignments as possible for any of the 3 factions. But if you stick to Federation, it's possible to get a specialization point each time you complete a Tour of Duty due to the high xp. I currently have 27 points due in large to this method.
Each 10/10 completion nets 2 points. If you have the Pass Tokens to spare, then I'd use them to get to the next Tour of Duty. Remember, though, some missions give big xp, so I'd not skip those.