Does it matter what kind of bachelors degree you acquire if you want to be an officer in the military?
filed in Xdela Community on May.20, 2010
I would like to become an officer in the army preferably for special forces. I know that they have a bunch of requirements for going in and I’m wondering if a degree in engineering or some sort of technical field would give me more of a shot because it would make me more valuable to the military because I would already have the training and then they wouldn’t have to spend the money training me.
May 20th, 2010 on 9:48 am
Simple answer- ‘no, it doesn’t matter.’ As long as you have a bachelor’s degree, no one cares what you majored in. The military give you the training you need to have, they just want someone educated.
May 20th, 2010 on 9:48 am
I heard hell no I talked to a guy in Comms his degree was history
May 20th, 2010 on 9:48 am
If you are planning to attend a 4 year University, check to see if they have a ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp) on campus. Then, contact the ROTC office about what degrees are currently in demand and what career fields they apply too.
If you are going to a community college first, contact your local recruiter and ask the same questions. And if you talk to a recruiter, remember two things. First, don’t sign anything. Second, there are recruiters out there that stretch the truth or even outright lie to get numbers. Double and triple check everything you are told.
May 20th, 2010 on 9:48 am
Basically, no. The degree is a requirement, but many officers never use their degree at all while in the service. In some fields (medical, JAG, civil engineering) you have to have a specific degree, but those are directly recruited. A regular officer of the line simply has to have the diploma.
May 20th, 2010 on 9:48 am
The Army and the Marines don’t care about what degree you have, as you probably won’t do what your degree is in. The Air Force and Navy do care about your degree, as there you will be doing something related to your degree. From talking to a Marine officer selection officer, I was told that they do look at the degree when they’re choosing candidates, only because they want to choose the more qualified/competitive person. If you choose engineering or another science degree, they will choose your more likely than somebody that has some sort of Arts degree. Either way, they will still have to spend money on training you, because you have to go through each branch’s specific training.
If you decide on doing a engineering degree, know that it will be very hard. You better be very good in math if you plan on doing this.