It’s 2017. The Military Still Requires Officers To Have College Degrees. Why?

A degree should be viewed more as a foundation rather than a barrier to entry. Opportunities could definitely be expanded to provide more enlisted the opportunity to pursue the officer path. I am a bit biased, but I think the best officers had ample experience as a junior enlisted and non-commissioned officers.

A friend of mine was a captain in the active Army when they stopped the draft. He was one of a handful of captains who was not separated from the Army because he had a bachelor's degree. It may not have been necessary in World War II and Korea, but it was gradually needed after Vietnam. I remember seeing an officer support form of my Battalion executive officer in the California Army National Guard. She was a major and her support for him had discussed finishing her bachelor's degree. As far as I know, only warrant officers don't need college degrees though it does not hurt them one bit to have one.

I agree a college degree is not necessary to be an officer. As a pilot, my degree in history and political science was almost completely unrelated to my entire Air Force career. Some of the information in my Masters Degree in Counseling and Human Resources was applied to the personnel management I did later in my career. I did use stuff I learned in high school: algebra, geometry, map reading. Also, stuff I learned in grade school like following instructions. (Apparently much of this isn’t taught in secondary education these days.) The ability to write and speak clearly and develop logical presentations became important as a staff officer, but those skills were acquired mostly in the Air Force. Much of the work I did as a staff officer could have been handled by a well trained Staff Sergeant (E-5).

I do believe some AFSC or MOS require appropriate education and certification. Medical providers need to be educated and certified to protect the health and safety of the military members. Same with lawyers. Test pilots and engineers need degrees related to science or engineering, supporting the idea that the Services should be selective in recruiting service members for certain positions.

The article also is an indictment of post-secondary education in America. The colleges and universities have raised tuitions and fees at rates far exceeding the increase necessary to maintain the institution and staffs. The Government is largely responsible for this with easy-to-get loans and grants making it possible for students and parents to pay exorbitant college costs—albeit it committing to a potential lifetime of debt. While this was going on, college facility and administrations became more liberal and veered away from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curricula in favor of “soft sciences” that suited liberal causes but produced unemployable graduates--what does one do with a degree in Gender Studies? On the other hand, statistics from the Labor Department consistently show college graduates earn more over a lifetime than their counterparts without a degree. The shining exceptions such as Bill Gates might belie this if they weren’t so few.

I agree that many excellent senior NCOs would make good officers without additional education. In all but the Air Force, these service members have the opportunity be become a warrant officer now, but improved programs to add them to the commissioned officer corps are a good idea. (Yes, I know CWOs have a commission, but I need something to refer to the O-1 and above group.) The warrant officer route is also good for civilians with specialized skills or certifications, but no degree, such as cyber security or Associate Degree Nurses. The Services should look at better ways to encourage enlisted members to pursue opportunities for commissioning.