Does it matter which degree I should pursue when applying to Navy OCS (Org Leadership BA or Intelligence Studies BA) for an Intel position?

2017-04-04T22:45:36-04:00

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2017 10:52 PM

2017-04-04T22:52:26-04:00

Some additional info,

I'm a navy Intel Specialist (3912 & 3924) with 6.5 years in, and my goal is to cross into the dark side via OCS or LDO.

I currently don't hold a degree, but I've narrowed it down to two colleges, two degrees:

American Military University BA Intelligence Studies - I need 25/26 classes to complete the degree (2.5 years)

University of Charleston BA Organizational Leadership - Only need 14 classes to finish (1.5 years)

I understand the manual says they like to see specific type of degrees such as political science etc, but I know a few 1830's with other Bachelor's of Arts degrees. I've heard both ends of the spectrum from "it doesn't matter what degree" to "only the preferred degrees".

I don't know if I take the gamble on the shorter route, or stick with the longer degree. Thanks for any advice!

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2017 11:06 PM

2017-04-04T23:06:23-04:00

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member You want to put yourself in the best position. I would go for a preferred degree per the link below: BA/BS in International Relations, Political Science, Gov’t, Engineering, Physical or Natural Science, and Comp. Science.

https://www.thebalance.com/navy-commissioned-officer-intel-3356594

Navy Commissioned Officer (INTEL) Job Description

Job descriptions and qualification factors for Navy Commissioned Officer Job Designators -- INTELLIGENCE (INTEL)

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Apr 5 at 2017 7:46 AM

2017-04-05T07:46:28-04:00

My recommendation is to get "A" degree regardless of the title/content. In aviation there are a lot of folks that believe going to Embry Riddle is the best as it is an aviation school, but it has nothing really to do with flying and more about management and other things. I went to a State school and got a Public Management degree which really assisted me in the ins and outs of government and non-profit. Promotions have been the same and in a position better suited post retirement in my mind. Just get the degree as improving one's knowledge and position can not be overstated enough. Good luck!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2017 9:28 AM

2017-04-05T09:28:05-04:00

Haha that's a killer combat caterpillar you've got there.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2017 10:27 AM

2017-04-05T10:27:24-04:00

Doesn't matter what degree you get, all you need is a 4 year degree to be an officer.

Response by ENS Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 6 at 2017 11:20 PM

2017-04-06T23:20:10-04:00

As a very recently commissioned OCS SWO, Im good friends with a few in the Intel community. My hatchmate was IW. While, I know two other guys quite well that are Intel. My hatchmate got a degree from Berkeley in Mathematics. The first Intel guy had a degree from Princeton in computer science. The other guy got a degree from some small state university in finance. Now, the degree really does matter. But, in my personal opinion, not quite as much as your GPA, extracurricular activities, and most of all, Leadership experience! There's no one stop shop degree for a guaranteed selection into the community. Many factors are considered by the community boards that select candidates. All the way down to availability, the motivational statements you include in your OCS package, and many other things. In my personal experience with the overall selection process and how the gears of it move, I would recommend Intelligence Studies if those are your only two options. But I know many many different degrees in all of the communities. In my community specifically, I know people with English, French, Math, Engineering, Biology, and many other degrees. Myself, I have a Forensic Biology degree. Arguably not relative at all to the skill set required to be a SWO. But after all, it's probably the easiest community to get into due to the lingering retention rate.

So going back to the beginning, I would say that your extracurricular activities, and most importantly your references and leadership experience you can claim, really affect you as well. Hopefully this helps. Good on you for going after it though, I really respect the initiative. Since you're a prior, I would say that definitely helps too if you have good recommendations from your past DH's, XO's and CO's. There was a prior in my class that had applied 15 times to OCS before getting accepted on the 16th try. So don't give up. It's absolutely worth it, and I'm sure you know that much better than I do, having more experience in the fleet than I!