Is a Chemistry BA helpful to get selected for OCS, or is it seen as just being like other non-STEM degrees?

So I realize my previous comment may seem a bit snarky. Generally the Army doesn’t care what degree you have when seeking a commission unless you are going into a specific field that requires a certain degree such as the medical field or the Judge Advocate General (JAG) corps (aka military lawyers). The requirements for a commission in the Army are that you possess a 4 year degree prior to application. Once you are commissioned and assigned a branch (Infantry, Armor, Chemical, Military Intelligence, etc...) the Army will send you to your Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) to train you in your particular career field. The reason for this is that there are no civilian degrees that directly correlate to military careers, there’s no degree that teaches how to maneuver Infantry Platoons or Tank Platoons. Even with career fields such as Chemical Corps, you’re not doing Chemistry, you’re dealing with enemy and friendly Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threats. To be honest the requirement of having a college degree in order to commission is a bit archaic.

While your degree itself does not matter, your academic performance have a much larger impact on your chances of being accepted into OCS. A GPA of less than 3.0 greatly reduces your chances of having your application accepted. Hope that this helps.

The Army literally does not care what your degree is in. As long as you have a degree the Army will train you to do whatever your branch requires.

Recruiters are really pursuing STEM degrees, but they only account for about 3% of the Officer population. If your goal is to become an Officer, do whatever you want in college that interests you because it’s unlikely that you’ll use much of your knowledge in the Army. You’ll be taught, molded, and mentored into what the Army needs from you. Take it from me; I have a degree in Business Administration (Marketing), and I haven’t utilized it at all during the past 18 years.