Posted on Aug 13, 2015
Military Officers don't need a degree? What say you?
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Military Officers Don’t Need College Degrees
Military recruiters and top brass like to repeat the refrain that the average member of the armed forces is better educated than the average American. It’s true. According to the Defense Department, nearly 94% of enlisted personnel have a high-school diploma, while only 60% of Americans do. About 83% of officers have a bachelor’s degree, in comparison with 30% of the general population.
These statistics, though, involve a bit of self-selection: Most officers have a bachelor’s degree because becoming an officer generally requires one, though this prerequisite appears increasingly anachronistic.
For one thing, the requirement of a college degree is simply a box for officer candidates to check. It doesn’t matter to the armed forces where you went to school, what you studied, or how well you did—short of a minimal GPA level of about 2.5 out of 4.0.
Scholarships provided by the Reserve Officer Training Corps and military academies such as West Point and Annapolis may have more stringent criteria, but in general anyone with a four-year degree who can pass the basic background checks and physical requirements of the military may apply for Officer Candidate School.
Instead of mandating that officers have college degrees, the military should expand alternative avenues to officership. A few exceptions to the degree mandate already exist: Warrant officers or limited-duty officers—typically highly trained specialists in technical fields like avionics or equipment maintenance—have worked their way to officership. Their service is akin to apprenticeship, where useful knowledge is gained through practical experience, not textbook theory. Why not offer the same deal to other recruits?
Historically, a college degree signaled superior intelligence, critical reasoning and writing skills, and dedication. A degree holder could be expected to form logical, coherent arguments and effectively communicate ideas. But a college degree in 2015 no longer signals—let alone guarantees—much of anything.
According to a 2014 Lumina-Gallup poll, “just 11% of business leaders strongly agree that higher education institutions in this country are graduating students with the skills and competencies that their business needs, and 17% strongly disagree.” In a Chronicle for Higher Education survey published in March 2013, employers said that applicants with degrees lacked decision-making and problem-solving abilities, written and oral communication skills, adaptability, and even the capacity to manage multiple priorities.
Even more than in civilian environments, those are skills needed for war. If a college degree no longer confers them, then why should the armed forces require it at all? Beyond the usual arguments about the prohibitive cost for many high-school graduates unable to take on debt, a college degree isn’t needed to be successful. Peter Thiel, an accomplished tech businessman, offers a fellowship of $100,000 for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to skip college and build businesses instead. Companies started as a result now employ 200 people and have generated $200 million in economic activity, according to the fellowship.
Some may argue that obtaining a bachelor’s degree shows responsibility or maturity. Yet how much responsibility does a typical single, childless 22-year-old college senior have? Has he demonstrated greater responsibility than a 22-year-old corporal at the end of his first tour of duty? Has he even demonstrated greater responsibility than a 19-year-old private first class after six months of service?
The only mark of distinction that a college degree still indicates, perhaps, is dedication. It usually requires four or more years to achieve, and following through to the end suggests long-term commitment to a goal. Yet clearly, college and putting off the working world is not for everyone. In 2013, the six-year graduation rate in the U.S. was only 59%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Commitment is certainly important to success in the military, but the armed forces already have a way to measure and test it: a four-year enlistment. If aspiring officers must demonstrate commitment and responsibility, completing a four-year enlistment should suffice. If they must prove raw intellectual aptitude, high scores on the military’s own General Classification Test should be enough. If they must have general knowledge and the ability to think and write coherently, an exam akin to the State Department’s Foreign Service Officer Test would work.
A combination of these could easily form a new path to an officer’s commission—and providing an alternative to the bachelor’s degree would produce an even more qualified officer corps.
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/military-officers-dont-need-college-degrees [login to see] -lMyQjAxMTI1NzE3MzMxNTM3Wj
Military recruiters and top brass like to repeat the refrain that the average member of the armed forces is better educated than the average American. It’s true. According to the Defense Department, nearly 94% of enlisted personnel have a high-school diploma, while only 60% of Americans do. About 83% of officers have a bachelor’s degree, in comparison with 30% of the general population.
These statistics, though, involve a bit of self-selection: Most officers have a bachelor’s degree because becoming an officer generally requires one, though this prerequisite appears increasingly anachronistic.
For one thing, the requirement of a college degree is simply a box for officer candidates to check. It doesn’t matter to the armed forces where you went to school, what you studied, or how well you did—short of a minimal GPA level of about 2.5 out of 4.0.
Scholarships provided by the Reserve Officer Training Corps and military academies such as West Point and Annapolis may have more stringent criteria, but in general anyone with a four-year degree who can pass the basic background checks and physical requirements of the military may apply for Officer Candidate School.
Instead of mandating that officers have college degrees, the military should expand alternative avenues to officership. A few exceptions to the degree mandate already exist: Warrant officers or limited-duty officers—typically highly trained specialists in technical fields like avionics or equipment maintenance—have worked their way to officership. Their service is akin to apprenticeship, where useful knowledge is gained through practical experience, not textbook theory. Why not offer the same deal to other recruits?
Historically, a college degree signaled superior intelligence, critical reasoning and writing skills, and dedication. A degree holder could be expected to form logical, coherent arguments and effectively communicate ideas. But a college degree in 2015 no longer signals—let alone guarantees—much of anything.
According to a 2014 Lumina-Gallup poll, “just 11% of business leaders strongly agree that higher education institutions in this country are graduating students with the skills and competencies that their business needs, and 17% strongly disagree.” In a Chronicle for Higher Education survey published in March 2013, employers said that applicants with degrees lacked decision-making and problem-solving abilities, written and oral communication skills, adaptability, and even the capacity to manage multiple priorities.
Even more than in civilian environments, those are skills needed for war. If a college degree no longer confers them, then why should the armed forces require it at all? Beyond the usual arguments about the prohibitive cost for many high-school graduates unable to take on debt, a college degree isn’t needed to be successful. Peter Thiel, an accomplished tech businessman, offers a fellowship of $100,000 for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to skip college and build businesses instead. Companies started as a result now employ 200 people and have generated $200 million in economic activity, according to the fellowship.
Some may argue that obtaining a bachelor’s degree shows responsibility or maturity. Yet how much responsibility does a typical single, childless 22-year-old college senior have? Has he demonstrated greater responsibility than a 22-year-old corporal at the end of his first tour of duty? Has he even demonstrated greater responsibility than a 19-year-old private first class after six months of service?
The only mark of distinction that a college degree still indicates, perhaps, is dedication. It usually requires four or more years to achieve, and following through to the end suggests long-term commitment to a goal. Yet clearly, college and putting off the working world is not for everyone. In 2013, the six-year graduation rate in the U.S. was only 59%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Commitment is certainly important to success in the military, but the armed forces already have a way to measure and test it: a four-year enlistment. If aspiring officers must demonstrate commitment and responsibility, completing a four-year enlistment should suffice. If they must prove raw intellectual aptitude, high scores on the military’s own General Classification Test should be enough. If they must have general knowledge and the ability to think and write coherently, an exam akin to the State Department’s Foreign Service Officer Test would work.
A combination of these could easily form a new path to an officer’s commission—and providing an alternative to the bachelor’s degree would produce an even more qualified officer corps.
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/military-officers-dont-need-college-degrees [login to see] -lMyQjAxMTI1NzE3MzMxNTM3Wj
Officers
Education
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Bachelors Degree
Commission
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 126
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I think after you hit e-6 you should get the option to go Gold because they already proved to the army and their military branch of service that they're not garbage and they're worth investing in
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So now they're going to stop the retards from getting degrees and lead platoons anyway That's fucking garbage even though most officers are garbage that no was the standard even more to what it was that because officers are not the smartest and brightest in the army
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Ok I am kind of split on this position. I have been in for plenty of years and have seen both sides of the coin so to speak. I have seen Officers who have graduated from a military academy and have some of the finest military education that there is to offer and they can write one hell of a white paper for distribution but they have difficulty leading troops with practical skills and experience.
Then there is the other side of the coin where there are OCS graduates with multiple years of experience and they are working towards a degree so they can become a commissioned officer to advance themselves. We need to remember in that system not to long ago you could apply for and become accepted to this course (OCS) all you needed was 60 credit hours to start and you needed to obtain your degree before you could advance past CPT (O-3). In recent years they have changed the requirements and you now have had to obtain your degree to receive your commission. This is a step in the right direction to make corrections I think the author is trying to communicate.
All in all this could be a touchy subject for both sides of the force and there are good points from both sides of the discussion. Good points were made all through out this post and left a lot of room for candid open forum discussion.
Then there is the other side of the coin where there are OCS graduates with multiple years of experience and they are working towards a degree so they can become a commissioned officer to advance themselves. We need to remember in that system not to long ago you could apply for and become accepted to this course (OCS) all you needed was 60 credit hours to start and you needed to obtain your degree before you could advance past CPT (O-3). In recent years they have changed the requirements and you now have had to obtain your degree to receive your commission. This is a step in the right direction to make corrections I think the author is trying to communicate.
All in all this could be a touchy subject for both sides of the force and there are good points from both sides of the discussion. Good points were made all through out this post and left a lot of room for candid open forum discussion.
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a. the article was written by a Lt. I am sure he thinks his arguments are sound, but his perspective is based on VERY LIMITED experience.
b. There are so many logical fallacies its hard to take the time to point them all out. The biggest one is ~ It used to be college degrees meant one could speak clearly, think logically, and communicate effectively. Now thats not a guarantee.
This is an argument fallacy to say that some cant therefore you can assume none can. Hes not saying exactly that, but he proposes that with "a degree, a background check, and meeting the minimum physical standards" one can go to OCS. Thats BS (or even an Academy), both arguments ignore that NO you cant, there is selectivity in even going to OCS and that at OCS there is also a screening process.
c. His limited experience shows in that he does not comprehend the long term advantages a college degree prepare an officer for as a field grade and higher. The ability to conduct research, to base self education upon the foundations learned in college, and the ability to prepare orders, position papers, etc etc that come with staff work (the bane but foundation of being a mid grade officer) are all skills taught in college, not in HS.
The Lt has not been to the ranks or billets where college education pays off, nor has he been in long enough to be able to see the difference. Senior SNCOs that have degrees and those that dont are a stark difference when it comes to supporting a commander, and its the most easy way to see why a degree is needed by an officer.
b. There are so many logical fallacies its hard to take the time to point them all out. The biggest one is ~ It used to be college degrees meant one could speak clearly, think logically, and communicate effectively. Now thats not a guarantee.
This is an argument fallacy to say that some cant therefore you can assume none can. Hes not saying exactly that, but he proposes that with "a degree, a background check, and meeting the minimum physical standards" one can go to OCS. Thats BS (or even an Academy), both arguments ignore that NO you cant, there is selectivity in even going to OCS and that at OCS there is also a screening process.
c. His limited experience shows in that he does not comprehend the long term advantages a college degree prepare an officer for as a field grade and higher. The ability to conduct research, to base self education upon the foundations learned in college, and the ability to prepare orders, position papers, etc etc that come with staff work (the bane but foundation of being a mid grade officer) are all skills taught in college, not in HS.
The Lt has not been to the ranks or billets where college education pays off, nor has he been in long enough to be able to see the difference. Senior SNCOs that have degrees and those that dont are a stark difference when it comes to supporting a commander, and its the most easy way to see why a degree is needed by an officer.
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As I prior-enlisted officer, I would say that a college degree is even more important nowadays than it has been in the past. Today, just under 10% of all enlisted members have a bachelor's degree, and about 2% have an advanced degree. 20 years ago when I enlisted, about 4% or so (depending on where you got your numbers) of all enlisted members had a bachelor's degree, and well under 1% had an advanced degree. If you exclude the technical officer career fields, there are some cases in the Air Force where more enlisted members have advanced degrees than the officers in similar career fields. If anything, this tells us that it is more imperative that an officer not only have a bachelor's degree, but also an advanced degree. We are quite fortunate in our generation to have so many opportunities to get college degrees, but we are also a bit unfortunate that in today's world a bachelor's degree does not carry as much weight in the real world as it did in times past. Society is raising the stakes. The next step, unfortunately, will be differentiating where members earned their degrees. I have already faced some of the "discrimination" as a prior-enlisted officer, because I got my degree from a public university: the pecking order is Academy, private university, public university, then online public university.
College does not make a person smarter, or a better leader. It is just the cost for entry into higher stakes life in the United States. If you want to be an officer in the military, you need a degree. If you want to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you need a degree.
College does not make a person smarter, or a better leader. It is just the cost for entry into higher stakes life in the United States. If you want to be an officer in the military, you need a degree. If you want to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you need a degree.
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You may not need a degree to become an officer, but you better earn one while in as an officer. I was a 1LT (P) and had to resign my commission due to not having one (a Bachelor's degree) when promotable to CPT. If I didn't have to consider a pension, I just would have gotten out. I thought it was a stupid reason to have to lose a commission that was from a pre-commissioning school (OCS) the Army paid for me to go through and then just "threw the money away" because it ultimately was for naught.
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