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
Rank
Bachelors Degree
Commission
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 126
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I have always seen College as a way to get some paper work to justify your level of education not knowledge or wisdom. But to do what an officer needs to do in the field, that knowledge comes in the field and from the soldiers under his command. Shadowing a patrol and seeing how the team and squads under his command works. Watching their reaction to different combat situations and realizing that just because he is the one who sent them on the mission does not make him the soul responsible officer for their actions and the out come of the mission. Being properly trained is the only way an officer can protect his men and women in under his command. And the only way he can be properly trained is to learn hands on from those who have the experience. So I guess my answer is no, he does not need a college degree but for his advancement into the higher officer ranks. A good officer coming up through the ranks will find the resources to advance himself without a degree.
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I have a JD/MBA and I don't think a college degree is necessary in the officer corps. I don't think it really adds that much.
With the exception of the engineering fields, bachelor's degrees really have become generalist degrees. And, even graduate/professional schools are becoming less and less concerned about one's undergraduate major.
The fact that the military doesn't care about one's major really reinforces that. I remember ROTC cadets playing the accessions game -- taking easy classes and majoring in general studies to boast their GPAs and come out higher on the list. And, that tells me that the most you really need as a Second Lieutenant is probably the equivalent of an associate's degree -- essentially, the core general education courses plus a few electives.
If I'm not mistaken, the military also experimented with 60 credit hour commissions around the time of the Iraq Surge. And, the stumbling block there seemed to be that deployments made it difficult to finish one's bachelor's -- which was a prerequisite before you attained Captain.
I do think that officers should start having graduate level degrees by the time they attain field grades. And, maybe general grade officers might even need doctorates. They are called on to perform increasingly complex roles at those levels and I think a "love of learning" is really a prerequisite for success there.
With the exception of the engineering fields, bachelor's degrees really have become generalist degrees. And, even graduate/professional schools are becoming less and less concerned about one's undergraduate major.
The fact that the military doesn't care about one's major really reinforces that. I remember ROTC cadets playing the accessions game -- taking easy classes and majoring in general studies to boast their GPAs and come out higher on the list. And, that tells me that the most you really need as a Second Lieutenant is probably the equivalent of an associate's degree -- essentially, the core general education courses plus a few electives.
If I'm not mistaken, the military also experimented with 60 credit hour commissions around the time of the Iraq Surge. And, the stumbling block there seemed to be that deployments made it difficult to finish one's bachelor's -- which was a prerequisite before you attained Captain.
I do think that officers should start having graduate level degrees by the time they attain field grades. And, maybe general grade officers might even need doctorates. They are called on to perform increasingly complex roles at those levels and I think a "love of learning" is really a prerequisite for success there.
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
I know a few folks that wanted to track for "rated" billets so they (by their own admission) picked the easiest degrees to push their GPA up so they were more competitive for the rated billets.
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I think there are paths to be coming an officer that shouldn't necessarily require a degree.
I also think that some degrees are better than others (quality of education-wise).
I think that what you get out of your degree largely depends on your mindset going in, the work you do, and the specific courses and professors you have. To some extent that is driven by the college you attend, and there are some to be wary of, but to a very high extent, that is driven by the individual.
I think that having a degree does still say something and should remain an entrance criteria for becoming an officer unless in a special program (exception not the rule).
Instead of saying that degrees mean less now so we shouldn't require them, we should instead put more value on other factors in addition to the degree instead of screening based almost entirely on having one. In other words keep the requirement to have a degree, but add some more screening on top of that so that buying a degree doesn't automatically qualify you.*
*important to note that some for profit schools work out well for people, and sometimes it is one of the only options that can be completed. That said, the average quality of the graduate usually gains a lot less than attending a physical campus. Having completed a heck of a lot of excess education outside of my initial bachelors, including a masters degree, I can honestly say that the classes completed online were (without exception) significantly less beneficial to my development in the subject.
I also think that some degrees are better than others (quality of education-wise).
I think that what you get out of your degree largely depends on your mindset going in, the work you do, and the specific courses and professors you have. To some extent that is driven by the college you attend, and there are some to be wary of, but to a very high extent, that is driven by the individual.
I think that having a degree does still say something and should remain an entrance criteria for becoming an officer unless in a special program (exception not the rule).
Instead of saying that degrees mean less now so we shouldn't require them, we should instead put more value on other factors in addition to the degree instead of screening based almost entirely on having one. In other words keep the requirement to have a degree, but add some more screening on top of that so that buying a degree doesn't automatically qualify you.*
*important to note that some for profit schools work out well for people, and sometimes it is one of the only options that can be completed. That said, the average quality of the graduate usually gains a lot less than attending a physical campus. Having completed a heck of a lot of excess education outside of my initial bachelors, including a masters degree, I can honestly say that the classes completed online were (without exception) significantly less beneficial to my development in the subject.
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Our paradigm has been that you needed a degree to get a commission, not in every case but it has been the rule. Prior to military academies many officers did not have a college degree. Look at military leaders during our revolution and prior. In some countries the officer corps was pulled from the well to do. You bought and paid for a commission in many cases. Many of those armies were highly successful.
Like most topics, it is easier to have a hard and fast rule on something than look at the nuance. The necessity of the degree though is 19th and 20th century thinking. If look across history and even in the current ranks of business and industry you will see many people that built and lead many companies without one.
Do a google search on business leaders without college degrees. You will see many names on the list. Many of these folks built a company from scratch on an idea, raw determination, courage and providence. Are these people not qualified or experienced enough or talented enough to lead their own enterprise?
An NCO at 22-25 years old has had many experience that have prepared him or her to lead in the military. We set officers apart so they can create distance and a persona away from the ranks which gives them a part of the officer aura. A 1st or 2nd LT is no more prepared to lead men into battle than a Sergeant/Staff Sergeant. By the time a LT is a captain or major it is experience that really sets apart the good from the not so good.
There are many areas in the military the degree is essential, medical, legal, engineering and others. Where they are not as necessary is in combat arms MOS's. What is required there is leadership, fortitude, intelligence, cunning, judgment, experience etc.
Academia has convinced many that they can prepare people in classrooms for events in the real world. We send many off to college that have no business being there. We push them through the system and they (and we) are no better off for the effort and cost.
The degree is used as a screen to eliminate many from the opportunity to serve/lead. I am not saying that a degree is bad or not useful but it is far too heavily weighted in the decision making process.
Like most topics, it is easier to have a hard and fast rule on something than look at the nuance. The necessity of the degree though is 19th and 20th century thinking. If look across history and even in the current ranks of business and industry you will see many people that built and lead many companies without one.
Do a google search on business leaders without college degrees. You will see many names on the list. Many of these folks built a company from scratch on an idea, raw determination, courage and providence. Are these people not qualified or experienced enough or talented enough to lead their own enterprise?
An NCO at 22-25 years old has had many experience that have prepared him or her to lead in the military. We set officers apart so they can create distance and a persona away from the ranks which gives them a part of the officer aura. A 1st or 2nd LT is no more prepared to lead men into battle than a Sergeant/Staff Sergeant. By the time a LT is a captain or major it is experience that really sets apart the good from the not so good.
There are many areas in the military the degree is essential, medical, legal, engineering and others. Where they are not as necessary is in combat arms MOS's. What is required there is leadership, fortitude, intelligence, cunning, judgment, experience etc.
Academia has convinced many that they can prepare people in classrooms for events in the real world. We send many off to college that have no business being there. We push them through the system and they (and we) are no better off for the effort and cost.
The degree is used as a screen to eliminate many from the opportunity to serve/lead. I am not saying that a degree is bad or not useful but it is far too heavily weighted in the decision making process.
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He has written numerous times for the WSJ. Perhaps he could have spent more time being a Marine and he would have the answer to his question
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After the gulfwar the govt told me, I needed to get my BS information System, I did that working to complete regular MS of Info Technology, the the MS in CYBER Crime, Security Firewall, to keep the Newtorks from being Hacked. This is when a customer uses the Swipe, at the Counter.
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