Should Officers be required to have a Specific Degree in order to be commissioned?

You're noticing this trend, SSG Fay? &nbsp;I would love to see the quantifiable data you've been collecting and the plan of action you see for righting this 'incompetency'.<br><br>STOP THE MADNESS! &nbsp;I am really tired of reading about a very small population of NCOs randomly calling out 'incompetent officers' or the like. &nbsp;Maybe the problem is the NCO Corps not taking the time to properly integrate the officer to the unit.<br><br>Officers already have strict educational standards...whether it's a service academy, OCS or ROTC commission, our future leaders go through many levels of education. &nbsp;A degree doesn't make an officer...it's the levels of military education and experience. &nbsp;(I'm sure our officer counterparts can elaborate)<br><br>Stop complaining and start making a difference! &nbsp;We're ONE team here, folks.<br>

I see ZERO connection between a degree and leadership skills. &nbsp;Maybe it's leadership training that is lacking....

I fit the mold, or you might consider I do, for an officer with a non-specific degree. My B.A. is in Women's Studies and my M.S. is in Special Education. When I tried for a direct commission into the Navy, I was told that I was too old and my degree was non-specific. Fair enough, I enlisted in the AF and then commissioned.

I agree with SGM Matthew Quick, we all still had to go through leadership education and training. I know some less than ideal officers will slip through the cracks, but the training is still there.

Leadership aside, even if I had a B.S. in something applicable to the logistics field, would that necessarily make me a good leader, SSG (Join to see)? I think that component depends on the individual and their personal leadership skills. You can very easily have an intelligent subject matter expert who is in no way equipped with the mentorship, leadership, and relational skills needed to serve as an officer.

I cannot think of a degree from any college that will prepare a young LT for what will be expected of them as a platoon leader. I don't care if you have a PHD in nuclear physics, when you have 40 young lives in your hands you need to have experience, not a piece of paper. I know of many 20+ year old specialist and privates with more combat experience than the average LT today.&nbsp;<div>I'm a firm believer that ALL officers should come from the NCO &nbsp;ranks. Once you make SSG you are working to become a SFC and the Army decides whether you cut the mustard. I think when they are looking at your records they should offer you tow choices. Promotion to SFC or direct commission.&nbsp;</div>

<p>SSG Fay, </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While I agree that there are always leaders that need improvement (in the Officer and NCO Corps). I think you would find that the educational standards for officers are quite high.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Here's my story. I went to a military high school. I did well. I earned an ROTC scholarship. I attended George Mason University and took 15 credits or more per semester while managing ROTC curriculum. I spent a summer at Airborne School, a summer at Robin Sage,&nbsp;a summer at FT Benning&nbsp;BCT,&nbsp;and a summer at LDAC (a one month field problem to evaluate ROTC officer candidates). I graduated with a BA in Government. I earned a commission as an active duty Infantry Officer and attended IBOLC and Ranger school.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Does any of this make me General Patton? Hell no. But it is a&nbsp;standard glide path for junior officers, and it is rigorous. Do bad apples get through? Roger that. Does that have anything to do with the degree they earned? No. Leaders are born, and then molded and refined. I have had outstanding mentors, both NCOs and Officers that have helped me to develop&nbsp;along&nbsp;the way. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>My guess is that you have had a few bad experiences with your leadership. Don't let that poison your oppinion of the Officer Corps as a whole.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Some leaders just have their head stuck up their forth point of contact. Those guys are beyond help. Others just need a professional NCO and&nbsp;a great Commander to get them on&nbsp;track to being a leader worthy of their Soldiers.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

"Needs of the Air Force" aside, I will never, ever understand how a young officer with an accounting degree ends up a Security Forces officer, and an officer with a criminal justice degree ends up a comptroller. 

I am commissioned as a Nurse.&nbsp; I had to have my BSN to receive said commission.&nbsp; I realize that there are many roles that do not require the same...think most of them are in what would be consdiered "Professional Occupations" (Law, Medical, Nursing, Chaplain...).&nbsp; I believe that it should be up to the service to screen perspective officers to determine where they should go.... (career path or Ft. Livingroom).

You know what I find to be very interesting, SSG Keith Fay?
That some junior and senior NCOs expect the young newly- minted 2LT to come with all the skills and knowledge.

Company-level NCOs didn't start off with on-the-job know-how. They were mentored and were shown right-from-wrong by those senior and more experienced then them. So, how then can the newly-minted 2LT acquire the same knowledge if the NCOs don't help out, just like they'd been helped when they were just starting out as Privates.

The reason West Point was created was to produce officers with the engineering background. Up until very recently, West Point only gave Science degrees, and now offers other degrees since they realized being an officer isn't about science anymore.

Political science, economics, and these type of majors help officers in today's type of warfare. I truly believe that the more diverse the experiences of someone, it can help in the decision making process.

In my opion the degree doesn't, but that young officers mentors do. A young officer should be mentored from two sides. On one hand, the more senior officers and on the other that officer's 1SG, platoon sergeant and squad leaders or NCOICs. A degree in organizational leadership does not equate to operational leadership; proper mentorship has a much higher success rate.