Why do so many people in the military have useless degrees?

I don't know if people have useless degrees. Either way having a degree of any sort is a blessing. However, some degrees may not fit the lives of others. For some of us seeing the acomplishment of fellow Airmen, Soldiers, or Sailors get a degree is a proud moment for some and a sad moment for other that don't have one. So overall I believe that people don't have useless degrees just degrees that everyone doesn't agree too

They have degrees like that because most get online degrees and the options are limited. Unfortunately that useless degree will probably be better for them in the civilian world because civilians can’t wrap their head around our experience equating to civilian jobs.

You're actually asking two questions here--the issue isn't the major--majors don't really matter. I majored in Nuclear Engineering and spent 30 years in the Medical Service Corps.

The issue is with diploma mills, as you call them. Now, that said, I went to American Military University for a Masters in American History and found it to be academically rigorous (I have a PhD from U of MD, a Bachelors from Michigan, and Masters from Iowa State, South Dakota Mines, and the Army War College). So not all schools out there are diploma mills, either. But you have to shop around.

And I agree with Victor Harris--the more we can get people to write, the better. Not all schools do that (the War College included).

Now, are some majors better than others? Perhaps. But a hundred years ago, when Freud and his cohorts were inventing psychology, people thought that was a made up degree as well. Now we can't hire enough of them (at the Masters level, at least) for our hospitals and clinics. Is Homeland Security and WMD a fad? Perhaps we'll find out in another ten years.

I think this is what happens when an organization, the military or any other, sets a requirement for an educational degree rather than for the actual skills needed to be effective on the job. Individuals who believe, correctly or not, that to advance within the military they need a college degree will pursue a degree and maybe choose to do so in a field where getting that degree is the easiest. Working full time, in the military or elsewhere, and trying to earn a degree is a serious challenge, and I can assure you that seeking a degree in something like any of the engineering disciplines is a lot tougher to accomplish that getting a useless degree in "gender studies" or any of the various ethnic or racial studies programs that are now passing for legitimate education.

The military rewards degrees fairly heavily. Since the degree is what matters rather than the content, going after either content of interest to the subject or the easiest will often be the result. With the exception of medical, engineering, or IT degrees, the degree you get will most likely not have a direct application to your job. Certain gen. ed. degrees, like English for instance, are always applicable as they improve the professionalism and conciseness of a soldiers writing. If anything, I'd say an English degree would be one of the most useful for the average soldier looking to make a career out of the military.

My degree is in Chemical Engineering. I've never used it, so its pretty useless to me. The point is that the breadth of degrees offers a similar breadth of understanding, knowledge, and experience. We want to leverage every SMs unique skills and backgrounds to make our Team stronger

I think you have to be very careful about two things. First, calling educational programs degree mills. Before you do that you should understand that an accredited college or university, whether accredited by a regional accreditor or a recognized specialist accreditor is not a degree mill if it offers courses or degrees online. Online instruction is commonly used these days in educational programs from Associates to Doctoral degrees by a wide variety of schools from Research 1s to community colleges. Good online is every bit as good and may be better than in-person bricks and mortar education. Second, interdisciplinary studies, English, and psychology are all degrees with direct utility in the armed forces, in government, and in the private sector. A well constructed interdisciplinary studies degree gives the student a broader understanding of the world around him or her. English - try working on a major command staff if you can't write clearly and concisely to convey the message your four star needs to hear - someone will have to rewrite or trash can (more likely) your gibberish. As for psychology, especially abnormal psychology, many times when one of my troops did something that made no sense, I would have been very glad to be able to understand how his or her brain worked. Mass destruction, terrorism - if you want to progress in a fire department, a law enforcement agency, emergency management or homeland security agency, credentials in these fields will get you in the door and get you promoted.

To get promotion points.

The military has over the last couple of decades placed more emphasis on management which most people equate to education. 'Useless degrees' usually don't demand lots of math or science studies but gets that checkmark by your name.
The military needs to get back to emphasizing leadership and job skills.

Interesting question. What I find more interesting is that you put a degree in counter-terrorism and psychology in this mix. You are aware that we are fighting a war on "terrorism" do you not? Along with that having a basic knowledge of human psychology would be a tremendous plus. Weapons of mass destruction, hmmm, do you not think that they are bargaining chip in on the world stage now, and that having a reasonable level of knowledge about them might just come in handy? I am beginning to think that your basic question is useless in light of the state of the world right now, and what knowledge in many aspects of life may be beneficial in dealing with these situations. You as a civil affairs specialist should know above all that dealing with the individuals you deal with, that a good knowledge of psychology would come in quite handy, and before you think I don't know what I am talking about, I was for a period of time in my career a 37F Psychological Operations Specialist, who as you should know tend to work in concert with Civil Affairs Specialists. But I don't know you so you may just be looking for an answer to a much simpler question. So, I guess what I can offer is that the more knowledge of your enemies, how they think, how they work, their cultures, their way of life, that you have, the better off you are not only as a soldier but as anyone who works in that environment.