Can you commission with a general studies degree?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:25:55 -0400

Can you commission with a General studies/Liberal arts degree, or does it have to be a degree that specializes in something specific like Business administration?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2023 3:27 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:27:42 -0400

You can commission with any Bachelor's degree. It simply needs to be a competitive enough packet to be considered. Your degree, school, prior service history are all considered.

Response by COL Dan Ruder made Sep 11 at 2023 3:58 PM

COL Dan Ruder — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:58:55 -0400

You can absolutely commission as an officer with a General Studies or Liberal Arts degree, and it does not have to be a degree in a specific field like Business Administration. As CPT Private RallyPoint Member stated, your degree is a consideration as well as what branch you were in if you had prior military service. Some specialized branches, such as the Medical Corps or Judge Advocate General Corps, consider candidates with specific qualifications, even if their degrees are not directly related to the field, but these programs often require additional training and education in the respective specialty. If you are interested in a particular branch within the Army (e.g., Signal Corps, Military Intelligence), you can still commission with a General Studies or Liberal Arts degree and receive specialized training in your chosen field after commissioning.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2023 11:39 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 23:39:50 -0400

Yes, you can commission with a BA in underwater basket weaving if you want to

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Sep 12 at 2023 3:02 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 15:02:24 -0400

Of course. The main requirement to commission is to have a 4 year bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. In addition to all of the other eligibility requirements of course. There are very specific fields that have a specific set of educational requirement such as healthcare and becoming a chaplain but if you want to be a regular 01 a bachelors will check the box.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Sep 18 at 2023 4:21 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 16:21:45 -0400

Yes. The opportunity is there. Professional degrees normally are required for specific professional groups, such as being a doctor, lawyer, nurse, etc. To commission as a "line officer" you need at least a bachelor's degree. Each Service has similar requirements, but they aren't all identical. Check each Service's web page and look for officer requirements.
Recruiting is a different issue. Some Services give priority to people with certain types of degrees at select times. This is where you need to talk to an officer recruiter from each Service. Some specialties require or prefer certain degree types. Combat Arms are often the least restrictive. For example, my pilot training class had officers with music, history, business, engineering, and teaching degrees. Five years later, I found the same thing when I taught pilot training. Interestingly, the success rate for pilot training students didn't seem to have anything to do with the type of degree they held.