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Education. Given Service requirements, with
few exceptions, that commissioned officers have at least a 4-year college degree, the education levels of FY 1998 Active Component officer accessions come as no surprise. Table 4.13 clearly shows the officer
corps' reliance on the college-educated. Five percent of officers commissioned in FY 1998 did not have at least a bachelor's degree; most likely these officers were former enlisted personnel. A notable
percentage of newly commissioned officers (14 percent)—mostly lawyers, chaplains, and health care professionals (i.e., physicians, dentists, etc.)—held advanced degrees.
Table 4.13. FY 1998 Educational Attainment of Active Component Officer
Accessions and Officer Corps, by Service (Percent) |
| Educational Attainment |
Army |
Navy |
Marine Corps* |
Air Force |
DoD |
| ACTIVE COMPONENT OFFICER ACCESSIONS |
| Less than College Graduate |
1.1 |
15.0 |
5.2 |
1.8 |
4.9 |
| College Graduate (B.A., B.S., etc.) |
86.1 |
71.0 |
91.5 |
79.3 |
81.0 |
| Advanced Degree (M.A., Ph.D., etc.) |
12.9 |
13.9 |
3.3 |
18.9 |
14.2 |
| Total
|
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
| ACTIVE COMPONENT OFFICER CORPS |
| Less than College Graduate |
0.8 |
6.1 |
5.8 |
0.5 |
2.4 |
| College Graduate (B.A., B.S., etc.) |
59.2 |
56.1 |
76.2 |
42.8 |
54.0 |
| Advanced Degree (M.A., Ph.D., etc.) |
40.0 |
37.8 |
18.1 |
56.8 |
43.7 |
| Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Columns may not add to total due to rounding.
Percentages do not include "Unknown" data.
* Marine Corps accession data provided by U.S. Marine Corps, Officer Appointments.
Also see Appendix Table
B-35 (Education by Service). |
Not only are college graduates amply represented among newly commissioned officers, but the education levels in the officer corps indicate that the Services
promote continuing education. Significant proportions of officers attained advanced degrees while serving. The Air Force had the greatest proportion (57 percent) of
officers with advanced degrees, and was the only Service with a greater proportion of officers with advanced degrees than bachelor's degrees. The Marine Corps had
fewer officers with advanced degrees than the other Services. A contributing factor may be that the Navy provides the Marine Corps with health professionals, chaplains,
or other such direct appointees, who typically have advanced degrees. Go to next.
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