Do you need to do university to become an army officer?

Question

What's difference in studing in army collage and being the officer and being the officer in just 5 days after passing the Army Officer Selection Board?

Do the student from army collage needs to do the Army Officer Selection Board as well or just the university graduates?

Is it that army collages students has more chance of becoming an officer than the normal university graduates?

Answer 1

There are several ways to become an officer.

Graduate from the US Military acadamy and become Regular Officer.

Graduate from any college and take ROTC and become a Reserve Officer.

Go to Officer Candidate School while in the Army and become a Reserve Officer.

Some top ROTC and OCS graduates are offered a Regular Commission.

One guy I knew, d**k Cavazos,  got a regular commission through ROTC and eventually became a four star general.  His older brother, Lauro -AKA Larry- became Secretary of Education in the George HW Bush administration.

Most officers never go higher than Lt. Colonel.  One of the smartest people I ever knew was a retired Lt. Colonel and had been an Air Force navigator.  He was the procurement officer on the last base I served on in the Air Force and we later worked together for the State.

Answer 2

By Army college I think you mean West Point Military Academy? If that is the case they're guaranteed commission once they complete training at the Academy. ROTC are guaranteed commission if they complete the program and sign on within the time frame given during ROTC. Candidates with degrees must go before the board and then attend a selection training course at which time if they complete it they will be commissioned. Just curious how old are you?

Answer 3

If you want to be a COMMISSIONED officer you have to have a bachelors degree,  sometimes erronously referred to as a "four year degree."  (Some people take college courses while still in high school, CLEP a bunch of courses,  take summer courses and get the degree in far less than four years.   The last group that did not have to have a degree that were given commissions were nurse anesthetists (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists)  back in the early 1980s.  That was mainly because most nurses had diplomas rather than degrees and there were no degree anesthesia programs.  Now nursing is a bachelors degree and anesthesia is a masters degree.  

If you want to be a WARRANT officer you do not have to have a degree.  All you have to have is a particular skill that they want,  such as helicopter pilot,  and not the other skills needed to be a command (commissioned) officer.  

When you talk about "army college" I am assuming you mean West Point.   They have already been taken into the service as a cadet and when they graduate they automatically get their commission.   Other officers come in from civilian colleges under the ROTC programs.  Still others get a degree and decide to join.  They have to apply,  meet the Selection Board and if approved,  they get a direct commission into the service.    

Answer 4

You need to volunteer for ROTC in college, complete LDAC, and then you will receive your commission once you earn your Bachelors degree.

Answer 5

If you do not have a 4-year degree from college, you have to do ROTC and college, or wait until you receive your degree to commision as an Officer by going through the course described below.

If you have a 4-year degree, you can attend an Army school that is a matter of weeks in length (but you may have to be enlisted for a certian amount of time prior to this).

I am not an Officer, but this is the way that I understand the system.

Answer 6

Well, they might be able to teach you how to spell words like college, to use a dictionary, and to express yourself correctly when using the English language. That would be a good start.