How Do I Go From Enlisted to an Officer in the Army?

Many enlisted members of the military desire to be officers. This can be accomplished in one of three ways, depending on how much college you have had. If you already have a bachelor's degree, you can apply for Officer Candidate School (OCS). If you haven't completed your degree, you can apply for either the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) or one of the service academies.

OCS

Enlisted military members with at least a bachelor's degree can request to go to OCS. Training concentrates on military subjects such as command leadership and combat operations. OCS is approximately 13 weeks, and you graduate an officer.

ROTC

Enlisted members can attend a civilian college with an ROTC program. ROTC programs include a civilian college education with separate military training. When you graduate with a bachelor's degree and meet ROTC training requirements, you are an officer.

Service Academies

Enlisted members can request admittance to one of the service academies. Each of the three service academies; West Point for the Army, Annapolis for the Navy and Marine Corps and the Air Force Academy offer college degree programs integrated with military training. Graduates are officers.

References

• U.S. Military: Commissioned Officer or Enlisted