If I would like to join the USAF as an officer, do I need to have a degree in the field I want to join?

Question

or will they train me?

Answer 1

*Sigh*... I cannot believe how many people post responses to questions that they know nothing about.

I am enlisted, so I do not claim to know everything there is to know about being an officer.

However, you do NOT have to have a degree in anything specific. They do not care what your degree is... I have seen officers with riciculously useless degrees, so don't worry. You will receive *all* the training you need (and probably more!), regardless of your degree (ie, even if you have a degree in Law and want to be a JAG officer, you will still recieve the same training as the guy who has a degree in 18th Century History who is training for the same job).

Additionally, someone posted that you should apply to be a Warrant Officer-- the AF does not have a Warrant Officer program so don't even bother. You can however, join as enlisted, get your degree though the military, and apply for a commissioning program (based upon your performance and commander's recommendation).

If you have any questions, let me know and I would be happy to help you.

Answer 2

As a rule, to become an officer you must have a bachelor's degree or higher. For most fields it is not essential that your degree be in that field, but it might well be helpful. If you want, for instance, to become a bomber pilot it is not essential that you have a degree in aviation, aeronautical engineering, or some other related field. I have a friend who currently flies transports and his degree was in music.

There are certainly some exceptions to this. If you are interested in medical, dental, legal and other related fields, it may be difficult to get the military to train you.

Certain fields are also more popular than others and may be harder to get into. Even though you may meet the basic requirements, there is no guarantee that you will be able to secure training/a position in the area you would most prefer.

Answer 3

it's good if u're excellent in communications and computers and such.
however, the USAF places a LARGE emphasis on these 3 things too if u're gonna b a pilot officer (im assuming that's the kind of officer u want to be?)

1. Hand eye coordination- not having to glance down too long to flick a switch/push a button
2. Ability to prioritize- figure which target is more important
3. (MOST IMPORTANT) have a stomach for combat. - that u won't chicken out =]

also, if u don't have a pilot's license yet, they'll have u get one first

Answer 4

There are a few ways to become an officer in the military.

1. Be admitted to the academy, graduate, and become an officer.

2. Go through the ROTC program at an accredited college or university, graduate, and become an officer.

3. Enlist in the Air Force (or other service) and go to Officers' Candidate School, graduate, and become an officer. This is the only current way to become an officer without going through college. You have to take an aptitude test and pass it with high scores.

4. Enlist in the Air Force and excel in your field and take the Warrant Officer placement exam, wait for an opening, and become commissioned as a warrant officer.

Answer 5

NO, this is not mandatory, but it does help. I have seen plenty of officers come in with say, a biology degree and become logistics or operations officers. Certain fields, however, you will need a specific type of degree, such as if you want to be in JAG (Judge Advocate General) and be a lawyer, or if you want to work in the medical career field. Hope that helps.

Answer 6

you have to have a 4 year degree just to apply for an officer slot in the a.f. they are the only service that requires that! they also dont have any warrant officers anymore. the last one retired in 1967. i suggest joining the navy they have a better enlisted to officer program than the air force and you can apply for a warrant officer position with just 2 years of college.I DONT KNOW BUT ITS BEEN SAID THAT AIRFORCE WINGS ARE MADE OF LEAD! I DONT KNOW BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT NAVY WINGS ARE MAD OF GOLD!!

Answer 7

You don't have to have a degree in the field you join. But it does have to be a technical degree or one the USAF wants. It still doesn't mean you'll work in that field, but that is the background they want you to have regardless of the field you work.

They will train you!

Answer 8

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Answer 9

you don't need to have a certain degree but some will help also you are going to have to apply to ROTC you need to do that before you even go to college there are many programs you can do there are also BOOST programs if you need better grades and you can even transfer over to the air force academy there are a lot of options but start talking to some ROTC recruiters now cause you can also get all your college paid for

Answer 10

No I'm pretty sure you just need a bachelors degree in something. That's how it works in the Navy. I dont think you can get a degree for smart bombs at a college, do you?