Military academies are a good way to gain a postsecondary education that may benefit you over the coming years.  Approximately 13,000 cadets graduate from military academies like Army’s West Point and the Air Force, Navy, Merchant Marine and Coast Guard academies each year.  Some military academies, like West Point, have been listed in the Princeton Review as a top 100 college. 

While you attend a military academy you focus on three key areas:  physical fitness, academics and military history and training.  You also participate in spiritual, ethical and social development programs.  Fortunately, as you complete your undergraduate degree and officer training, you have access to several extracurricular programs and activities like baseball, basketball, football, skating, skiing and golf.  Opportunities to participate in community volunteer programs like Big Brothers/Big Sisters are also available to you, giving you a chance to relax and help others after you’ve completed a grueling week of classroom material, studying and test taking.

Types of subjects you can major in while you attend military academies include:

• Behavioral Sciences and Leadership
• Civil and Mechanical Engineering
• English and Philosophy
• Law
• History
• Mathematics
• Physics and Nuclear Engineering
• Social Sciences
• Foreign Languages
• Chemistry and Life Science
• Geography and Environmental Engineering

Military Academy Curriculums

Curriculum offerings are robust and aligned with your major.  For example, if you major in Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, you may take core courses like:

• Engineering Psychology
• Leadership
• Leader Development Science
• Management
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Applied Statistics
• Human Computer Interaction
• Sensation and Perception
• Group Dynamics
• Foundations of Counseling
• Leaders in Action

You may also get the chance to help develop equipment and products like the Bionic Foot, an artificial body part that was featured on the Discovery Channel.  If you design fighting machines or equipment prototypes that rely on computer input, thereby saving human lives, you can receive more than widespread recognition amongst your peers and professors.  Patent your inventions and you can also receive monetary rewards, including a continuous income from the sale of your products. 

Accreditation and Benefits of Attending Military Academies

Military academies are accredited by agencies such as the Computing Accreditation Commission, the Engineering Accreditation Commission and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.  Some of the postsecondary schools have been operating since 1802.  Furthermore, you can also attend accredited senior military colleges like Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, Norwich University, the Citadel or Mary Baldwin Women’s Institute for Leadership.  Because you’ve committed to serving your country to four or more years, your education at the military academies is generally paid for in full by the United States government.

For years, military academies have had a history of being amongst some of the top training schools in the country.  Courses developed by military leaders and professors are rigorous and challenging.  You may learn more about yourself than you previously thought you knew.  You may also learn how tough, determined, resilient and committed you are as an individual.  Skills, knowledge and personal insights that you gain from training you receive at military academies may benefit you throughout the years that you serve in the military, regardless of the branch you serve as an officer in.  The skills, knowledge and personal insights may also benefit you for years after you are honorably discharged from the military and resume your life as a civilian.