Senior Military Colleges Ranked-While there are as many motivations to attend college as there are majors offered, practically everyone who enrolls in a higher education school does so for the same reason. They desire to better themselves and make the world a better place. Few institutions of higher education achieve these objectives better than military schools. Military schools come in various forms, including high schools, junior colleges, and graduate-only schools with a military concentration. Federal Service Academies, Senior Military Colleges, and Maritime Colleges all train students for active-duty service while offering the most outstanding educational experience possible. In this article, we will be treating the senior military colleges ranked.
Senior Military Colleges Ranked
1. The United States Military Academy (West Point, NY)
The United States Military Academy (USMA), known as West Point or just the Army, is a service academy at West Point, New York. Candidates for admission must apply directly to the academy and be nominated by a member of Congress. Other sources of nomination include the president and vice president. Students are officers-in-training and are known as “cadets” or the “United States Corps of Cadets” collectively (USCC). The Army pays cadets’ tuition for an active duty military requirement upon graduation. Over 1,300 cadets attend the institution each July, with approximately 1,000 cadets graduating.
The academic program awards a Bachelor of Science degree. It follows a curriculum that rates cadets’ achievement on a comprehensive academic program, military leadership performance, and mandated participation in competitive sports. Cadets must follow the Cadet Honor Code, which stipulates that “a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate others who do.” The school views a cadet’s leadership experience as a means of developing the four pillars of performance: academics, character, physical fitness, and military readiness.
The vast majority of graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army. Foreign cadets are commissioned into their native nations’ military. Since 1959, cadets have been eligible for an interservice commission in one of the other armed forces if they fulfill the qualifying requirements of that service. The student body at West Point has a different rank system and language. Every weekday cadets live on campus and have lunch together as a group.
2. United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD)
The United States Naval Academy (USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was founded on October 10, 1845, during George Bancroft’s time as Secretary of the Navy. It exists to prepare officers for the United States Navy or Marine Corps by offering rigorous academic and military training. The Naval Academy, like the other top four military schools, is very competitive. A serving member of Congress must nominate most candidates, and each member is limited to nominating a small number of prospective candidates each year.
Candidates for admission must often apply directly to the academy and acquire a nomination, typically from a member of Congress. Students have the rank of midshipman as officers-in-training. The Navy pays for midshipmen’s tuition for an active duty service requirement upon graduation. Each summer, around 1,200 “plebes” attend the school for the demanding Plebe Summer. Approximately 1,000 midshipmen graduate. Graduates are commissioned as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps.
However, a limited proportion may be cross-commissioned as officers in other US forces and ally countries’ services. According to beginning salaries, the United States Naval Academy graduates are among the best paid in the nation. The academic program awards a Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that evaluates midshipmen on a wide academic program, military leadership performance, and mandated participation in competitive sports. Midshipmen are expected to follow the academy’s Honor Concept.
The school has 15 men’s and nine women’s NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) teams. Cadets participate in one sport at the intramural, club, or intercollegiate level each autumn, winter, and spring. In the early and mid-twentieth centuries, their football team was a national force, winning three national championships. The academy is the leading generator of Marshall and Rhodes scholars among the country’s public institutions.
3. The United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO)
Anyone interested in joining the newest armed forces branch should consider attending the United States Air Force Academy. Air Force Academy graduates are commissioned in either the Air Force or the Space Force. The United States Air Force Academy is a census-designated place (CDP) in El Paso County, Colorado.
The developed portion of the United States Air Force Academy, including cadet housing facilities, is included in the CDP. The CDP is included in the Colorado Springs, CO, Combined Statistical Area. The Air Force Academy CDP had a population of 6,680 in 2010, while the 80840 ZIP Code Tabulation Area had a population of 6,682.
The Air Force Academy, as a highly competitive military school, admits only a few cadets from each Congressional district. The Air Force pays for their tuition, room and board, and a monthly stipend for those who are accepted. The funding is contingent on a commitment to serve in the Air Force or Space Force for at least five years.
In addition to the standard academic and military training one would expect from such a school, the Air Force Academy’s Cyber Competition team prepares students for new forms of defense. The team competes in scenarios against those from other armed forces academies.
4. The United States Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT)
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the United States Armed Forces’ maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service arm and one of the country’s eight uniformed forces. The service is a maritime, military, multi-mission service that is unusual among US military services in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission with authority in both domestic and foreign waterways as well as a federal regulatory agency purpose as part of its tasks. It is the world’s biggest and most powerful coast guard, rivaling the capabilities and strength of the majority of navies.
Prospective officers with a college degree may join the Coast Guard via Officer Candidate School (OCS), also situated at the Coast Guard Academy. OCS is a 17-week training program that prepares individuals to serve successfully as Coast Guard officers. OCS covers a broad variety of highly technical material essential to execute the tasks of a Coast Guard officer, in addition to indoctrinating students into a military culture.
Those who want to join the Coast Guard arm of the United States military may get the most comprehensive training at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Students acquire hands-on experience at the school, gaining the skills they’ll need to thrive in their service. After graduation, cadets are commissioned as Coast Guard ensigns and must serve on active duty for at least five years.
The Coast Guard Academy has amassed its fair share of traditions during its almost 150-year existence. One such custom is “hiding the chain,” in which new cadets steal and conceal the historic chain links exhibited outside the cadet library. During the homecoming football game, junior cadets try to uncover the concealed chains before halftime, or the first-year students receive certain upper-classman privileges.
5. United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY)
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is a US service academy located in Kings Point, New York. It prepares its midshipmen (academy students) for careers as officers in the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the United States Armed Forces, and the transportation industry.
Midshipmen get training in various topics, including marine engineering, navigation, ship administration, maritime law, personnel management, international law, customs, and many other subjects critical to the operation of a big ship. Admitted appointees arrive as “candidates” in early July and undergo a two-and-a-half-week indoctrination session, or “indoc,” overseen by United States Maritime Service officers on the Commandant of Midshipmen’s staff. Physical training, history, traditions and courtesies, drills, and ceremonial are all part of this high-stress, rigorous introduction to regimental life at the school. Following indoc, the applicants are given the moniker “plebe candidates.”
They are subject to harsh regulations that control everyday life as plebes until the following spring, when they are recognized as midshipmen, fourth class, with fewer restrictions and more privileges.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is one of only six senior military institutions outside the five federal military academies. Virginia Tech is one of the country’s two big public colleges with a full-time Cadet Corps.
Applications for the fall 2018 semester were 32,126 for 6,200 freshmen positions, and Tech’s acceptance rate dipped from around 73 percent last year to 55 percent this year.
Although The Citadel has no formal association with the United States military, alumni have served in every combat since the Mexican War (1846–48). Citadel cadets fired the opening shots in the American Civil War at Fort Sumter, and the institution was a major supply of commanders for the Confederate army.
References
- https://collegegazette.com/best-military-schools-in-the-us/
- https://collegecliffs.com/best-military-colleges-u-s/
- https://classroom.synonym.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guard
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Merchant_Marine_Academy
READ ALSO
