<p>Will your major at the academy affect what jobs you can get (i.e. pilot or med school)? What about promotions? Would a review board look at a Captain’s degree and decide if they were good enough to be promoted to major (i.e. engineering major vs foreign studies major) Thanks!</p>
<p>If this says anything my father is pretty well of when it comes to rank, I don’t feel i should say what rank he is but its higher than the majority of any officer gets to, but he is an engineering major. He told me basically you need to get your masters at some point in time(he did years after the academy) and to fill as many “squares” as you possibly can pertaining to your job, for a pilot i.e. flight lead, instructor pilot, etc. Also he told me to be the best in any job you get, if its sweeping floors for your squadron, sweep them til they’re cleaner than they’ve ever been. If you go into the Academy or after the academy with this mindset(atleast what he’s told me) you will have no problem being noticed and will receive good reviews on your promotion packet. </p>
<p>…wow i really sound like my dad, thats not good haha but I just thought this pertains to what you asked. We’ll learn all about this stuff at the academy, I wouldnt worry about it now though</p>
<p>yes and no.</p>
<p>no: your major does not directly affect promotions, chances of a pilot, etc.</p>
<p>getting a master’s degree is not a hard requirement, but times as of now basically require you to get one.</p>
<p>yes: certain jobs require certain majors. ie, you cannot be a civil engineer with an English degree. for my major (Operations Research) 25 of the 27 of us are either pilots or analysts. i have yet to hear of anyone getting a med school slot without a bio or similar major. so yes, that does have some beraing.</p>
<p>now related to that, certain AFSCs (jobs) do historically get promoted to certain ranks. for example, certain jobs (like chaplain and others i don’t recall exactly) only have 1 general in the AF, so that obviously will affect you.</p>
<p>so basically, your major can affect you, but its not an end-all in most cases. and to answer a popular question, you can fly with any major.</p>
<p>Only jobs with very specific requirements (Scientist, Engineer, Doctor, Test Pilot, etc) require certain degrees. Most jobs don’t have any specific majors requirements.</p>
<p>To get TPS you will need an engineering degree, but the others are correct your major will not preclude you from flying.</p>
<p>Promotion to major is so far down the line that you should pay no attention to that factor! Seriously, it is @15 yrs away! Just enjoy today, but keep an eye on tomorrow/next yr., but not next decade. Don’t plan your life away, because most of the time life gets in the way of your plans ;)</p>
<p>Do something you like…</p>
<p>I actually know there was a math major last year who got med school, but that is an exception</p>
<p>Med school, now a days, is not major dependent. They actually like taking English, History, Math, Physics, etc. as long as the class requirements (Organic, Biology, etc.) are fulfilled. Biochem or Biology are no longer the only good majors for med school. Though I am biased as a Biochem major!</p>
<p>on bulletandpima’s comment:</p>
<p>for TPS, yes you need an engineering sort of degree. however, this is at anypoint. ie, you can get an english degree at USAFA and still go to TPS if you get an engineering master’s degree.</p>
<p>(and TPS is Test Pilot School, located at Edwards AFB, CA. My squadron is out here right now, so we drove past yesterday, and got to talk to both the 412th Wing Commander and 412th Operation Group Commander about what they do and specifically about TPS)</p>
<p>As far as I am concerned if you are stationed at Edwards you should get some type of REMOTE PAY :p</p>