<p>I was just wondering which of the academies is toughest academically. I know they are all pretty tough, but if anyone could answer my question that would be great.</p>
<p>Probably depends on what you are studying......</p>
<p>The toughest academically would be Navy. This is partly because they want to produce more officers in the science/enginnering departments. Also, most of the professors there are civilians as opposed to military personnel. West Point and the other academies have a faculty that is made up almost entirely by military officers.</p>
<p>Before I respond, what is your measure of "toughness" ?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Number and type of academic courses demanded by academy?</p></li>
<li><p>Number of cadets failing out academically?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Academic toughness is a pretty subjective measure since it depends as much on the individual student as the curriculum. For some, quantitative courses are a breeze while they struggle with foreign languages. For others, quantitative courses are a constant battle while english literature is a joyful experience.</p>
<p>Aspen makes a good point, your question isn't really phrased in a way that can be answered with any accuracy. According to standardized testing, it is probably more difficult to be admitted to Navy. The coursework is oriented differently also, i.e. engineering degrees, etc. So, is it "tougher" to be a battlfield tactictian or pilot than a nuclear engineer?</p>
<p>adam219,</p>
<p>One of the many aspects of USNA that appealed to us was the diverse and distinguished faculty. </p>
<p>Our 600-member faculty is an integrated group of officers and civilians in nearly equal numbers. This composition is unique among service academies
Officers rotate to the Academy for two-to-three-year assignments, bringing fresh ideas and experiences from operational units and staffs of the Navy and Marine Corps. They can also explain how studies at the Academy are applied in the fleet and the field. A small cadre of officer faculty who have doctorates add another dimension to the teaching staff as Permanent Military Professors. The Academys civilian faculty members give continuity to the educational program and form a core of professional scholarship and teaching experience. Nearly all of these civilians have doctoral degrees, and many of them are recognized as leading scholars in their fields. Working together closely, these military and civilian faculty members form one of the strongest and most dedicated teaching faculties of any college or university in the United States. Although many faculty members are involved in scholarly research and writing, their first priority always is teaching.<br>
USNA Catalog 2004-2005 p.57</p>
<p>I guess I was not clear enough- what I meant was that there are more civilian professors at Navy than there is at West Point.</p>
<p>There are many more civilian professors at Navy than West Point as % of the faculty.</p>
<p>it was my impression that west point had the most military instructors, then navy, and then the air force. i heard this from my father who was a military professor at navy and my uncle is a permanent military instructor at west point</p>