Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 4/1/2005

Question
Dear Cynthia,

I understand that if you go to college and then the air force you will be a 2nd lieutenant.  What would happen if one was a doctor (non-medical) and they joined.  Would they be 1st lieutennat or captain instead?

Answer
Dear Kareem --

If you enter the Army, Navy or Air Force with any degree (bachelor, master, doctorate) you will receive the rank you agreed to during your recruitment.  You become a second lieutenant, only if you graduated from some officer training program.  That training program can be a military academy, a reserve officer's training program (ROTC), or Officer Candidate School (OCS).  

Most PhD recipients can enter the service with an automatic promotion to sergeant, upon graduation from Advanced Individual Training, and 6 months good service at their first assignment.  Or the PhD holder could negotiate automatic acceptance to OCS upon graduation from basic training.  Graduation from OCS conveys to you the rank of second lieutenant.  However, these are special cases and must be requested, recruiters will rarely tell this special treatment is available.

Some PhD holders in unique specialities can get a direct commission to second lieutenant upon entry into the service.  This is very rare.  It can also be to the detriment of the doctor.  Due to your rank, you would be expected to know a significant amount about your specialty and the service you are in.  But with a direct commission, you get no training that teaches you how an officer is supposed to behave, or the ethics and rules of our profession.

Officers who transfer out of the service to attend the Public Health University and become medical doctors revert to the rank of second lieutenant during medical school.  When they graduate they return to their original officer rank, or are promoted to captain, whichever rank is higher.  

ROTC graduates who take reserve commissions to attend medical school maintain their rank in the reserves, and upon graduation return to active duty as captains.  

Generally the only professions where advanced degrees confer early promotions are true medical doctors, true dentists, and board certified lawyers.  As with any situation there are some exceptions, but not many.

Please feel free to ask for clarification on any point, if I have not fully addressed your concerns.

Best of luck to you.