Commissioning as a Marine Officer with a Degree from DeVry University

Yes, you can commission as a Marine officer with a degree from DeVry University, provided your degree is from an accredited program. The U.S. Marine Corps typically requires candidates to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution as part of the commissioning process.

Paths to Commissioning

To become a Marine officer, you would generally follow one of these paths:

Officer Candidate School (OCS): After completing your degree, you can apply to OCS, which is a 10-week program that trains potential officers. Platoon Leaders Course (PLC): This program allows you to attend OCS while still in college. You would attend OCS during the summer after your junior year and again after graduation. Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC): If DeVry University has an NROTC program, or if you are willing to attend a partnering institution with an NROTC program, you could pursue this route.

It is essential to ensure that your degree is accredited by a recognized agency as this is a critical requirement for commissioning. Additionally, you would need to meet other qualifications, including physical fitness standards and background checks.

Accreditation Requirements

According to the USMC Officer Commissioning Manual, the academic requirement is a degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution of higher education. Generally, what this means is that if your school is listed as accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the Marine Corps will accept your degree.

A quick search on the CHEA website lists DeVry as accredited, so you should be fine. If you're really concerned, check to see if your specific degree program is listed.

Information from a Local Recruiter

You will get your best information from a local recruiter. I have a degree from DeVry and went on to get a commission in the US Navy. A degree is a degree as long as it is from an accredited university, then you should be good to apply for a commission and if accepted, go to OCS.

In many jobs, the type of degree is not important. Medical jobs obviously require a medical degree, and Navy nuclear jobs tend to look for STEM-related degrees. Many pilots have a technical degree but not always.

Call your recruiter and good luck.