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Cadet Development: Academic
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The academic program has evolved in response to the needs of the Army and the trends
in higher education. Today's balanced offering of courses in the arts and sciences leads
to a Bachelor of Science degree and builds a solid foundation for future graduate study.
Most academic courses are taught much the same as they are at a civilian institution, with
some impressive exceptions!
Class size is small - usually there are between 14 to 18 cadets per class, so a cadet is far more than a face in a crowd. Small classes ensure cadets receive personal and individual attention. Tutoring and additional instruction is also available.
West Point has one of the most up-to-date, dynamic faculties in the nation! The faculty
receives a fresh influx of young military officers schooled in the nation's finest graduate
schools each year. Those young officers bring with them a mastery of the latest techniques
and knowledge in their academic disciplines. This superb junior faculty is guided by an
experienced faculty of senior commissioned officers schooled to the doctoral
level and civilian professors who have taught at many prestigious colleges in the United
States.
The core curriculum incorporates 31 courses equally balanced between the arts and
sciences. It provides the foundation for the academic program and the broad knowledge
necessary for achieving success as a commissioned Army officer. The core curriculum also
provides an opportunity for academic specialization. There are currently 22 optional
majors and 25 fields of study. They cover virtually all the liberal arts, science and
engineering disciplines one would expect to find in highly selective colleges.
A field of study requires a cadet to devote 9 electives to courses specified by the academic discipline. More than 75 percent of the Corps of Cadets elect to major and must devote additional electives to courses prescribed by the disciplinary field, follow a more structured elective sequence, and complete a senior thesis or design project.
The academic program is very successful, as is evidenced by the Academy's fine showing in national, post-graduate scholarship competitions. West Point and Princeton University are the only academic institutions in the nation that rank in the top four in both Rhodes and Hertz Scholarships awarded for excellence in undergraduate study.
