All Commissioned Corps officers must meet several basic qualifications: You must be a U.S. citizen, be less than 44 years of age, and pass a physical examination. Degree and training requirements for public health officers will vary depending on the area of practice. To be a health services officer, you also need the following:
- Qualifying degree from an accredited program, usually approved in American Universities and Colleges (published by the American Council on Education).
- If applicable, a current, unrestricted, and valid license in any of the 50 States; Washington, DC; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; the U.S. Virgin Islands; or Guam. You may also need to meet additional accreditation criteria to qualify, depending on your profession.
See below for the required qualifying degree, licensure (L) if applicable, and acceptable accrediting body.
Baccalaureate Degree Required
Master's Degree Required
Doctoral Degree Required
Examples of Disciplines Commissionable at the Baccalaureate Level:
Computer Science/Information Technology
- Computer and Information Science
- Computer and Information Systems
Management
Computer Science
Dental Hygiene (L)
- Program must be accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association (ADA).
Medical (Health) Record Administration (or Health Information Management) (L)
- Program must be accredited by the Division of Allied Health Education and Accreditation of the American Medical Association
Medical Technology (L)
- Program must be accredited by the Division of Allied Health Education and Accreditation of the American Medical Association
Physician Assistant (L)
- Program must be accredited by the Division of Allied Health Education and Accreditation of the American Medical Association
Examples of Disciplines Commissionable at the Master's Level:
Biological Sciences
Biostatistics
- Mathematics
- Math Statistics
- Statistics
Business Administration
- Program must have a health care concentration that is documented on the transcript
Chemistry
Epidemiology
Health Education
Health Physics
- Medical Physics
- Physics
- Radiological Physics
- Radiological Health
Health Services Administration
- Health Administration
- Health Care Administration
- Health Systems Administration
- Hospital Administration
-
Public Health
Social Work (L)
- Program must be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Examples of Disciplines Commissionable at the Doctoral Level:
Clinical Psychology (L)
- Program must be accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Optometry (L)
- Program must be accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association
Podiatry (L)
- Program must be accredited by the Council on Podiatric Education of the American Podiatric Medical Association
If you are a student or health services professional interested in the Commissioned Corps, take the next step! E-mail us your questions, call us at 800-279-1605, or apply online now.