West Point advocates developing the "whole person" by providing a dynamic and integrated curriculum that balances the physical sciences and engineering with the humanities and social sciences. Graduates should be able to respond effectively to a changing technological, social, political, and economic world. The academy instills in cadets creativity, moral awareness, and a commitment to progressive and continuing educational growth.

 

Currently 42 majors are offered to cadets so they may pursue academic majors in disciplines of their choice. The two components of the academic program are a broad, general core program that is prescribed and an elective program that is individually selected. West Point is accredited by The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (215) 662-5606. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Six engineering programs – Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Engineering Management – are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Additionally the Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC) of the Computer Sciences Accreditation Board accredits the Computer Science major.

The core curriculum is the foundation of the academic program and provides a foundation in mathematics, basic sciences, engineering sciences, information technology, humanities, behavioral sciences and social sciences. This core curriculum, ranging in size from 26 to 30 courses depending on the major, represents the essential broad base of knowledge necessary for success as a commissioned officer, while also supporting each cadet’s choice of academic specialization. It is, in effect, the "professional major" for every cadet, since it prepares each graduate for a career as a commissioned officer in the Army.

About 75 percent of the West Point faculty are military personnel who have completed graduate work at the most respected universities in the nation. All faculty members have their master's degrees and more than 30 percent have doctoral qualifications.

Cadets and faculty at West Point enjoy the benefits of a first-class information technology environment. With a personal computer at every desk and everyone connected to a large array of powerful academic computing services and with unlimited access to the Internet, West Point has an electronic environment in which every course offered has integrated computer use. This "computer thread" allows cadets to make full use of their personal computers in the place where most learning occurs – the barracks.