Committed to Developing Young Leaders

The U.S. Military Academy's (USMA) unique mission, “to build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army,” requires a unique faculty committed to developing young leaders.

The USMA faculty model is deliberately designed to include individuals with varying career paths to meet the needs of the academy's mission. A combination of full-time senior and junior military and civilian faculty members makes up the core of this blend of excellence. With advanced degrees from an array of academic institutions, including, but not limited to, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Oxford, and Cambridge, the faculty are united as exceptional educators dedicated to developing critical and independent thinkers who will succeed as Army officers.

This blend of backgrounds provides diverse expertise and perspectives to collectively accomplish the USMA mission.

Senior Faculty

Senior faculty lead USMA's academic programs, oversee the curriculum, and share in the governance of the institution. They engage in research and other activities that advance their disciplines’ bodies of knowledge and provide valuable intellectual expertise to our Army and the nation. 

Our senior faculty includes a blend of military officers and civilians who have achieved the position of professor, USMA; academy professor; and/or the academic rank of associate professor or professor in their respective disciplines. 

All senior faculty members are expert educators who understand pedagogy, curriculum design, course design, and best practices in assessment. They are responsible for establishing cadets' intellectual foundation for service as a commissioned officer and fostering their development in leadership, moral courage, and integrity. 

Our most senior military faculty are nominated by the United States president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Long-term appointments ensure academic expertise and curriculum continuity is provided for both USMA cadets across all disciplines. They also mentor and develop junior faculty both academically and professionally through their leadership experience in the operational Army and strong connections to higher education and other areas of society. 

Junior Military and Civilian Faculty

Some of the most lasting bonds that we see at USMA form among our junior faculty. Rotating military faculty often guide civilian faculty as they experience military culture for the first time. Civilian faculty, in turn, are vital resources for junior military faculty who seek mentorship on research, teaching, and navigating the world of academia. 

Junior military faculty members are mostly active-duty captains and majors assigned to teach at USMA for three years as a broadening opportunity in their military career. The goal is to expose junior officers to new environments, perspectives, and complex problems before moving back to the operational Army. Their recent field experiences before arriving at USMA make our junior rotating military faculty particularly important role models and mentors for cadets. 

Our junior civilian faculty typically come to USMA early in their academic careers after earning a PhD or equivalent training in their respective fields. Usually fresh out of graduate school, the junior faculty are imbued with the latest pedagogical practices and cutting-edge research. 

We often refer to our junior faculty as USMA’s “second graduating class.” During their time here, this group develops additional skills, knowledge, and experience that empower their continued service in the Army and academic community. Aided by continual mentorship from senior faculty, USMA's goal is for the junior faculty to use their graduate education and experiences teaching at USMA to grow into the next generation of senior leaders for the Army, higher education, and the nation. 

Academic Staff Support

The academic staff serves alongside our faculty and is dedicated to providing foundational and enriching academic experiences. From classroom and laboratory support to core academic and administrative services, the USMA mission could not be completed without the academic staff’s commitment to excellence and professionalism. 

Because many members of the academic staff serve at USMA in extended appointments or permanent civilian positions, they are critical to the stability and continuity of our academic operations. The academic staff partners with our faculty as valued team members who help ensure the success of the Academic Program. 

Intellectual Growth

The development of USMA faculty is a necessity to build the strongest team possible to build, educate, inspire, and train leaders of character. There are opportunities and expectations for growth for all levels and types of faculty members based on their talents, aspirations, and roles. 

For example, new faculty are welcomed to the academy with intensive teaching workshops designed and delivered by academic departments. The Center for Faculty Excellence offers the Master Teacher Program, which builds teaching skills and crossdisciplinary relationships throughout the faculty. Faculty can take advantage of numerous opportunities to develop individual talents and interests, including outside fellowships, research collaborations within and across departments, sabbaticals, operational experiences, academy governance, and conference participation. 

These developmental activities reinforce one another as USMA faculty continue to grow as scholars in their disciplines. The process of teaching often inspires ideas worthy of further investigation. Diving into research brings fresh perspectives back into the classroom and motivates subsequent teaching. Throughout this process,  faculty mentor one another. It is often these hallway conversations and discussions over lunch that have the most lasting impact and generate interesting research projects. 

Opportunities for Commissioned Officers

Whether you join as rotating faculty, a Tactical Officer, or permanent faculty, you’ll combine your operational experience with academic excellence to educate, develop, and inspire the Corps of Cadets.

Opportunities for Civilians

From teaching in the classroom to supporting the systems that keep the campus thriving, civilians are integral to the mission of developing leaders of character for the Army and the Nation.

Opportunities for Non-Commissioned Officers

As the first NCOs cadets encounter, you will mentor, train, and inspire future Army officers while advancing your own professional and educational development.