DEWL Prospective Rotating Military Faculty
DEWL Prospective Rotating Military Faculty
Work at West Point
Join Team English and World Languages Department!
On behalf of the Department of English and World Languages (DEWL) at the United States Military Academy at West Point, thank you for your interest in joining the Department’s faculty.
The department's rotating military faculty consists of Key Development (KD), who complete Captains, and sometimes, KD, who complete Majors. Applicants must not be KD complete to apply but must be KD complete before starting graduate school. Selected individuals will attend Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS) for two academic years to earn a Master of Arts in their academic areas. After completing their graduate education, officers serve a three-year utilization tour as instructors at West Point.
As academic Instructors in the Department of English and World Languages, you will play a crucial role in shaping the future leaders of our military. You will be selected to teach your language area, be it English, Spanish, Persian, French, German, Chinese, Portuguese, etc.., (no other language area). English instructors teach First-Year Composition (EN101) in the Fall and Introduction to Literature (EN102) in the Spring. Each academic section typically ranges from 14-18 cadets. Your other duties, as assigned, could include academic engagement with other faculty and cadets, participation in cadet extra-curricular development, service to the department, or participation with one of the Department’s Cadet Humanities Forum clubs.
For the Faculty Search Period, which ends 25 October 2024, we are explicitly looking for Year Groups (for 2-year ACS): 2018, 2019, and 2020.
- 3 x Direct Fill positions slot arriving for AY27 (PCS to West Point o/a 1 July 2026)
- French Instructors (2), Portuguese Instructor (1)
- 10 x 2-year ACS positions slots arriving for AY29 (start MA during the Fall of 2026; PCS to West Point o/a 1 July 2028)
- Arabic Instructor (1), French Instructor (1), Portuguese Instructors (2), Russian Instructor (1), Spanish Instructor (1), English Instructors (4)
DEWL also hires other instructors in Chinese, Persian, and German. However, we are not actively looking for these during this hiring cycle.
Direct hires would begin on or around 1 July 2026 – ACS hires would start MA during the Fall of 2026 and begin assignment to West Point on or around 1 July 2028 (see the FAQ portion of this website for ACS and Direct Hire tour lengths; however, they are all 3-year teaching positions).
What would I be teaching?
The Department continually seeks talented faculty who are experts in the disciplines that comprise our majors and minor – English, world languages, foreign area studies, regional studies – and are committed to enhancing the education and development of cadets.
What are some opportunities to advance in my career?
The Department of English and World Languages' Research Center offers a robust selection of research, scholarship, collaboration, and professional development opportunities to help our faculty remain at the forefront of their disciplines.
Application packets are due by 1 November
Start your TEACH applicationLearn more about applying at West Point
Rotating military faculty consists of of active-duty captains, majors, and lieutenant colonels. An assignment to West Point as a rotating faculty member requires officers to submit an application through the CAC-enabled TEACH system.
Department-Specific Questions and Requirements
In general, to teach in the Department of English and World Languages (DEWL) an Officer must:
- be in the grade of O3 or above (primary focus on year groups 2018, 2019, and 2020)
- be a career course graduate
- be Company Grade Key Development (KD) complete (No later than the start of graduate school)
Applicants for World Languages Division (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish): we are interested in qualified officers (usually captains at the 5-7 years’ time-in-service mark) who possess the aptitude to teach one or more of the languages within the DEWL, based on your Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) score (2/2 or higher) and interview. You will then attend two years of graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in the language you teach, followed by a three-year assignment to the Department of Foreign Languages as one of our rotating faculty. Selection is based on a successful career, including company (battery, troop) command, undergraduate performance, and your willingness to participate in the program.
- Applicants for World Languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish) possess the aptitude to teach one or more of the languages within the DEWL based on your Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) score (2/2 or higher) and a candidate interview
- To qualify as a direct hire, you must already have a master’s degree and a 2/2 DLPT in the desired language that the officer desires to teach
- ACS Applicants can or are willing to complete a master’s degree by attending grad school and are recommended to have a DLPT
- Applicants for English Division: The department recruits outstanding junior officers passionate about the humanities to join the English Division. We are interested in qualified officers, usually Captains at the 5–7-year time-in-service mark, who hold an undergraduate degree in English or related fields in the humanities. Selected applicants attend a two-year program to earn their master’s degree in English or related academic fields, followed by a three-year assignment to the department, teaching core courses in this discipline. General qualifications include successful completion of a KD assignment, overall military record, undergraduate performance, and a passion for English and Humanities.
- To qualify as a direct hire, you must already have a master’s degree
- ACS Applicants can or are willing to complete a master’s degree by attending grad school.
Graduate study concentrations such as Area Studies may only be considered case-by-case and approved by the DEWL Chain of Command.
You can apply to join the rotating military faculty through the Army Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS) program (master’s or, in some cases, Ph.D.) or a direct fill assignment (if you already possess at least a master’s degree and display proficiency in the language). If selected to teach in DEWL, the Army will grant you a full scholarship to earn a graduate degree from a U.S. university of your choice (concentrating in literature, linguistics, or second language acquisition). Master’s degree candidates must complete in one or two years; Ph.D. candidates have three years.
After completion, rotating military faculty members will serve on a three-year utilization tour teaching foreign languages at USMA.
Per sample, a typical applicant should be in their 4-6th year of service (i.e., year group = current year - 5). Here's a typical timeline for an officer we would be considering this year:
- Summer/Fall of the current year: Begins command / their branch-equivalent assignment.
- January: Receives notification of selection for DEWL faculty.
- October-December (current year +1): Applies to graduate schools.
- January-March (current year +2): Is admitted to and selects a graduate school.
- Spring (current year +2) (or sooner): Successfully completes KD assignment.
- Summer (current year +2): PCS to graduate school.
- Fall (current year +2)-Spring (current year +4): Attends graduate school.
- Summer (current year +4): Permanent change of station (PCS) to West Point and completes New Instructor Training.
- Fall (current year +4)-Spring (current year +7): Teaches in DEWL.
- Summer (current year +7): PCS to follow-on assignment.
In general, ACS hires have five years of experience. After becoming Key Development (KD) as a captain, you spend two years in graduate school and then three years teaching at West Point.
For direct hires, the experience is two to three years. You must be KD for your appropriate rank and then will spend two to three years teaching at West Point.
Under the ACS program, officers who attend graduate school incur an Active-Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) of three days for every one day in graduate school. Most officers spend two years in graduate school and incur a six-year ADSO. The good news is that your three-year teaching assignment at USMA counts towards that ADSO.
Once you are accepted as an instructor, you will work with your specific language section’s Program Director (senior Ph.D. faculty member) and Desk Chief (or senior military faculty) to determine which schools to apply to, based upon programs that have worked well with USMA in the past and your academic interests. After receiving your acceptance letters, you and the Program Director will work together to determine which university is the best fit
This period is needed for us to get HRC approval for officers to attend graduate school (approximately 6 months) and then to give officers time to apply to various graduate schools (most universities have application deadlines of November or December of the year before beginning grad school).
Yes, you can. If selected, the Army will change you over to the ACS program.
Suppose you graduate with a language department-related degree (English) or demonstrate language proficiency (World Languages -Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish - through your DLPT score) and interview with DEWL. In that case, you can potentially serve as a DEWL instructor.
Stay in contact and work with the language section’s Program Director to determine which schools you should apply to and what courses of study you should focus on. Contact MAJ Antonio Mendoza or CPT Hannan Stark for a list of Program Directors.
Yes, you can! We have several officers teaching in the Department who majored in something other than foreign languages, whether at USMA or other undergraduate institutions.
The total number varies yearly, but about 40 fully qualified candidates generally compete for 4-10 slots.
Qualified applicants typically have a solid military record of service, an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and competitive Graduate Readiness Examination (GRE) scores; even when the Army might not require this on a packet for ACs, some schools will. Therefore, this is always a plus. Note that these are typical qualifications and not minimums. Most importantly, we seek officers passionate about our disciplines who will contribute to the department’s mission of teaching, mentoring, and inspiring cadets through literature, the humanities, and rigorous academic analytical thinking.
There is a 3-year ADSO for every year of graduate school. Accepting the ACS nomination effectively obligates you for 8 years: 2 years in graduate school, 3 years at USMA, and 3 years in follow-on assignments.
Current requirements dictate that all officers complete a 3-year utilization tour following graduate school. Officers will be eligible for deferment of Resident ILE or Satellite ILE courses scheduled during the summer months if required. Officers are encouraged to work closely with the Department's Faculty Hiring officers or their branch managers if concerned about their career timelines. In general, officers are considered not eligible for consideration too early in their timelines (i.e., they will not have completed a KD assignment as a Captain before beginning graduate school) or too late in their timelines (i.e., they will not return to the force with enough time to complete a KD assignment as a Major before their Lieutenant Colonel board).
Learn More
Please feel free to contact us at the addresses below regarding your language of interest.
Arabic
- Dr. Rajaa F. Chouairi, rajaa.chouairi@westpoint.edu
- LTC Scott B. Harris, scott.harris@westpoint.edu
Chinese
- COL E. John Gregory, eugene.gregory@westpoint.edu
- LTC Philip X. Luu, philip.luu@westpoint.edu
English
- COL Anthony E. Zupancic, anthony.zupancic@westpoint.edu
- MAJ Tiffany T. Enoch, tiffany.enoch@westpoint.edu
French
- Dr. Julia M. Praud, julia.praud@westpoint.edu
- MAJ Noah T. Currie, noah.currie@westpoint.edu
German
- Dr. Mark Gagnon, mark.gagnon@westpoint.edu
- MAJ Richard F. Jordan, richard.jordan@westpoint.edu
Persian
- Dr. Amir Irani-Tehrani, amir.irani-tehrani@westpoint.edu
- MAJ Jason A. Johnson, jason.johnson@westpoint.edu
Portuguese
- Dr. Joshua A. Enslen, joshua.enslen@westpoint.edu
- MAJ William E. Choate, william.choate@westpoint.edu
Russian
- Dr. John M. Pendergast, john.pendergast@westpoint.edu
- MAJ Matvey Vikhrov, matvey.vikhrov@westpoint.edu
Spanish
- Dr. Sherry A. Maggin, sherry.maggin@westpoint.edu
- MAJ Orlando J. Martinez, orlando.martinez@westpoint.edu
Contact Us
Point of Contact: Please contact the DEWL Personnel Section: COL Zachary Miller, zachary.miller@westpoint.edu, MAJ Antonio Mendoza at antonio.mendoza@westpoint.edu & CPT Hannah Stark E. hannah.stark@westpoint.edu with any questions or concerns regarding the faculty application process.
Learn more about DEWL
The mission of the Department of English and World Languages is to develop, through education in the languages, cultures, and regions of the world, commissioned leaders of character so that each can thrive in complex international security environments and is prepared to serve around the globe throughout a career of service to the nation.
Other Opportunities
It takes a team to ensure the U.S. Military Academy at West Point can fulfill its mission to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets. There are roles for military and civilian faculty to teach cadets and for those both in and out of uniform to ensure the systems and processes required to operate a military installation and college campus are in place and running efficiently.