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).