<p>Well, for factual starters, only about half of the faculty at West Point has a Ph.D. This also happens to be the lowest among the service academies (USNA is highest with about 67%, and USAFA has about 60%). Reed College has more than 90% with a Ph.D – typical for most good colleges. Many West Point faculty are veteran Army officers who do, in fact, have extremely valuable professional experience, but who also have minimal teaching experience. Anyhow, that 90 to 50 percent gap is very hard to explain away.</p>
<p>Sadly, I have read complaints from USMA alums about getting a “community college” education. Certainly they overstate the case, but it also is a telling complaint.</p>
<p>I love West Point and have nothing but admiration for the cadets who attend. However, they attend USMA for reasons other than academics. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and I do not suggest correcting the situation. The job of West Point is to train future officers for the army. It is fantastic at accomplishing that mission.</p>
<p>By the way, USNWR ranks all three academies in the “National Liberal Arts” category. This is misleading. All are predominately technology schools, and all award only the Bachelor of Science, not Bachelor of Arts. If you cannot get a Bachelor of Arts at a college, then it is not a liberal arts school.</p>