The hypothesis that engineering graduates are best suited for junior officer positions aboard increasingly sophisticated surface and submarine warships is tested empirically for a subset of 1,560 U.S. Naval Academy graduates from the classes 1976-80. Following the guidelines set by Admiral Rickover, policymakers presume the best preparation for leadership positions is provided by college majors that emphasize mathematics, sciences, and (especially) engineering. The results of the study, based on advanced multivariate regression techniques, fail to support this common notion. For the subset of USNA graduates, neither academic major selection nor achievement within defined academic class groupings is found to be statistically related to performance and retention of junior officers at the completion of their initial tour of duty. The results are applicable to both the conventional surface and nuclear navies for the subset of academy graduates. The study suggests the approach be applied to the Officer Candidate School and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps commissioned officers for a more general test of the Rickover hypothesis.

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This study analyzes the effects of college quality and individual academic background on selected job performance measures for officers working in professional and managerial jobs in the U.S. Navy. The study analyzes performance indicators at selected career points for cohorts in two occupational groups. Among staff personnel, who perform mostly administrative and support functions, the authors find that graduates of private schools, regardless of college quality, received better performance appraisals than did other officers. Among line personnel, who perform jobs on ships and submarines and in aviation, graduates of top-rated schools, both public and private, received better appraisals during the early career period. Within both occupational groups, graduates of top-rated private schools were more likely than other officers to be promoted at the up-or-out point. The results are consistent with prior studies that find an earnings premium attached to attendance at elite private colleges.