Best Degrees for Veterans: Find a Career That Fits Your Skills

The Spirit Bench on Pacific University's Forest Grove Campus is decorated to celebrate veterans.

The skills you developed during active duty are well suited to pursuing a degree using the GI Bill® and landing a career after military service.

Pacific was recently named Oregon’s best private national university for veterans by U.S. News and World Reports! Start your application today and make the most of your GI Bill benefits.

The contemporary military prepares service members for civilian careers that extend well beyond active duty. 

There are many jobs for veterans — due in part to the specialized training that service members receive — and finding rewarding careers after the military has never been more accessible thanks to the benefits of the GI Bill.

Whether pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree, the transferable skills service members possess from their time in the military can result in high-paying jobs for veterans and lower rates of unemployment.

Discover how you can use your GI Bill benefits to choose a major and find post-military careers that make use of your unique qualifications.

VETERAN SERVICES AT PACIFIC

Make the Most of Your Military Training Using Your GI Bill

While it may not seem obvious at first, the training that active duty service members receive is highly applicable to many college degree pathways. 

The best degrees for veterans are those that make use of skills you’ve gained through service, including communication, project management, use of new technology, and a knowledge of other cultures.

These skills are not only valuable to companies that hire veterans, but in the classroom as well, where dedication and goal-setting can lead to new personal and professional discoveries. 

So whether you are entering as a first-year student, or with some college under your belt, or as someone pursuing an advanced degree, your active duty experience will help you thrive.

As GI Bill benefits grow to include more universities—both public and private—the barriers to veterans wanting to explore higher education get smaller and smaller.

Using your benefits to find your place at one of the best colleges for veterans has never made more sense. 

Find High-Paying Jobs for Veterans 

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher is just 2.2%, compared to 4.5% for those who have only graduated high school. 

A line graph displays unemployment figures for those with varying education levels.

 

Take-home pay also jumps considerably for those with an undergraduate degree, meaning that veterans who complete their bachelor’s using their GI Bill benefits can earn up to 40% more per week than those with only a high school diploma.

A bar graph displays income per week for those with varying education levels.

 

Service members who use their GI Bill benefits to complete an undergraduate education emerge with higher-paying and more resilient post-military jobs.

Best Degrees for Veterans

Like any incoming students, veterans can enter all degree programs for which they are qualified.

However, due to the kinds of training and skill building that comes from active service, service members can especially thrive in certain degree programs and majors. 

Some of the best degrees for veterans include, but are not limited to:

  • Business. Stewardship, teamwork, and communication skills combine to create effective leaders and innovators in the business space.

    Whether seeking undergraduate degrees in management or an MBA, veterans possess many of the skills that make successful entrepreneurs.  

  • Computer Science. A heavy emphasis on technological literacy through military training lends itself to the ever-evolving world of computer science.

    Veterans will find themselves at home in degrees related to  programming, cybersecurity, and IT.

  • Criminal Justice. As an entry point into a law-related career, a degree in criminal justice is great for veterans who want to learn more about criminology and its social impacts.

  • Social Work. The VA is the largest single employer of social workers in the country, and veterans with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work are uniquely poised to help those returning from service.

  • Healthcare. Regardless if you have any military training in the subject, veterans find success in healthcare professions due to a strong desire to help others as well as their background with creative problem solving.

    Pacific’s College of Health Professions offers 14 different graduate and professional degrees leading directly to a career in healthcare.

Career Outcomes for Veterans

Nearly 9 million veterans are currently working in the United States, filling a wide variety of roles that both do and do not require a college degree. 

However, those who do attain their degree using GI Bill benefits have a wide range of options for potential employment. 

One of the most common jobs for veterans is in civil service, as 1 in 4 are employed at some level of the federal government. 

While public sector jobs employ a large amount of veteran workers, any industry is available for those who have served, and getting a bachelor’s or master’s degree can greatly increase both salary and job security in these areas.

Discover why Pacific is the best private national university for veterans in Oregon by scheduling a free campus tour. 

CHOOSING A VETERAN-FRIENDLY COLLEGE

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. Government website.