Top 10 Degrees for Veterans (2026): Built on Military Skills

If you are leaving the military or already out and weighing what to study with your GI Bill®, the major you pick shapes everything after it. By the four tests in section 1, the best degrees for veterans are the ones that put what you built in service to work: calm under pressure, operational thinking, leading a team. Below are 10 fields that do that, grouped by the work they lead to, with what to look for and which of our partner schools offer each. By the end you should have a shortlist of two or three.

1. How we chose these 10 degrees

This is not a ranking. Each field on the list had to pass four tests:

1. Demand. Steady or growing employment in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2025-35 projections, or a large number of openings every year.
2. A clear way in. A visible entry path such as internships, a license, an industry certification or clinical placements.
3. Skill match. Work that uses what service teaches: leadership, procedure, risk judgment, teamwork and accountability.
4. A real program. At least one degree or concentration in the field at a VeteranDegrees partner school: Monroe University, CIAM or Westcliff University.

Here are the 10 at a glance, with the BLS outlook for a typical job each degree leads to.

Projections from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35, checked September 2026. Projections are national estimates, not a promise of a job or a salary.

Not sure where your own experience points? Our MOS Career Finder maps your military job to civilian career paths, which is a quick way to narrow this list before you read on.

2. Business and leadership degrees

1) Business Administration and Management

Business translates military leadership into language civilian employers use, without locking you into one industry. Graduates move into operations, program management, logistics, consulting and sales leadership. If you ran a motor pool, a supply section or a shift, you already know much of what the case studies describe.

What to look for:

• Coursework in operations, analytics and leadership
• Real-world projects with local companies
• An alumni network that actively helps veteran students

Partner programs: Monroe University: AAS Business Administration, BBA Business Management, MBA. CIAM: MBA in Executive Management. Westcliff University: BBA, MBA, Doctor of Business Administration.

2) Finance

Finance suits veterans who like decisions built on numbers, risk and strategy. Common roles include financial analyst, corporate finance associate and financial advisor; BLS projects financial analyst jobs to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035. Investment banking depends heavily on a school's recruiting pipeline. Our guide to using the GI Bill for an MBA follows one path into finance.

What to look for:

• Internship placement and on-campus recruiting
• Hands-on financial modeling and analytics coursework
• Alumni mentors who work with veterans

Partner programs: Monroe University: BBA Finance, MS Accounting. Westcliff University: BBA with a Finance concentration, MBA in Financial Management.

3) Human Resources Management

HR is people operations: recruiting, training, employee relations and compliance. If you led troops, handled evaluations or dealt with sensitive personnel issues, you have done a version of this job already. BLS projects HR manager employment to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than average.

What to look for:

• Courses in employment law and workforce analytics
• Internship support in corporate HR departments
• A program that gives credit for professional experience

Partner programs: Westcliff University: BBA with a Human Resources concentration, MBA in Organizational Management. CIAM: MA in Organizational Leadership (online).

3. Public-service degrees

4) Criminal Justice

Criminal justice is one of the most common veteran majors, leading to public safety, investigation, corrections and policy roles, and with the right internships into federal service. It rewards the discipline, procedure and ethical judgment you already know. BLS projects police and detective jobs to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, about average, so internships count.

What to look for:

• Internships with local agencies or legal organizations
• Coursework in analytics, report writing and ethics
• Career support that translates your military experience honestly

Partner programs: Monroe University: AAS and BS Criminal Justice, MS Criminal Justice, BS Emergency and Disaster Management, Paralegal Studies certificate.

5) Public Administration and Political Science

Public administration is how government agencies actually run: budgets, policy, regulation and coordination. Veterans who choose it usually want to work inside federal, state or local agencies and nonprofits as program analysts, policy advisors or administrative managers. The narrow "political scientist" title is a small occupation, so plan around those broader roles.

What to look for:

• Coursework in public budgeting, administrative law and policy analysis
• Internship or fellowship pipelines with government agencies
• Faculty with public-sector careers

Partner programs: Monroe University: Master of Public Administration. CIAM: MA in Organizational Leadership (online). Westcliff University: MBA in Organizational Management, DBA in Strategic Leadership for the 21st Century.

6) Education

Teaching is a second mission for many veterans: schools need adults who can lead a room and stay steady under pressure. BLS projects little change in the number of teaching jobs from 2025 to 2035, but still expects about 99,400 openings a year for kindergarten and elementary teachers and about 63,500 for high school teachers, mostly replacing teachers who leave. One update: the Defense Department's Troops to Teachers program is running with minimal staff and received no funding to restart, according to its official site, so look at your state's alternative certification routes instead.

What to look for:

• A clear licensure path in the state where you want to teach
• Classroom placement support and mentoring
• Preparation for diverse classrooms and learners

Partner programs: Westcliff University: BA in Education, MA TESOL, Doctor of Education. Monroe University: BS Early Childhood Education and BS Childhood Education (daytime, on campus), Master of Arts in Teaching.

4. Technology and health degrees

7) Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity rewards habits many veterans already have: threat awareness, procedural discipline and attention to detail. It is also the fastest-growing field on this list: BLS projects information security analyst jobs to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. A security clearance, if you still hold one, can make you more competitive for some roles.

What to look for:

• Courses aligned with industry certifications such as Security+
• Hands-on security labs and blue-team practice
• Employer partnerships that hire entry-level analysts

Partner programs: Monroe University: BS Computer Networks and Cybersecurity. Westcliff University: a cybersecurity concentration in the BBA, BS Computer Science, BS Information Technology, MBA and MS Information Technology, plus the Doctor of Computer Science.

8) Computer Science and Information Technology

If you like systems and troubleshooting, computer science and IT offer one of the clearest civilian transitions: software development, IT support, cloud operations, network administration. BLS projects software developer and tester jobs to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035. The path is simple to describe: build skills, show proof of work, get hired.

What to look for:

• Strong internship pipelines and career services
• Labs, hands-on projects and certification-aligned coursework
• Veteran or military-affiliated tech communities

Partner programs: Monroe University: AAS and BS Computer Information Systems, MS Computer Science, MS Data Science (online). Westcliff University: BS Computer Science, BS Information Technology, MS Computer Science, MS Information Technology, MS Artificial Intelligence. CIAM: MS in Data Analytics (online).

9) Health Sciences and Health Administration

Health degrees lead to nursing, health administration and public health. The work is mission-driven, team-based and high-accountability, and former medics and corpsmen bring real experience. On the management side, BLS projects medical and health services manager jobs to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average.

What to look for:

• Clear clinical placement support
• Strong advising on licensure
• Practical, accessible student support services

Partner programs: Monroe University: BS Health Sciences, BS Health Services Administration, MS Health Care Administration, Master of Public Health, and nursing programs from the AAS in Registered Nursing to the BS in Nursing. Westcliff University: MBA in Healthcare Administration.

10) Psychology

Some veterans study psychology to keep serving others, often fellow veterans. Most psychologist roles require a graduate degree, and BLS projects psychologist jobs to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035. Our partners do not offer a general bachelor's in psychology; the closest options are listed below.

What to look for:

• Honest advising about graduate school requirements
• Research and supervised practicum options
• Veteran-informed counseling resources on campus

Partner programs: Monroe University: MS Forensic Psychology, AAS and BS Human Services, Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) certificate.

5. How to choose the program, not just the major

Once you have a field, the school and the format decide how the degree fits your life.

Format affects your housing allowance. Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, students taking only online courses receive the reduced distance-only Monthly Housing Allowance. A hybrid program with an in-person class that counts toward your degree may qualify you for the resident rate tied to the campus ZIP code, generally when you are enrolled more than half-time. Whether a program is certified as resident or distance is the school certifying official's decision, program by program, and your amount depends on your eligibility tier. Our hybrid vs. online housing allowance guide explains the rules, the MHA calculator compares the two rates for a campus, and the GI Bill guide covers the rest of the benefit.

Look beyond the GI Bill, too. The Scholarship Finder lists scholarships that can stack with your benefits, and if you are still weighing your next step out of uniform, our guide to the military-to-civilian transition covers the adjustment itself.

6. FAQ

What is the best degree for a veteran?

There is no single best degree. If you are undecided, business administration or an IT degree keeps the most doors open. If you know the work you want, pick the field that leads to it. The right degree matches how you like to work day to day.

How did you choose these 10 degrees?

Each field had to show steady demand in Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025-35 projections or many openings a year, a clear entry path such as an internship, license or certification, a match to skills built in service, and a program at a VeteranDegrees partner school. The list is grouped by type of work, not ranked.

Can I use the GI Bill for these degrees?

Often, yes, if the school and the specific program are approved for VA education benefits. Approval is program by program, and your coverage depends on your benefit chapter and eligibility tier. Check the program in VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool and confirm with the school's certifying official before you enroll.

What makes a degree program veteran-friendly?

Flexible scheduling, a responsive GI Bill certification office, credit for military training where the school allows it, and career services that understand military experience.

Are there scholarships for veterans beyond the GI Bill?

Yes. Many schools and nonprofits offer veteran scholarships, and some private schools participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which can help with tuition above the GI Bill cap for eligible students. Contribution amounts vary by school and program.

Is political science a good degree for veterans?

It can be, but plan around public administration and policy roles rather than the narrow political scientist job title, which is a small occupation. Most veterans in this field build careers as program analysts, policy advisors or public-sector managers.

Want to talk it through? A free 30-minute call with a VeteranDegrees Benefits Navigator can help you match a degree to your military experience, your GI Bill entitlement and your schedule before you apply. Book a free Navigator call. No cost, no obligation to enroll anywhere. And before you commit to any school, run the program through our six-step check for verifying a school's VA approval, which uses VA's official GI Bill Comparison Tool and WEAMS.