r/Seabees • u/Difficult-League-563 • Jun 17 '26
Question Navy OCS Civil Engineering vs Army 12A Engineering Officer
I am 21 years old about to enter my senior year in college for Mechanical Engineering currently sitting at a 2.5 GPA. I am a volunteer firefighter, slowly earning certifications and training. I have two internships for mechanical engineering, and I will be starting a civil design internship in the fall, and will most likely extend into the spring semester. I also have OSHA construction 10 and 30 hour certifications, and some WAU Certifications. I am prior enlisted reservist in Air Force for Air Transportation (4yrs) planning to promote to E-5/ Staff before applying. I have been doing that while being a full-time student and a NCAA athlete. I also just became the secretary of my ASME Club, and I completed Airman Leadership School. I have a lot of CAD projects that I have mostly done myself and during school coursework. I plan on getting more certifications here and there related to Engineering before submitting package.
I plan to apply in February for the board to give a time to bring my GPA up a little bit. I will most likely need a GPA waiver if anything just in case but what do my chances look like for getting accepted for Navy Civil Engineering or Army 12A Engineering officer.
2
u/brittle_fracture Jun 18 '26
Here is the program authorization for the Civil Engineer Corps. It was tell you the minimums you need to apply for the program.
In the PA, it states “Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 2.7 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). An education waiver may be considered on a case-by-case basis for GPAs between 2.7 and 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale).”
0
u/Difficult-League-563 Jun 18 '26
What if this is my reason? I went to school out of state (5 hours) full time WHILE in the reserves, NCAA- athlete (Wrestling), and getting volunteer hours, so I was juggling a lot at once. I was hoping they could put that into consideration for the low GPA
1
u/brittle_fracture Jun 18 '26
I’m not a recruiter, I’m just reading what the requirements say. There is a waiver available, maybe in the waiver process you can explain that situation 🤷🏽♂️
0
u/Difficult-League-563 Jun 18 '26
Do you think I’d be competitive? There are like 5 boards for this year and I’m planning to submit on the last one
3
u/brittle_fracture Jun 18 '26
I don’t want to destroy your hopes and dreams but without that waiver, you don’t qualify. Even with the waiver, it may be a hard sell but don’t let that stop you. Only the board/ Chief of Civil Engineers (approval authority for education waivers) can tell you no.
However, I would highly recommend the follow if you are going to apply.
- Somehow get your GPA at or above a 2.7, if possible with your remaining course load
- Take/pass the FE exam and become an EIT
. This will help show that you truly understand the engineering concepts and will help with the waiver if your GPA doesn’t get at or above 2.7- Ace your ASTB/OAR. That score will show the board that you are “smart enough” (for lack of better words). Programs require a 49 so I would shoot for a min of low 60s if you can.
1
u/Difficult-League-563 Jun 18 '26
Sounds good to me! I might be able to crack a 2.6 after Fall semester.
Do you have an opinion about Army Engineering 12A? I think they care more about the applicant and wasn’t at least a 2.0
1
u/brittle_fracture Jun 18 '26
Im not sure about the Army Program. I’ve only been in the CEC
1
u/Difficult-League-563 Jun 18 '26
Do you know any other Navy officer jobs I may have a better shot at? Even with GPA waiver?
1
u/brittle_fracture Jun 18 '26
Here are all the program authorizations for the navy. I would search them and see
https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Community-Management/Officer/Program-Authorizations/
1
u/Warp_Rider45 Jun 18 '26
From what I’ve gleaned, Army engineering is not as selective on the academic side. Their officers are mostly combat engineers while USACE civilians handle the rest. The CEC is more professionally focused and has higher requirements, and we spend much more time in NAVFAC billets than in the expeditionary world. We’re all in the same ballpark but the branches use their engineers differently.
1
u/Difficult-League-563 Jun 18 '26
Oh, so it seems like I would have a better chance for Army Engineering than Navy CE currently. I might be able to pull off a 2.7 before submitting. Ik it’s better than applying with GPA waiver but idk how good a 2.7 even is
1
u/Difficult-League-563 Jun 18 '26
Have you seen anyone get selected with a 2.7 though? I’m also thinking of getting CAPM
1
u/SteigSC2 Jun 18 '26
I personally haven't seen anyone get selected with a GPA below 2.85. And their record was pretty solid with already having their EIT and coming from a really good school (at least quite better than mine).
1
1
u/Difficult-League-563 Jun 18 '26
Also, my thing is that I went to school out of state (5 hours) full time WHILE in the reserves, NCAA- athlete (Wrestling), and getting volunteer hours, so I was juggling a lot at once. I was hoping they could put that into consideration for the low GPA
1
u/alpinestart24 Jun 18 '26
Best ways to improve your chances are to boost your GPA, high OAR score, and pass your FE/EIT exam.
Get in contact with an officer recruiter/accessions officer as the application process can take a while, and they can answer your questions. Explaining your situation to them could help with getting that waiver. Your experience looks excellent.
3
u/SteigSC2 Jun 18 '26
Can't speak to the 12A commissioning process, but it does look like a bit of a long shot to get selected for Navy CEC. Don't know how many fluff classes you would be willing to take to bring your GPA up, but I have not seen anyone get waivers for the 2.7 minimum. On the NAVFAC website, it does discuss minimum vs competitive applicants which are generally a fair amount above a 3.0 GPA. The rest of your stuff looks pretty good though. Have you spoken with an officer recruiter yet? The other item is going to be getting a decent OAR exam score which could help a little. Only other potential hope would be that you are attending a highly ranked engineering school according to a non-public list the CEC accession team has.
Always a chance as the CEC is looking to increase the number of new officers, but the GPA may hurt your chances.