From Enlisted to Ensign (1950): How College-Educated WAVES Applied for Navy Commissions
Illustratiave Image of a Serve the Navy, Join the WAVES Cover from a 1944 Brochure "The Story of You in Navy Blue." | GGA Image # 2333f52f0a
✨ Review & Summary
📚 What this page is—and why it matters
This 1950 Bureau of Naval Personnel (BuPers) notice captures a pivotal post-WWII transition: how college-educated enlisted Navy women (and certain other categories of women) could apply for direct commissions as ensigns in the Line or Supply Corps—within the framework created by the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (1948).
It spells out eligibility (age, citizenship, education, marital/parental status, medical standards), deadlines, testing, and training pipelines (e.g., General Line School, Newport; Supply Corps School, Bayonne), plus the duty types new officers could expect.
For educators and researchers, this is a primary-source glimpse of how the Navy formalized women’s advancement from enlisted ranks into the commissioned officer corps in the early Cold War era. 🧭
🔎 Most engaging content (and why it’s interesting)
Concrete, navigable pathway to a commission 🧩
The circular transforms “how could she become an officer?” into a step-by-step map: who may apply, when, what forms, what tests (Officer Qualification Test), and where training happens—a treasure for lesson plans and family research.
Time-boxed application windows & class cycles ⏱️
Two annual Line indoctrination classes (January, July) and a scheduled Supply class (Jan 1950) with firm receipt deadlines make this an excellent artifact for teaching bureaucratic rhythms and career timing in the military.
Candid eligibility standards of the era 🧑⚖️
Requirements like being unmarried, having no dependents under 18, and the decade-long naturalization minimum (if not native-born) show how social policy intersected with military needs—a useful discussion point for social/legal history.
Post-commission assignments that broaden the Navy’s “shore establishment” 🗂️
Newly commissioned women officers were slated for personnel, training, intelligence, comms, logistics, operations, publications, public relations—a snapshot of non-sea billets where women’s leadership grew Navy capability.
Rotational policy & overseas potential 🌍
BuPers’ stated rotation between CONUS districts and selected overseas bases shows the institution’s intent to professionalize and distribute women officers across the global enterprise.
Applications from enlisted Navy women who have college educations for commission in the line or Supply Corps are now being accepted. Also, former service women — officers and enlisted — members of Reserve components of all branches of the armed forces, and women without prior military service are eligible to apply through the offices of naval officer procurement.
Enlisted Wave college graduates are invited to apply for appointment to the rank of ensign in the line or Supply Corps by BuPers Circ. Ltr. 173-49 (NDB, 15 Oct 1949). The following three paragraphs given in the circular letter govern the time element involved in submitting applications:
Two indoctrination classes for accepted line officers are expected to be convened yearly. Applications received in BuPers between 15 May and 15 October of each year will be considered for the class convening the following January. Applications received between 15 October of one year and 15 May of the following year will be considered for the class convening the following July.
An indoctrination class commencing in January 1950 is now scheduled for selected Supply Corps candidates. To be considered for this class, applications had to be received in BuPers before 15 October 1949. Applications received after that date will now be received and considered for later classes when the convening dates have been set.
Applications for the above programs will be considered only once. If the candidate is notified of her rejection, a new application must be submitted if further consideration is desired. A period of one year must elapse from the date of the original application before a new application can be submitted.
When applications are received in the Bureau of Naval Personnel, they will be screened for completeness and compliance with the basic qualifications. The application files will be delivered to the selection board convened to select these candidates. Appointments and orders will be delivered to candidates chosen via official channels. Candidates found not qualified or not selected will be notified in writing by the Chief of Naval Personnel.
As outlined by the circular letter, applicants must:
- Be at least 21 years of age but not more than 25 years of age on 1 July of the year in which appointed.
- Be a graduate of an accredited college or university. Applicants for the Supply Corps with a background in business administration are particularly desired.
- Be physically qualified in accordance with the physical requirements for original appointment in the U. S. Navy as outlined in current Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Instructions.
- Be a native-born citizen of the U.S., or naturalized for a period of at least 10 years.
- Establish mental, moral, and professional fitness, and aptitude for the naval service. Interviews, investigations, and a review of high school, college, and employment records will be conducted to determine this.
- Be unmarried at the time of appointment.
- Must not be the mother of a child under 18, regardless of the child's legal custody. She must not be the adoptive parent or personal custodian of a child under 18, nor the stepparent of a child under 18 if the child lives within her household for more than 30 days per year.
- She must be entitled to an honorable discharge.
Applications from enlisted women on active duty should be forwarded to the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Attn: Pers-366) via the CO. Applications will consist of the following documents:
Application for Commission ( NavPers 953A) - two copies. These may be obtained from any naval district printing and publications office. Photos may be omitted if already on file in BuPers.
- Educational transcripts—one copy from each high school and college attended, if not already on file in BuPers.
- Report of Medical Examination (Standard Form 88)— two copies, (Form 89) attached to original.
Candidates will be required to take the Officer Qualification Test. BuPers will issue tests and instructions after applications are received.
Women selected for appointment to the line will be ordered to the General Line School, Newport, R. I., in January and July, for indoctrination. The course will be five months in length. Following their indoctrination course, these ensigns will be ordered as junior officers to various shore activities for duty. Their types of duty will consist of personnel work, public relations, training, publications, intelligence, communications, logistics, operations, or any similar kind of duty where there are authorized billets for military personnel.
Women selected for appointment in the Supply Corps will be ordered to the Navy Supply Corps School at Bayonne, N. J., for indoctrination and supply training. (Note 1)
Requests for separation from the Regular Navy due to marriage will not be approved until the woman has completed one year of active service.
The Bureau has established a policy for rotating duty between districts and commands within the continental United States and between selected overseas bases. Women may express a preference for duty, but all assignments, including overseas, will be based upon the needs of the service.
The Bureau expects that there will be opportunities in the future for enlisted women who are unable to meet the present educational requirements to qualify for appointment.
United States Navy BuPers, "Enlisted Wave College Grads May Apply for Commissions," January 1950. Enlisted Wave college graduates were invited to apply for appointment to the rank of ensign in the line or Supply Corps by BuPers Circ. Ltr. 173-49 (NDB, 15 Oct 1949). (See Appendix B)
Notes
- The Navy Supply Corps School operated in Bayonne, New Jersey, from 1945 until 1954. In 1954, the Navy Supply Corps School moved from Bayonne to Athens, Georgia, where it remained for over 50 years. In 2011, the school was moved to its current location at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island.
Appendix A: Review of the Post 1948 Integration Act
In the 1950s, enlisted Navy women with college educations were eligible to apply for a commission in the line or Supply Corps under the framework established by the 1948 Women's Armed Services Integration Act.
Key takeaways
The 1948 Integration Act was the foundational law that allowed women to serve in the regular Army and Navy on a permanent basis. It authorized the commission of civilian women college graduates and qualified enlisted women, including positions in the Supply Corps.
A limited number of commissions were available in the initial years following the enactment of the act. For example, 500 women were authorized to be commissioned in the Regular Navy by June 1950. Of the 288 women selected in the fall of 1948, 39 were designated for the Supply Corps and 224 for the Line.
The WAVES program continued in spirit long after its official disbandment. Though the Women's Reserve was abolished in 1948, the WAVES acronym remained in widespread use until the late 1970s. During WWII, the WAVES had already recruited college-educated women for officer positions.
Enlisted women had a path to commission, though it was considered challenging. A 1940s-era guide for the WAVES stated that the only way for a non-college woman to win a commission was to rise "through the ranks," calling for "hard work and real ability". However, the 1948 act confirmed that qualified enlisted women with the appropriate education could apply.
How commissions worked for college-educated enlisted women
Meet the qualifications: Women had to satisfy the educational requirements. During WWII, the WAVES sought women officers with college degrees in fields like mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering. In the postwar era, a college education remained a key qualification for a commission.
Apply through official channels: Applicants would go through the proper military channels to apply for Officer Candidate School. This could involve contacting a Navy Recruiting Station or an Office of Naval Officer Procurement.
Complete officer training: Following selection, candidates would be required to complete officer training. During WWII and immediately following, WAVES officer training took place at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Receive a commission: Upon successful completion of training, the women would be commissioned as officers in their designated corps.
Appendix B: Supply Corps by BuPers Circ. Ltr. 173-49 (NDB, 15 Oct 1949)
BuPers Circular Letter 173-49 (NDB, 15 Oct 1949) was a directive from the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BuPers) addressing personnel issues in the Navy Supply Corps. The letter provided updated information and policy guidance to the fleet, a routine function for the Bureau.
Context of the 1949 Navy personnel policy.
The issuance of this circular letter occurred during a period of significant change for the US Navy following World War II. The National Security Act of 1947 had reorganized the military and established the Department of Defense. Against this backdrop, the Navy, and by extension its Supply Corps, was undergoing major adjustments in policy, staffing, and organization.
Key roles of BuPers circular letters
Circular letters like 173-49 were a standard method for BuPers to communicate important personnel information to the fleet and other naval commands. They were used to address a variety of topics, including:
- New regulations or changes to existing policy
- Changes in uniform or other standards
- Updates on retirement benefits or other entitlements
- General administrative procedures for managing naval personnel
The Naval History and Heritage Command maintains records of BuPers and BuNav (Bureau of Navigation) circular letters, though the specific contents of Circular Letter 173-49 are not publicly detailed online. A researcher would likely need to consult archived records to find its full contents.
Where to find more information
Archived copies of the directive would be available to researchers at the National Archives, which holds records from the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24).
🖼️ Noteworthy Images
Illustrative 1944 WAVES recruiting cover (“The Story of You in Navy Blue”) — Contextualizes the continuity from WWII recruiting to postwar professionalization.
(If displayed with this 1950 notice, it visually bridges wartime WAVES identity to the Regular Navy commissioning era.)
🎓 Relevance for teachers, students, genealogists, historians
Teachers & Students: Use this as a case study in how legislation (1948 Integration Act) becomes lived policy—eligibility criteria, training institutions, and personnel pipelines. Great for civics and public-administration modules.
Genealogists: A roadmap for tracing an ancestor’s transition from enlisted to officer—which forms to find, what tests they took, where they may have trained (Newport, Bayonne), and what shore billets to look for in orders/fitness reports.
Historians: Evidence of early career-ladder engineering for women; shows how BuPers circulars operationalized integration.
Military Studies: Illustrates how the Navy grew staff capacity (Supply/Line specialties) while navigating the legal and social constraints of the time.
🧭 What the circular actually directed (quick map)
Who could apply:
- Enlisted Navy women with a college degree (primary audience)
- Former service women (officer or enlisted) in Reserve components
- Women without prior service via officer procurement offices
Where commissions were offered:
- Line (Unrestricted Line ashore)
- Supply Corps
When to apply (Line):
- Apps received 15 May–15 Oct → considered for January class
- Apps 15 Oct–15 May → considered for July class
Key eligibility (era-specific):
- Age 21–25 on 1 July of appointment year
- Accredited college degree (Supply favored business administration)
- U.S. citizen (native-born or 10-year naturalized)
- Physically qualified (Bureau of Medicine & Surgery standards)
- Unmarried; no children under 18 (including adoptive/step if in household >30 days/year)
- Honorable discharge entitlement (if prior service)
- Moral/mental/professional fitness via interviews, investigation, records
Application package:
- NavPers 953A (Application for Commission) ×2
- Transcripts (HS/college)
- Medical exam (SF-88/SF-89)
- Officer Qualification Test (issued by BuPers)
Training after selection:
- General Line School, Newport, RI (~5 months) → then shore billets
- Navy Supply Corps School, Bayonne, NJ (later moved to Athens, GA; today Newport)
Career notes:
- Marriage separations not approved until ≥1 year of active service
- Rotation across districts and selected overseas bases based on needs of the service
- BuPers expected future opportunities for enlisted women who didn’t yet meet education criteria
🔑 Key to Ranks & Roles (mentioned or implied)
Ensign (ENS, O-1) — Entry-level commissioned officer rank offered upon selection.
Line Officer — Commissioned for general naval duties (here, shore assignments such as personnel, training, intel, comms, logistics).
Supply Corps Officer — Commissioned specialist overseeing logistics, contracting, finance, supply chain.
Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) — Senior flag officer at BuPers who issues selections/notices.
Commanding Officer (CO) — Unit commander; active-duty applicants route packages via CO.
📖 Dictionary of Terms & Abbreviations (civilian-friendly)
WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WWII women’s program; term still widely used in 1950 parlance).
BuPers — Bureau of Naval Personnel (today: Navy Personnel Command); issues policy/circulars, manages officer/enlisted careers.
BuPers Circ. Ltr. 173-49 (NDB, 15 Oct 1949) — The circular letter authorizing these applications; NDB = Navy Department Bulletin entry/date.
NavPers 953A — Application for Commission form.
Pers-366 — BuPers code for the office handling these applications.
Officer Qualification Test (OQT) — Screening test for officer candidates.
General Line School (Newport, RI) — Indoctrination/professional schooling for new Line ensigns.
Navy Supply Corps School (Bayonne, NJ) — Indoctrination/supply training for Supply Corps ensigns (later moved to Athens, GA; today at Newport).
CONUS — Continental United States.
Indoctrination Class — Initial officer training/immersion course.
“Needs of the service” — Assignment principle: Navy mission requirements supersede personal preferences.
🌟 Final Thoughts
This notice converts the 1948 Integration Act into workable opportunity—a practical ladder from enlisted sailor to commissioned officer. It anchors who qualified, how to apply, and what careers looked like once commissioned, making it a compact, invaluable resource for lesson plans, heritage exhibits, and family research alike. ⚓️💙📜
