Pathway to professionalism : the development of professionalism in the United States Marine Corps between the World Wars

This thesis is concerned with professional development within the officer corps of the United States Marine Corps during the period between the two World Wars. The primary sources were the Marine Corps Lineal Lists for 1924, 1931, 1935, and 1939, from which statistical information on professional education, sea service, expeditionary service, pre-commissioning background, and age-in-grade were derived. Biographies, memoirs, and oral histories provided much other useful information on Marine officers. During the period covered in this thesis, the percentage of officers who had received professional education rose from eighteen percent to seventy percent and a new system for promotions brought age-in-grade figures into line with desired figures. By 1939, the Marine Corps had advanced in professional standing and was nearly on par with the Army and the Navy.