Military Info

Discussion in 'Military-related education topics' started by Bruce, Nov 22, 2001.

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  1. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I stumbled on a pretty good link that might be of interest to our Military members;
    http://www.military.com/Careers/Education/1,,112,00.html

    A word of advice from someone who was there and didn't do it.....get your education while Uncle Sam is either picking up the tab, or providing the time for you to do it.


    Bruce
     
  2. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Let me second Bruce's advice. The military picked up 75% of my Masters degree and I still have a GI Bill left to use. In addition you have schools like Touro offering free education to military after T.A. pays its share. You can't beat it. Yes , I know army people spend time in the field but even then I know a helicopter pilot who worked on his M.A. while assigned to the CAV. He even took books to NTC with him and made special arrangements with Profs. I also knew an airborne enlisted guy with a wife and two kids who did his B.A. and Masters while being in line units.

    So, take advantage of the opportunities!

    North (former NCO)

     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I'll "third" it. I enlisted in the Air Force at 18 with a high school diploma. Using tuition assistance, I did 3 Regents degrees and became a staff seargeant by age 21. A commission and an MBA (also earned with tuition assistance) followed. Part of my doctoral studies was also funded by TA. I was able to retire from the Air Force as a captain at 36, and have spent the last 6 years building a civilian career as a corporate trainer (now with AT&T). My only real regret was not finishing the doctorate while the military was funding it. It has been a huge mountain to "re-climb" since.

    Rich Douglas, "TCB" [​IMG]
     
  4. Tracy Gies

    Tracy Gies New Member

    Ditto. The Army has paid for the majority of my education, including footing the entire bill (plus regular active duty pay, free books, and free school supplies to boot)for my senior year at the Joint Military Intelligence College (RA, Middle States)in Washington, DC. That's right, my job, while I was there, was to go to school. Hey, it's good work, if you can get it. I got 62 upper-level college quarter-hour credits from that gig.

    I plan to continue to use tuition assistance to pay for my masters, probably from Touro. I will, of course, tap into Touro's Military Tuition Assistance Program (MTAP), as well.

    Tracy<><
     
  5. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    I will second everyone's comment up to this point. I was well on my way in the typical ministerial pathway. I was not able to complete my MDiv due to relocation (this is a goal later on). I have been with Touro for three semesters and absolutely love the MBA program. Since Touro has expanded it's programs to include the BSCS and undergraduate and graduate programs in I.T. - this is a great opportunity for the military folks.
    I came back after a nine year break-in-service and plan to get all I can while I'm in!

    Steven King
     
  6. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    I didn't know the military had a RA college like that. I just examined it at:
    http://www.osint.org/434mid/pgip-r.html
     
  7. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Colin Powell was able to earn his MBA from George Washington University exactly that way, his assignment was to attend school. As you said, not bad work.

    BTW, Powell's autobiography has some humorous stories about going back to school as an adult, his undergrad degree was in Geology, and he had to jump through several hoops to be admitted to the MBA program. It's a great book in general, if you haven't read it yet.


    Bruce
     
  8. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Tracy, how close are you to finishing your B.A. ?

    North

     
  9. Tracy Gies

    Tracy Gies New Member

    I am done. The Faculty at Charter Oak has approved my transcript for a B.S. in General Studies. I am waiting for final approval by the board, but my advisor says that is pretty much just a formality, and that I should be good to go for graduation on November 30th.

    Tracy<><
     
  10. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Congratulations. Good luck on your Touro MBA. Remind me what rank you are again. If I remember you were in a similar position as I was (i.e. enlisted working on a graduate degree). Actually, I met a few enlisted people in my graduate courses.

    North

     
  11. Tracy Gies

    Tracy Gies New Member

    I didn't know the military had a RA college like that. I just examined it at:
    http://www.osint.org/434mid/pgip-r.html

    [/QUOTE]

    I just checked out that website, and it relates mostly to the Postgraduate Intelligence Program-Reserve (PGIP-R). This is one of many programs that JMIC offers. Others include a weekend program for military personnel and Deparment of Defense civilian employees living in the D.C. area. They also have a program that is taught off-site at Fort Meade, MD. The school has been granting a Master of Science in Stratigic Intelligence Studies for several years.

    JMIC also has a relatively new Bachelors Degree Completion Program (BDCP). I was a part of the cohort that went through the pilot BDCP.

    To become a member of this cohort, one had to have been admitted into the regular Undergraduate Intelligence Program (UGIP), and have enough undergraduate credits to have senior status. There was initially no determination as to wether the students had met all the usual general education requirements.

    The hope was that the school would be approved to grant a B.S., and that as many members of the pilot program as possible would be "grandfathered" and awarded the degree. It turned out that JMIC was eventually authorized to grant the B.S. and that those pilot students who met the necessary general education requirements were also granted the degree, after the fact.

    I was not granted the degree through JMIC because I lacked credits in science and humanities. I have since earned the necessary credits through DL (Creative Writing from the University of Iowa's continuing education program, and Physical Science from Luisianna State University's Independant Studies Program). I expect to graduate soon from with a Bachelor's degree in Independant Studies from Charter Oak State College.

    JMIC did face some challenges from other RA schools in the DC area before it was lisenced to grant the B.S. Those schools took their case to the necessary officials, I suppose within the District and at Middle States. Essentially, their case boiled down to the fact that they didn't want to have a local school awarding free bachelor's degrees to area military intelligence personel (in the D.C. area, that amounts to a lot of potential students), rather than have those same students pay to attend their schools.

    JMIC eventually won the battle, because no other school in the area had a degree-granting program in strategic intelligence. And, even if they did, JMIC argued, they couldn't possibly have the same access to essential resources that JMIC did.

    Tracy <><
     
  12. Tracy Gies

    Tracy Gies New Member

    Thanks. I am an Army Staff Sergeant (E-6). I have been selected for promotion to Sergeant First Class (E-7), and hope to "pin on" that rank in a few months.

    I'm looking forward to starting the Touro MBA, and I'm pleased to know that Steven and others find it to be so rewarding. I had waivered for a while on wether to go with Texas Tech's on-line Master of the Arts in Technical Communications, but the alure of a free MBA proves to be too much for me to resist. I still plan to use the Touro MBA to assist me in levaraging a career change to technical writing after I retire from the Army, God willing, in about five years. The tech writing field is open enough that many different degrees are seen as good entrees into the profession. At this piont, I feel that going with the concentration in information technology management would best serve my goals.

    Now, if only the Army would offer the Advanced Non-commissioned Officers Course by DL....

    Tracy <><
     
  13. Guest

    Guest Guest

    I only went through BNCOC myself before deciding to get out. What a joy it was to go from being an NCO to being a trainee again. Snapping to parade rest for other NCO's and studying all of those manuals.

    Well, good luck to you. Getting out with a pension and a paid for MBA will serve you well as you start a new career.

    North

     
  14. Eli

    Eli New Member

    I wish to add my vote to Steven. King. Completed my MBA at Touro, and FINALLY started my dissertation process (ABD). Hard work? Most definitely… but worth the effort.

    Eli

     
  15. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Congratulations! Are you planning to attend graduation? I would recommend it, I originally was going to get my diploma by mail, but I ended up going to the ceremony for my father, since I was the only child to graduate college. I'm very glad that I did.


    Bruce
     
  16. Tracy Gies

    Tracy Gies New Member


    No, I don't plan on physically attending graduation. I understand that the ceremony is simulcast on Charter Oak's web site. I have given my family a heads up that they will also be able to watch the simulcast. I have two brothers who already have bachelor's degrees, and both of them have been working on masters.

    Nevertheless, if graduation weren't all the way up in Connecticut, I might be more eager to attend.

    Tracy<><
     
  17. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    Tracy,
    I am sure you'll be please with Touro's program. I elected to do a joint concentration for my MBA: information technology management and healthcare administration.

    It sounds as if I am currently on the same path that many people here have journeyed before me. I am a wee E-5, however (just went over six years). I was in for four years right out of high school (11B) and just returned in 1999 after a nine year break-in-service. I am being boarded for E-6 in January and then more than likely I'll be off to BNCOC myself---four months at Fort Sam Houston.

    I have shared Touro's degree requirements with a few officers here that are "in the know" about the Medical Services Corp Branch. They indicate that it's possible to receive a direct commission (possibly as O-3) with an MBA, especially with a healthcare administration orientation. If that goes through then I'll probably stay in - otherwise I would have to earn my BSN convert in my MOS. Fourteen years seems like an eternity to go...

    Otherwise, I am really struggling for the appropriate next step. My desire of desires would be to work back to full time ministry but I can not ignore the developments that I believe God has brought into my life. Perhaps I should finish my MDiv after my MBA and apply for chaplaincy in the Army (especially hospital chaplaincy). It's just that I struggle with the apparent pluralism that is necessitated in today's chaplains.

    Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving,
    Steven King
     
  18. Guest

    Guest Guest

    One of the unfortunate (??) things about the chaplaincy requirement is that they designate that the course of study for the M.Div. be residential. So, although they recognize TRACS, it appears you could not do an M.Div. by DL and then have that serve as your entry into the chaplaincy. I did hear of a case several years ago from our brigade chaplain who mentioned a Chaplain Assistant who did courses through a seminary by special arrangement and then took 6 months of at the edn to finish up in residence. He was then commissiioned and off to the chaplain basic course. My guess is they only looked at the degree. The other thing is that his denomination must not have required an extensive period as an associate pastor prior to recommending him for the chaplaincy.

    Tha 71M's I have known who have B.A.'s and wanted to be Chaplains left to attend seminary and were commissioned in the reserves as Chaplain Candidates. Not a bad program. They could then come back on active duty after graduation.

    As for the pluralism, you are correct. SOme struggle with it. The service respects indivdual differences (eg can't share a pulpit with a woman). But they have perform or provide policy which means if you cannot do something for a soldier you make arrangements for it. A Chaplain I know went to bat for a soldier who was a Wiccan and wanted persmission to use a ceremonial dagger. There seems to also be some discouragement form public prayer in the name of Jesus. The army has Muslim Chaplains and I am sure will at some point have Buddhist.

    Good luck with your plans and hopefully eventual Commission (better life and better retirment).

    North

     
  19. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    North,
    I was almost persuaded :] to go for the Chaplain Candidate program before I returned to active duty. Unfortunately, the Chaplain Candidate program only pays a $150/month stipend. A full-time load in seminary is rigorous enough that I felt working full time was out of the question. The stipend wasn't going to cut the mustard with three children, and let's just say, a normal regimen of bills to pay.

    You are right about the residential requirement of the MDiv - particularly for the US Army. I have been emailing the Chief of Chaplains and understand that this antiquated regulation is due to change in light of sweeping advancements in DL. As a case in point, I shared Liberty University's external MDiv program with a Navy chaplain recruiter. He stated that the Navy would accept it and would approve me for commissioning. I made sure he realized that the program of study would be completed entirely at a distance with absolutely no residency whatsoever. His answer: he empathized with my need for DL study and that the Navy realized that graduate ministerial training could be effectively completed at a distance. Now, if I could just zip through an MDiv and get over an inherent "fear" of water... [​IMG]

    Best case scenario for the future: finish MBA (Summer 2002) and MDiv (perhaps at Liberty...since they have a decent tuition deal for active duty military). I would love to swing a chaplaincy commission in the Army Reserves and go to work at a Christian college teaching undergraduate Bible and business courses. Then, finances provided, perhaps elect for an EdD to finish off the package. I don't know - the Potch PhD is very compelling.

    Steven King
     
  20. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    Eli,
    Do you have the means to photograph or scan your diploma for the MBA? I am curious what a Touro diploma looks like...

    Regards,
    Steven King
     

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