Beginner Needs Guidance.

Hello all,

My name is Thomas. I have been reading around on the forums for a while, so I decided to finally register . I am new to the online learning experience so forgive me if I may seem a little slow. I am currently serving in the US Army, hence the name.

I have decided to start taking some steps to achieving my first degree. BA or BS is my first goal. I have little college experience, with Penn Foster College. I enrolled a while back in their AS Criminal Justice program. I completed one semester minus the proctored examination. I also have military training that could possibly provide some credits? Being that I am in the military, with a wife and two kids, I have some restrictions on attending a traditional college.

I would like to get started as soon as possible. I am looking for a route that wont take me forever and a day, but one that I will also actually learn something. Essentially quicker but still maintains quality. My goal is to have completed some sort of BA before my contract is up with the Army. I plan to re-enlist, but with more educational qualifications.

That being said, does anyone have any beginners advice or suggestions for me? I have done some research into Excelsior and their credit banking system. It seems to be a decent program. I am eligible for military Tuition Assistance, so that should help with the cost of my goals. Everyone knows that an education can put quite a grasp on your financial situation.

I was told by a friend, that the free FEMA courses are granted college credit on occasion. Any input on this? Feel free to chime in with any other advice, suggestions, or comments.

P.S. I have considered American Military University. Any information on them?

Thank you all for your time, and thank you in advance for any responses.


Sincerely,
Thomas

 

First of all, thank you for your service. I am no expert, and I am sure others with more experience will chime in soon, However, Troy University is military friendly. When I was in the Army Reserve, I took some prerequisite nursing courses and was quite satisfied with the coordination between the people at the Veterans Administration and the school.

 

You should also look into Thomas Edison State University. They grant credit for FEMA and may give you credit for some of your military training.

To make better recommendations, what are your long-term career goals?

 

I earned a second BA from TESC. They have excellent military support, accepted credits from the Marine Corps, and also accepted a few FEMA courses that I had completed. I completed most of my courses using their TECEP's which are essentially a TESC version of a CLEP/DANTES test. I followed the recommended book guides that they give with each exam and passed four of them in about 5 months.

I'm attending AMU right now for my MBA, I would also give them a strong recommendation too. Great customer servics, extremely military friendly.

Depending on your goals, both of those schools could be sufficient.

If I had it to do it all over again I would check with a state university near to where I was at and look into their DL programs. Or perhaps pick a state school with a good reputation and get your degree from them.

Anyway good luck to you...

Cory

 

In the Georgia Army National Guard, my MOS was 93P Aviation Operations Specialist (flight dispatcher). Fort Hays State gave me the following credit for my military training and experience:

Summer 1988 Department of the Army

HHP Personal Physcial Conditioning CR 1.0
HHP Outdoor Skills Practicum CR 1.0
HHP Marksmanship CR 1.0
HHP First Aid CR 1.0
ISA Office Procedures CR 2.0
LDRS Principles of Supervision CR 3.0
MGT 300 Organizational Management CR 3.0
MGT 301 Field Exp in Management CR 3.0
MS Military Science CR 3.0
PHYS Aviation Flight Operations CR 3.0
PHYS Intro to Aircraft Dispatching CR 3.0
PHYS Aircraft Operations Mgt CR 3.0
PHYS FAA Regulations CR 3.0
PHYS Airfield Management CR 3.0
PHYS Advanced Aircraft Dispatch CR 3.0
PHYS 300 Aviation Management CR 3.0
PHYS 301 Air Traffic Operations CR 3.0
TECS Automotive Fundamentals CR 3.0
HOURS PASSED 45.0

Look at this section: American Council on Education (ACE) Military Service Credit on the following webpage... http://www.fhsu.edu/accelerate/

Hope this helps.

 

I would also suggest TESC. Do a search of TESC and FEMA and you will find many threads (some which I started) in regards to their acceptance of those credits. Be advised though that the FEMA credits fall under FREE electives. So if you need free electives this most certainly is the way to start. Good Luck!

 

I always thought your screen name looked like two MOS's back to back...

 

Army,

I agree that TESC or one of the other "big 3" can be a great option for you. CLEP and DSST exams are free to you being on active duty, and you can knock out a huge portion of your degree with those alone. Also, it varies by the MOS and how ACE reviews them, but SIU granted me 53 semester hours of credit for all my Marine Corps training, from boot camp, MOS schools, correspondence courses (MCI), Cpl's/Sgt's course, etc. TESC could evaluate your military education and let you know what they will give you for it as well.

Would you like to stick with a criminal justice program, or do you have any preferences for what kind of degree you want? Good luck!

 

hmm

All of these options soung great. My goals are to receive the most applicable credits from my military training, and I also want an inexpensive way to combine all of my credits. I will probably look into some clep exams aswell since they are free to me. is there somewhere where I can study the materials covered on the clep exams online, or will I need to obtain books? I want to knock out some generals first before I declare a major path.

When you say that I can complete a good portion through CLEP, does this apply to TESC? I basically want to get my military credits, future CLEPs, and maybe some FEMA courses for free electives, all in one place. From there I want to take the courses needed for generals. My main goal right now is to obtain an AA or AS in the near future possibly and then work towards my BA. How friendly are these schools financially with miltary. I still have my Tuition Assistance available.

Thanks again for your responses.

 

Hi Thomas,
Check out this site:
http://www.army.com/education/earmyu.html
Ian

 

Yes, TESC is very CLEP friendly. Also, you can use FEMA credits and military training with TESC as well. You might want to consider contacting them and having an evaluation done of your military training and any credits you may already have. You might be surprised at how much of a degree you've already knocked out.

 

Excelsior is also very military friendly and could be a lower cost option than TESC. Their BS LS has 60 elective units which can be professional courses.
https://www.excelsior.edu/
Download their catalog(s) and read thru them.

With both TESC and Excelsior one has to include some upper level courses in your degree plan.