today i read an article in on the navytimes website on a beginners guide to online degrees, this guide was less than helpful and made it seem like getting an undergraduate degree was much harder than it needs to be.
the part that really got me

"Indeed, in the American Public University System, 98 percent of whose students are employed — 70 percent of those serve in the military, with more than 1,000 serving in Iraq — it takes an average of 6½ years to complete a bachelor’s degree, McCluskey said.

Molitor said the average at UMUC is four to six years. At Grantham, where about 80 percent of students are active-duty military or have prior service, students who enter a field of study with few transfer credits and who take 16 to 18 credit hours a semester can take up to seven years to earn a bachelor’s, Shelly said"

There is no mention of the use of using using CLEP or dantes tests to shorten degree time, to the average service member this makes earning a degree seem impossible while in the service. This upset me because in my opinion the military is the best place to get a degree. Most everything is free, more colleges understand your situation and give you breaks on tuition and fees and you get college credit for everything you do. We have access to many thing others dont. Sorry for the rant but i had to tell someone.

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AAT, Electromechanics, Excelsior College 2007
BS, Political Science, Excelsior College 2008
MSSL, Strategic Leadership, Mountain State (currently enrolled) 2009

At my command I've given training on the military college education system. I've broken down tuition assistance, PACE courses, CLEP, DSST, Excelsior exams, TECEP, DLPT, GRE subject exams, FEMA, NFA online courses, and rating certifications through Navy COOL. I'm amazed at how uninformed a lot of these guys are. Its not really a failure in the chain of command because a lot of the guys I help out with college are E-7 or higher. A lot of them have signed up at Excelsior, TESC, or Charter Oak. More have just used CLEP tests to shorten their time in schools like Saint Leo, Embry Riddle, or Troy State. They listen to me because I've actually earned my degree. So have you. Why not see about giving training on all the various options open to the military?

Besides, its really fun to tell a Master Chief to shut up and listen when I'm talking about college....

__________________
CLEP exams passed:
Management, Accounting, Marketing, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics

DSST exams passed:
Human Resources Management, Organizational Behavior, Statistics, Management Information Systems

Earned:
B.A. in Business Administration: Technology Management (magna cum laude) from Saint Leo University

In Progress:
M.S. in Leadership and Business Ethics from Duquesne University (24 credits completed, 3 credits in progress)

How does Navy times pick articles? Find out get someone with good writing skills to write an article about how many service personel are utilizing alternative methods of earning credit, either prior learning assesment or testing out. How fast they can do it and how good the support is for them.

Don't mind me I turn back to my rebellous hippie youth when I see an injustice. Our Service people are getting a raw enough deal back and forth to Iraq they need to be informed of the few perks they have.

In case anyone is wondering, no I am not and never was in the service. Neither were any of my children or my husband, I am greatful I have never had to worry about them in a war zone.

__________________
Linda

EXAMS TAKEN
1/07 TECEP Psycology of Women (Needed/ acheived) 60/74
1/08 DSST Technical Writing 46/64
4/07 TECEP Word Processing Fundamentals 65/75
4/07 CLEP Info Systems & Computor App. 50/64
3/07 DSST History of the Vietnam War 44/66
11/07 DSST Intro to World Religions 48/65
5/08 CLEP Analyzing & Interp. Literature 50/69
5/29/08 CLEP Intro to Psychology 50/65
6/12/08 CLEP Intro to Sociology 50/69
1/27/09 CLEP Social Science & History 50/66
Finally 3 FEMA Done!!
Planned
Intro to Theater TECEP
Organizational Behavior TECEP or DSST
Physics I TECEP or EXCEL
Physics II TECEP oe EXCEL
Physical Geology TECEP or DSST
Calculus CLEP or EXCEL
Foundations of Education DSST
Intro to Education Psycology CLEP
2-3 FEMA credits
Global Environmental Change class
+ 43 B & M CC credits and 3 TESC credits and Finally on 6/30/08 an AA Degree
Eventually a BA in Natural Science/Mathmatics

I commend you for giving these lectures, really thank you. It seems like no one else in the military seems to care or maybe they just dont have a clue. I wish there were more people out there like you. I have physically filled up my minivan many times to take jr and sr sailors to navy college and take tests and enroll in college. I have given out over 100 cds that i bought with my own money to shipmates filled up all the information they would need including links to websites such as this one and study guides that i paid for myself. I think my biggest problem is that I only operate on the individual level, I have began putting together a power point on all the things you mentioned. I am going to propose it my LPO and see if I can show it on a training day and then I am going to go to my master chief (an excelsior grad) and ask him if I can show it personally at a command level. This is going to be very difficult being a fresh AE3 on a aircraft carrier. I am going to propose that I be a guest speaker at every indoc class. I am really passionate about this subject because I see too many people get out of the military worse off than before they came in; no education, little relevant training and deep in debt.

__________________
AAT, Electromechanics, Excelsior College 2007
BS, Political Science, Excelsior College 2008
MSSL, Strategic Leadership, Mountain State (currently enrolled) 2009

I never knew about CLEP or DSST when I was in the military. I saw a CLEP sign in the personnel office but I had no idea what that was so I ignored it. No one advertised these options to me. I would have been taking them like crazy if i knew we got them for free. Now i use my GI bill for it but the catch is: You have to pass the test or you dont get reimbursed.

I would have to agree with the article. Many service members have no idea how to go about getting a degree, let alone signing up for college level courses. Shoot, in the sub service, very few people earn their degrees.

__________________
Passed
Intro to World Religions 68, Social Science and History 60, Principles of Statistics 60,Western Civilization I 58, Intro to Sociology 55, Astronomy 54, Technical Writing 54, Humanities 50

Courses @ TESC
C Programming - C
Electronic Instrumentation and Control - A


Up Next
Retaking the English CLEP

The article is not lying, everything they say is probably true but they dont have to tell them that they are destined for failure. You dont tell the infantrymen that out of everyone in the army he is the most likely to be killed, you give him the path for success but also prepare him for failure, not just doom him. I think the biggest failure of this article is that they failed to mention clep and dantes exams. Calling something the guide to online degrees and neglecting the biggest and most important resource that we all have as adult student is ridiculous. Most people do not know about these exams but isnt it the responsibility of the militarytimes to alert the service members to what is available to them? This article failed me both as a online student and as a united states service member. I personally will take action to ensure that more people are aware of these programs.

__________________
AAT, Electromechanics, Excelsior College 2007
BS, Political Science, Excelsior College 2008
MSSL, Strategic Leadership, Mountain State (currently enrolled) 2009

Sadly, it's true. When I first joined I had no intentions of going to college or getting a degree, but one day decided to go to the college office. I figured the least I could do is hear what they had to say. That day turned my life around. They told me about everything from CLEPs and DSSTs to online and underway courses. With the help of military credits and credit by examination, I was about to finish my degree in 2 1/2 years. At the same time, I graduated with people who had been working on their degree for the past 10 years.

I'm not sure who's responsible for making sure that service members are aware of the resources available to them to help them get their degree. Is it the responsibility of the upper chain of command, the command training officer, the CO, the college office, or even those with degrees? I've done what I could to help those who are actively pursing their degrees. On the other hand, there are those who couldn't careless about going to college, no matter how easy you make it seem. But in the end, those who really wants their degree will find a way.

__________________
B.S. Information Systems Management, UMUC - DONE!