Accredited Online Military Friendly Colleges & Universities
Accredited online military friendly colleges are ideal for military personnel, be it the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or National Guard. The online college degree programs have the advantage of providing self-paced, flexible, convenient options that are important to advancing their education while serving the country. The Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008 was signed into law on June 30, 2008.
Education and Training at Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities
For military personnel, be it the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or National Guard, online college degree programs via military-friendly colleges have the advantage of providing self-paced, flexible, convenient options that are important to advancing their education while serving the country. The Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008 was signed into law on June 30, 2008.
Students in the military can qualify for various forms of tuition assistance which include:
Military Tuition Assistance (TA) programs via the armed forces branches
Scholarships and grants via the online universities and colleges
GI Bill
The Military Advanced Education collaborated with KMI Media Group to survey over 2000 colleges and universities to determine top military-friendly universities and colleges. Many of these schools also offer online programs and degrees. 60 colleges and universities were listed. Below is a partial list of the colleges and universities with online program offerings in alphabetical order. Many of them are part of the ServiceMembers Opportunity College System (SOC) an organization with about 1800 colleges and universities. The goal of SOC is to encourage military personnel to pursue college degrees by providing special benefits for our men and women in uniform.
Features of Military Friendly Colleges and Universities
Military friendly colleges prepare students in many areas of study including leading-edge, business, technology, criminal justice, and nursing and healthcare degrees, health sciences, liberal arts, etc
Programs offered at all levels: certificates, diplomas, associates, bachelors, masters, and PhD programs
Coursework is flexible via asynchronous online formats
Many certificate and degree programs to meet the needs of active military members, veterans, and their spouses and family members
They offer military benefits to the extended military community including military financial aid and benefits to service members, veterans, auxiliary, and spouses
Open enrollment
Forged partnerships with several senior service schools
Tuition discount for military, their spouses and veterans
Accept transfer credit from all branches of the military
Transfer credits awarded for military training, professional experience and previous courses
Flexible military leave of absence policy to allow students in the military to pursue their education while being active in their military service obligations
Military Careers
There are two categories of military occupations: enlisted positions and officers. Most of the armed forces members (85%) are comprised of enlisted personnel. Their primary duty is to carry out fundamental operations of the military such as combat, administration, construction, engineering, health care, and human services. The primary role of officers is to serve as leaders, supervisors, and managers.
Military careers include:
Administrative
Combat Specialty Occupations
Construction Occupations
Electronic and Electrical Equipment Repair
Engineering, Science and Technical Occupations
Health Career Personnel
Human Resources Development Specialists
Machine Operator and Production Occupations
Media and Public Affairs Occupation
Protective Service Personnel
Transportation and Material Handling Specialist
Vehicle and Machinery Mechanics
Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth
Some military friendly colleges offer military-supported programs such as ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) for students who are interested in learning more about national and community service while pursuing their higher education. On a military personnel's first military job, a full time soldier earns 44% of an average salary, beginning at training. After that, for every year in the military career,the salary goes up by 3%. For each increase in major rank, the salary is raised by 50%. The income level levels vary broadly by the profession within the military, and the ranking.
