Masters Degree through CAP?

[SuperCAP]

Anybody know details on how to get a Masters Degree through CAP?  Somebody mentioned this to me but I didnt have time to get all the details.  I believe its  through the USAF Distance Learning Courses (AU A4/6).  Seems like you have to have a certain rank in CAP and a Bachelors Degree to qualify.  Just wondering if anyone has been through the process or knows any info on it, thanks.

[coudano]

Last I heard, the masters degree option for ACSC is not available to CAP enrollees.
You can still take ACSC if you meet requirements, though.

[Flying Pig]

The Naval Post Grad School in CA allows people in certain public safety positions to attend and obtain their Masters for free, but it requires you to spend a lot of time there on site.  My last agency would let us do it but you had to take a leave of absence for a few months...... Meaning no pay or bennies. 

I looked in my old emails but I don't have the info.   Not anything I was interested in, but someone may want to research it.

[MSG Mac]

Last I heard, the masters degree option for ACSC is not available to CAP enrollees.
You can still take ACSC if you meet requirements, though.

You may want to contact AU directly for the "OfficialWord" on the requirements for the Master's degree.

[SARDOC]

In Looking at their website it looks like that CAP is still not eligible for the Masters' degree program via distance learning.  You can always take the typical program that we are eligible and apply it to a degree at a university that will apply those credits to their masters' program.

[SARDOC]

I'm glad someone brought this up anyway.  Has anybody taken SOS, ACSC or AWC recently?  What do you think of the new program?

I'm looking at starting SOS soon and was just curious to see what people though of the course itself, not necessarily it's applicability to CAP.

[Alaric]

I'm glad someone brought this up anyway.  Has anybody taken SOS, ACSC or AWC recently?  What do you think of the new program?

I'm looking at starting SOS soon and was just curious to see what people though of the course itself, not necessarily it's applicability to CAP.

Am just starting the ACSC

[Brad]

I sent in my request for SOS, and at first they tried to have me submit eligibility on the civilian side and not the CAP side. I wrote them back saying I was applying as a CAP member and not a civilian. They said ok and that it would submitted for reprocessing that way. Never heard anything back. That was months ago. I think they forgot about me.

[SARDOC]

I sent in my request for SOS, and at first they tried to have me submit eligibility on the civilian side and not the CAP side. I wrote them back saying I was applying as a CAP member and not a civilian. They said ok and that it would submitted for reprocessing that way. Never heard anything back. That was months ago. I think they forgot about me.

Yeah, if it's been a few months I would probably follow up.

[CAP_truth]

Per national headquarters all members are required to have acollege degree from an accredited scholl to enroll in SOS, ACSC or AWC. AF rule not CAP

[OldGuard]

I sent in my request for SOS, and at first they tried to have me submit eligibility on the civilian side and not the CAP side. I wrote them back saying I was applying as a CAP member and not a civilian. They said ok and that it would submitted for reprocessing that way. Never heard anything back. That was months ago. I think they forgot about me.

The Air University Portal for SOS has been down for over a month.

[Mitchell 1969]

In Looking at their website it looks like that CAP is still not eligible for the Masters' degree program via distance learning.  You can always take the typical program that we are eligible and apply it to a degree at a university that will apply those credits to their masters' program.

Trident University International (formerly Touro University International) had, may still have, a MBA that gave credit for ACSC, about 9 units out of 30-32 required. Regionally accredited, distance learning.

[SARDOC]

American Public/Military University will take the ACSC or AWC for credit as well.  Also regionally accredited.

[skymaster]

I sent in my request for SOS, and at first they tried to have me submit eligibility on the civilian side and not the CAP side. I wrote them back saying I was applying as a CAP member and not a civilian. They said ok and that it would submitted for reprocessing that way. Never heard anything back. That was months ago. I think they forgot about me.

The Air University Portal for SOS has been down for over a month.

Did you contact the CAP NHQ Professional Development Registrar? I recently completed the AF Squadron Officer School Distance Learning Program, and I was informed when I signed up that I had to contact her directly, as she is the ONLY person who can enroll you for SOS as a CAP member. Per http://www.capmembers.com/cap_university/au-a4-6-students-usaf-dl/ : To enroll send an email to ProDev@capnhq.gov requesting enrollment information for the SOS DL course.  You will be contacted by CAP NHQ staff and provided with enrollment instructions. (NOTE: Be prepared with a copy of your Bachelor Degree transcript, because she WILL ask for it. DO NOT, however, email it to her until she requests it). Also, keep in mind that Air University only offers time extensions for testing and course completion under extreme circumstances, so be prepared to have all tests completed well before the required times. Though testing on base will give you your passing scores immediately, the official grades won't be posted for almost a month afterwards.

[SAREXinNY]

American Public/Military University will take the ACSC or AWC for credit as well.  Also regionally accredited.

I received my Master of Arts from APU/AMU just a couple of years ago. I would highly recommend it. Very high quality program, and my entire degree would have cost $11,900.00 (but my employer picked up most of that tab). This is pretty inexpensive when compared to most other schools. They also have some very interesting and unique programs.  Just thought I'd throw my endorsement out there in case anyone was looking.

[GroundHawg]

Not trying to start anything, but a lot companies (at least locally) will not consider college degrees from for-profit institutions, regionally accredited or not. I don't agree with it, but the warning needs to be thrown out just in case. 

There are many colleges and universities that give post grad credit for the AU distance courses, it would foolish to not consider them, as they are a great way to knock out electives if you already have your BA or BS. I plan on enrolling in SOS as soon as I make Captain.

[Mitchell 1969]

Not trying to start anything, but a lot companies (at least locally) will not consider college degrees from for-profit institutions, regionally accredited or not. I don't agree with it, but the warning needs to be thrown out just in case. 

There are many colleges and universities that give post grad credit for the AU distance courses, it would foolish to not consider them, as they are a great way to knock out electives if you already have your BA or BS. I plan on enrolling in SOS as soon as I make Captain.

A "lot?"  Name three.

[SAREXinNY]

Well, I'm a government employee and the government paid for about 75% of my degree (so they must see some benefit to me/them from me attending).  On top of that, I also got hired as an adjunct instructor at a local college here immediately upon graduating from my Masters program.  I'm pretty proud of my accomplishments, and I've never regretted my decision to go to APU/AMU.  And I have no idea what kind of "local companies" you are speaking of, but the federal government looks upon APU/AMU pretty favorably.  The fact they are for-profit is irrelevant.

[DrJbdm]

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC? As a side note, I'm glad that AU is now requiring a bachelors degree for SOS, ACSC, AWC.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AU requiring that the undergrad degree be from a regionally accredited school?

[SAREXinNY]

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC? As a side note, I'm glad that AU is now requiring a bachelors degree for SOS, ACSC, AWC.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AU requiring that the undergrad degree be from a regionally accredited school?

I got my Masters before joining CAP, so I'm not sure how much credit they award for ACSC.  I'm still a little new to CAP so I haven't taken anything through AU, yet (but I look forward to doing so!).

[Mitchell 1969]

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC? As a side note, I'm glad that AU is now requiring a bachelors degree for SOS, ACSC, AWC.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AU requiring that the undergrad degree be from a regionally accredited school?

Why would that be? As long as a degree is accredited by an accreditation body recognized by the Department of Education, it is acceptable for commissioning, promotion, GI Bill...

Besides regionally accredited, there are degrees that are nationally accredited by DETC which is a DOE recognized accreditation agency. The armed forces doesn't practice the regional vs national academic snobbery engaged in by far too many schools and professors.

[DrJbdm]

 The vast majority, as in almost all regionally accredited schools will not accept credits from Nationally accredited schools nor will they recognize a degree from a nationally accredited school for the purpose of granting admission to a graduate program of study. Some exceptions do exist but as a general rule, a nationally accredited school such as a school accredited by the DETC will generally have an extremely difficult time gaining acceptance.

  The reason I ask is that AU is regionally accredited, and as stated earlier almost all regionally accredited schools save for a very small percentage will not recognize a degree from a nationally accredited school. I don't know why there is such problems with the acceptance, we all know there are both very good DETC accredited schools and very bad ones, the same is equally true of regionally accredited schools, there are some great schools and some very bad ones. I think we can all name at least two or three regionally accredited schools that we wouldn't set foot in. Just wondered what the AU policy was. (I hold a degree from a regionally accredited school)

[SARDOC]

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC? As a side note, I'm glad that AU is now requiring a bachelors degree for SOS, ACSC, AWC.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AU requiring that the undergrad degree be from a regionally accredited school?

It depends on your degree plan.  They won't necessarily give you credit for  AWC, ACSC or SOS if for example you are trying to get a business degree.  However if you are attempting a National Security Studies degree they will count them for credit.  The amount of credit accepted is up to each school.  You'd have to ask their admissions or registrar's residence for exact information.

[GroundHawg]

Not trying to start anything, but a lot companies (at least locally) will not consider college degrees from for-profit institutions, regionally accredited or not. I don't agree with it, but the warning needs to be thrown out just in case. 

There are many colleges and universities that give post grad credit for the AU distance courses, it would foolish to not consider them, as they are a great way to knock out electives if you already have your BA or BS. I plan on enrolling in SOS as soon as I make Captain.

A "lot?"  Name three.

At least 5 of the city or county governments (Florence, Erlanger, Independence, Boone County and Covington), Proctor and Gamble, CSX, and I've heard Toyota. One of my local city police departments (Erlanger) even has a stipulation that if the school does not have a brick and mortar campus, they will not accept the degree as valid. This is goofy as schools like the U of Phoenix now have physical campuses, and there is no way to tell if you received your degree online from a school or went to campus traditionally.

[JeffDG]

Not trying to start anything, but a lot companies (at least locally) will not consider college degrees from for-profit institutions, regionally accredited or not. I don't agree with it, but the warning needs to be thrown out just in case. 

There are many colleges and universities that give post grad credit for the AU distance courses, it would foolish to not consider them, as they are a great way to knock out electives if you already have your BA or BS. I plan on enrolling in SOS as soon as I make Captain.

A "lot?"  Name three.

At least 5 of the city or county governments (Florence, Erlanger, Independence, Boone County and Covington), Proctor and Gamble, CSX, and I've heard Toyota. One of my local city police departments (Erlanger) even has a stipulation that if the school does not have a brick and mortar campus, they will not accept the degree as valid. This is goofy as schools like the U of Phoenix now have physical campuses, and there is no way to tell if you received your degree online from a school or went to campus traditionally.

Where other states are going much more aggressively with online education options, like WGU

[Flying Pig]

Florida and CA are pretty big into online education.  At least on the government employee side.  I have yet to see anyone get pushed aside because their degree was online.  If the degree was different or somehow less, the schools wouldn't allow you to "walk" at graduation and it would probably denote "online" somewhere on the degree.  I've never seen on that denotes online or physically sat in class.

[DBlair]

While it's been a while since this topic has been active, I figured the information below might prove especially valuable as it had been asked a few times:

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC?

Regarding PME (ACSC/AWC) credit through American Public University System (American Military University/American Public University), it is theoretically possible to make (free) progress (ACSC+AWC= 48 Credits) towards a grad degree, *if* all of these credits are applied to the degree program-- and AMU/APU does have a few programs that seem applicable to many of the credit recommendations below, so perhaps somewhat possible.

Military Schools Accepted for Transfer Credit at APUS:
http://www.apus.edu/TransferCredit/accepted/graduate/military.htm
(*SOS only counts if in-residence)



*Note: Credit Recommendations through ACE (below) are generally accepted/followed at most schools. Whether it applies to your specific degree program is the more relevant question.


ACSC: 21 Credits

"In the graduate degree category, 6 semester hours in military history, 3 in regional studies, 6 in defense resources management, and 6 in national and international securities studies" (ACE)

http://www2.acenet.edu/militaryguide/ShowAceCourses.cfm?ACEID=AF-1511-0015


AWC: 27 Credits

"In the graduate degree category, 6 semester hours in military history and strategy, 3 in regional studies, 6 in defense resources management, and 12 in defense policy/national and international security" (ACE)

http://www2.acenet.edu/militaryguide/ShowAceCourses.cfm?ACEID=AF-1511-0014



Regarding "Online" or "Distance Learning" Degree Programs:

While there was once a stigma behind a degree that was earned via distance learning, and some universities previously noted on the transcript or the diploma of the degree whether earned via traditional or distance learning, this is largely a thing of the past and rarely ever seen since the late 1990s or early 2000s as many universities began offering online classes to their traditional students as a means of expanding the quantity of seats available for a course, eventually standardizing into mirror degree programs and requirements for each course as the same regardless of the medium, thus is typically just listed by the course name/code as with any other courses.

Admittedly, there have been a few bad apples as to "online" schools that were not exactly well-respected, but those have faded into the background and now many of the world's top universities, including Ivy League and a wide variety of other well-respected public and private universities offer undergraduate and graduate degrees via distance learning-- including many of the world's top ranked MBA programs.

Thus, while "online" or "distance learning" once meant something negative, today it has no real meaning beyond the fact that it was a medium convenience to your life/work schedule, and is still the exact same degree.

[AirDX]

As with most graduate programs, APUS limits the amount of credit that may be transferred in.  The basic disclaimer is right at the top of the graduate transfer credit page:

"The maximum transfer credit award possible toward a master's degree is 15 semester hours."

I couldn't find it on a quick scan just now, but IIRC there are only 1 or 2 programs at APUS that give that much credit for ACSC.  It's hit or miss otherwise, and what they give may not be applicable to a particular program.

[GroundHawg]

There are three universities that I know of that allow for unlimited transfer of credit, Charter Oak State College, Excelsior, and Thomas Edison State.

[Devil Doc]

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC? As a side note, I'm glad that AU is now requiring a bachelors degree for SOS, ACSC, AWC.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AU requiring that the undergrad degree be from a regionally accredited school?

Confused, what is ACSC? SOS? and AWC? I have an ASSociates Degree from a Community College, and Military Credits, AMU will count CAP? Huh?

[SARDOC]

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC? As a side note, I'm glad that AU is now requiring a bachelors degree for SOS, ACSC, AWC.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AU requiring that the undergrad degree be from a regionally accredited school?

Confused, what is ACSC? SOS? and AWC? I have an ASSociates Degree from a Community College, and Military Credits, AMU will count CAP? Huh?

ACSC = Air Command and Staff College
SOS = Squadron Officer School
AWC = Air War College

They are schools that are typically Military Professional Military Education but the Air Force allows qualified members to attend for our Professional Development purposes.  Many of which are eligible for Graduate level credits to schools that will accept them.

[GroundHawg]

How much credit does AMU give towards a masters degree if you have ACSC? As a side note, I'm glad that AU is now requiring a bachelors degree for SOS, ACSC, AWC.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AU requiring that the undergrad degree be from a regionally accredited school?

Confused, what is ACSC? SOS? and AWC? I have an ASSociates Degree from a Community College, and Military Credits, AMU will count CAP? Huh?

You have to have a bachelors to attend any of the three, but as mentioned, you can grab some free Graduate credits with a little hard work!

[AirDX]

There are three universities that I know of that allow for unlimited transfer of credit, Charter Oak State College, Excelsior, and Thomas Edison State.

Until you get to the graduate level - Excelsior also only allows 15 credits of transfer credit towards a master's degree.

[winterg]

Has anyone taken any graduate courses through AMU/APU?  Interested in feedback if you have.