Higher Education
Members
of the military community in Europe want higher education. They know that an associate, bachelor or postgraduate degree can mean promotions and better paying jobs, whether in or out of the service.
That is why the command here has established an elaborate program of university-level instruction. Five colleges and universities presently have contracts to provide this instruction: University of Maryland University College-Europe, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, The University of Oklahoma, Central Texas College and the University of Phoenix. All of them conduct classes in the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
You may earn your degree while you are overseas, or you may transfer credits to a stateside college or university. It's possible to attend classes evenings and weekends, to get college credit without study for things already known, or to take advantage of the exciting new "virtual classrooms" of the cyber age.
DISTANCE EDUCATION
The cyber age has made possible a vast improvement over the old fashioned, mail-order correspondence course. Video/audio, CD-ROM, computer-based instruction, e-mail and the internet provide a whole new dimension.
The "virtual classroom," which simulates the traditional classroom in many ways, is here to stay, with a possibly revolutionary impact on the whole education system. Its presence is strongly felt in Europe. People here who can benefit from it are not only ones located in remote areas, but also people who do a lot of traveling (your "classroom" is anywhere you can find a networked computer) and persons whose work or personal situation demands that they be at a certain location during the time that classes are usually offered.
Much of this new kind of education differs markedly from the pencil-and-paper correspondence courses of yesteryear. A large portion of the distance learning taken within the military today is either video-based or web-based. The web-based courses have an instructor and last for a semester just like the traditional courses. The widely-dispersed students are expected to check in several times a week, read what the instructor has to say, ask questions, do their homework, write term papers and take an examination at the end of the semester. Most final exams are online but some are taken at an education center under proctored conditions.
A big advantage of distance education is that the student isn't required to be at a certain place at a certain time. Communication between members of the class and the instructor is generally asynchronous, meaning "not at the same time." Classes aren't chat rooms. Things are left posted until the student or instructor accesses them.
CREDIT FOR WHAT YOU KNOW
At the end of World War II, the military services realized that they had in fact interrupted the high school education of hundreds of thousands of young American men by drafting them to active duty. Likewise, they realized that a large majority of those soldier/veterans had acquired knowledge and skills because of their military training and experience. Out of this realization came the original tests of General Education Development or the GED, tests originally owned by the United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI).
Civilian educators rapidly realized the applicability of these GED tests to the general population and soon the civilian GED Institute was created to make these tests available to non-veterans as well. These tests were the forerunners of today's College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Likewise, the USAFI was the forerunner of today's Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES).
The servicemember doesn't always have to be examined on what he or she knows. The American Council on Education (ACE) has recommended the number of credit hours that civilian schools may wish to award based on a servicemember's military training and experience. All five colleges and universities presently under contract to USAREUR accept these recommendations.
DANTES also certifies distance education courses other than the ones offered by the contracting universities. There are thousands of such courses covering an incredible range of subject matter. And it is possible, in some cases, to get tuition assistance for taking these courses. But don't undertake one without first consulting an advisor at your nearest education center.
TUITION ASSISTANCE
A wide variety of financial aid opportunities are offered to members of the military community in the form of scholarships, student loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Loans, Veterans' Educational Benefits, the G.I. Bill, and more.
DANTES also offers tuition assistance in some cases, and financial aid advisors are available to answer questions and guide students through the financial aid process. Such aid can be used concurrently with VA educational benefits, scholarships, military tuition assistance, and military spouse tuition assistance.
The Army has established a centralized tuition assistance management system, GoArmyEd, to make tuition assistance available to soldiers anywhere. Under it, a total of 2,478 degrees are offered at some 1,750 schools. The Air Force is in the process of establishing a similar program.
The Electronic Army University (eArmyU) is an innovative e-learning program within the GoArmyEd portal. It provides Army personnel worldwide access to 145 degree plans at 27 regionally-accredited colleges and universities. Through it they have the opportunity to earn a certificate or an associate, bachelor's or master's degree from a home college while taking courses from multiple colleges.
Once enrolled, soldiers receive up to 100% funding for tuition, course-related fees and books (up to the established semester hour cap and tuition ceiling). Army personnel interested in GoArmyEd or eArmyU should check with their Education Centers or the website www.earmyu.com.
University of Maryland University College
University of Maryland University College offers students more--more programs, services, flexibility, and convenience. Students can enroll in a full range of lower and upper level courses leading to certificates and associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. To ensure that courses and programs are readily accessible, the university offers a wide array of on-site and online learning opportunities at over 70 sites throughout Europe and the Middle East, including Afghanistan. This makes education an attainable goal, even for servicemembers in deployed locations.
UMUC students have a choice of over 16 majors and 18 minors in Europe, as well as many additional majors online. With the expansion of the Distance Education program, the university's reach now extends across the globe enabling students here to take UMUC classes that originate in Europe, Asia, or from the home campus in Adelphi, Maryland, all at the Europe military tuition rate. Most students combine the traditional on-site courses with online alternatives to earn their degrees. And since adult learners may have gained college-level knowledge from previous work and life experiences, UMUC offers several innovative credit options to accelerate progress towards a degree.
Emphasizing quality, flexibility, and responsiveness, Bowie State University, in partnership with UMUC-Europe, offers graduate-level professional certificates and master's degrees in counseling psychology, guidance and counseling, management information systems, and public administration. Also, UMUC-Europe offers a graduate certificate in information assurance and a master's degree in information technology.
At UMUC, all programs and services are designed to allow students to continue their education without interruption. Classes are offered in convenient locations and formats, including evenings and weekends, to meet the needs of busy students faced with balancing work, family, and study. Additionally, UMUC offers a wide variety of student services such as financial aid options including scholarships, on-site academic advising, GoArmyEd assistance, computer labs, and library resources. Students can begin a program of study during any of the five terms offered each year.
UMUC-Europe provides top-quality academic programs and services to members of U.S. military communities, and has done so for almost 60 years. As the leading provider of education for the U.S. military, UMUC serves over 88,000 students annually. An integral part of this visionary and global institution is that students leaving Europe can continue and finish their degrees with UMUC wherever they are in the world.
In the KMC, UMUC offers classes at Kapaun, Kleber, Landstuhl, Miesau, ROB, Ramstein, and Sembach. Students can choose from a wide selection of on-site courses to include: business and management, communications, computing, criminal justice, economics, English, foreign languages, history, information assurance, mathematics, psychology, science, and much more. To contact a UMUC field representative at the Ramstein Education Center, call 06371-47-5833/2286.
University of Maryland University College-Europe/Bowie State University
Tel: (DSN) 370-6762, (civilian) +49-(0)6221-3780
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Web: www.ed.umuc.edu
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Why not make Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide your gateway to the career of your choice? Many of the students who earn degrees from Embry-Riddle are seeking career advancement in the aviation, aerospace and transportation industries, both in the military and beyond their service commitment.
Did you know that you can complete an Embry-Riddle undergraduate or graduate degree without ever leaving your duty station? You can even take it with you when you deploy! The International Region of Embry-Riddle Worldwide has teaching locations all across Europe and online for your convenience. With certificate programs in aviation safety, logistics, supply chain management and aviation maintenance technology type 65, undergraduate degree programs in professional aeronautics, aircraft maintenance and technical management and graduate degree programs in aeronautical science and management, you can select the career path of your choice in the location of your choice.
To meet the educational needs of working adults and active duty military, course schedules are flexible with most classes meeting just one evening per week or on the weekend. In July 2006, Embry-Riddle Worldwide began accepting recently graduated high school students, who qualify for admission, to degree programs at its more than 130 Worldwide Campuses. To assist students in their career needs, Embry-Riddle's Career Services office provides students and graduates with information and services helpful in the employment search process.
Embry-Riddle Worldwide began in 1970 as a branch of the Daytona Beach Campus at Ft. Rucker, Alabama with 20 students, primarily military working adults. Since then, the program has become one of the largest off-campus, regionally-accredited colleges in the United States, with over 45,000 alumni. The Worldwide organization educates more than 27,000 students through classroom, online or hybrid undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 32,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., Daytona Beach, Fla., and Worldwide at more than 130 centers in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, and through online learning.
For more information on Embry-Riddle programs in Europe and the Middle East visit us on the Web at www.embryriddle.edu/europe.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide, International Region CMR 429, APO AE 09054. (Europaallee 6, 67657 Kaiserslautern, Germany)
