Military Education, military education, service programs, G.I. Bill - Military Times

DANTES

The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support allows service members to receive educational opportunities outside the classroom. Education centers at nearly every installation have DANTES materials and provide DANTES-sponsored tests. Most DANTES services are free and available to active and reserve personnel.

Contact: For a complete listing of DANTES programs, see www.dantes. doded.mi.

DANTES services include:

Testing. Academic tests are provided to military education centers, including high school equivalency and college admission tests and exams to earn college credit for service skills. Tests are administered at more than 560 military installations worldwide.

Exams for credit toward college degrees are offered in three testing programs: the College Level Examination Program, the Excelsior College Examinations Program and the DANTES Subject Standardized Tests. These tests are given to service members to earn college credit for subjects and skills they already know. Reimbursement for graduate-level entrance exams such as the Graduate Record Exam also may be available.

On some installations, family members and federal civilians can take the tests for a fee, if space is available.

College credit for skills. Under a DANTES contract, the American Council on Education evaluates military training and job experience and makes recommendations for academic credit equivalency.

Each military branch has its own official transcript service, and transcripts showing ACE-recommended credits may be sent to colleges and universities. However, not all institutions take the council’s recommendations.

Contact: ACE publishes its course descriptions and credit recommendations at www.militaryguides.acenet.edu.

Distance learning courses. Many colleges offer fully accredited distance learning courses to service members. Some offer degrees that can be obtained through online coursework. Through agreements with more than 90 regionally and nationally accredited schools and colleges, DANTES provides listings of courses from high school to graduate level.

The programs are explained in the DANTES Independent Study and External Degree catalogs; your installation’s education office may provide these catalogs.

Contact: For information on the Defense Department’s voluntary education programs, see www.voled.doded.mil.

Courses designed for service members who are not seeking a degree and for vocational-technical students are listed in the DANTES Catalog of Nationally Accredited Distance Learning Programs.

For more information, see www.voled. doded.mil/voled_web/services/rcvoled/rcvoledindex.htm?Flag=True.

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges program. DANTES also oversees a program involving nearly 1,800 schools that have agreed to accept maximum military ACE transfer credit, have flexible residency requirements and recognize at least one of the national testing programs for academic credit. They also work to ensure mobilized reservists get maximum benefits when leaving school during activation.

There is a SOC program for each service excep the Air Force. However, Air Force members may participate in any of the other programs.

Contact: For more information, go to www.soc.aascu.org.

For additional information, write to Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, 1307 New York Ave. N.W., Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20005-4701; or call (202) 667-0079 or (800) 368-5622.

A list of participating SOC schools may be found on the SOC Web site.