Service Programs — Army - Military Education & G.I. Bill Information - Military Times

Service Programs — Army

Army Career Degrees

This program takes the Army’s version of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges to a greater degree of specificity, with degree options matched to career management fields and military occupational specialties. Because many soldiers decide to make the Army a career at the end of their first enlistment, information about this program is presented upon their graduation from advanced individual training or during their first NCO Education System course. Soldiers can complete ACD programs via distance learning, classroom settings or by learning assessment.

Contact: www.soc.aascu.org/socad/ACD.html, or an Army education center counselor.

Army College Fund

The ACF is an enlistment incentive designed to help recruit soldiers into critical or short-staffed military occupational specialties. It works in tandem with the Montgomery GI Bill; soldiers cannot use the ACF without being eligible for the GI Bill. Amounts vary based on length of enlistment. To qualify for benefits, soldiers must enroll before entering active service.

Contact: Visit the GoArmyEd Web portal at www.goarmyed.com or contact an Army recruiter.

Army Continuing Education System

ACES centers in the U.S. and overseas sponsor a variety of programs for high school completion, college and vocational-technical courses, nontraditional programs and testing services.

Contact: Visit GoArmyEd Web portal at www.goarmyed.com For personal assistance, contact local education centers.

Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System

This popular service for active-duty Army, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers generates an official transcript that reflects military education and training, job experience and educational testing achievements, with the college credits recommended for each by the American Council on education.

The transcript provides prospective colleges and civilian employers with a means to evaluate a soldier’s achievements. The transcripts are free and can be used to gain academic credits when applying for college or enrolling in a vocational-technical school.

Contact: Get a transcript request form at aarts.army.mil/Form.htm and mail to the AARTS Operations Center, 298 Grant Ave., Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-1254, or fax to (913) 684-9497. For questions about AARTS, e-mail LEAV-AARTS@conus.army.mil.

College of the American Soldier

This program works in conjunction with GoArmyEd and colleges that offer degrees under the Career Noncommissioned Officer Degrees Program. CAS expands on degree choices to provide career NCOs with varied options that are not tied to their career management field and MOS. It is designed to be flexible in terms of degree completion times, liberal rules allowing credit transfers between the 12 participating colleges, and awarding credit for military training and education.

Contact: www.goarmyed.com/public /public_cas.aspx, or an Army education center counselor.

Credentialing Opportunities On-Line

COOL is a Web site that provides information about how soldiers can earn civilian certificates and licenses related to their military occupational specialty. About 85 percent of the Army’s enlisted specialties have directly applicable civilian credentials. Soldiers and veterans can use up to $2,000 of their Montgomery GI Bill money to pay for licensure and certification exams. Under the sergeant and staff sergeant promotion system, soldiers can earn up to 50 promotion points for earning technical certifications related to their military occupational specialty.

Contact: www.cool.army.mil/ or an Army education center counselor.

eArmyU

An online program launched in 2001, eArmyU enables eligible soldiers to work toward college degrees and certificates “anytime, anywhere” at 25 regionally accredited colleges and universities offering 145 certificate and degree programs.

Through eArmyU, soldiers can earn a certificate or an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree from a home college while taking courses from multiple colleges. Web-based courses offer unique “anytime, anywhere” flexibility, allowing soldiers to study at times most convenient for them — even as their schedules and duty assignments change.

The program provides comprehensive support services, including mentors, a 24-hour help desk, an Internet service provider, an e-mail account and 100 percent tuition assistance, books and courses fees, up to normal tuition assistance limits. The free laptop option for this program no longer is available.

Contact: www.goarmyed.com/public/ public_earmyu-about_earmyu.aspx

Green to Gold

There are two options to this program, which is designed to offer enlisted soldiers with at least two years of active duty an opportunity to earn an Army commission as a second lieutenant.

The scholarship option is for soldiers who want to compete for a two-, three- or four-year Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship. Applicants must be under age 31, have a GT score of 110 or better, and meet all requirements for a commission and a college baccalaureate degree.

The scholarship pays tuition or room-and-board support; money for textbooks, supplies and equipment; and a monthly living expenses stipend for up to 10 months each school year. Participants incur a four-year active-duty service obligation.

A nonscholarship version is available to soldiers who have at least two years of college, and can earn a degree in less than two years using their Montgomery GI Bill and Army College Fund benefits. Participants incur a three-year active duty service obligation.

A second Green to Gold option is for soldiers with at least two years of college credits who want to stay on active duty while they complete their undergraduate or graduate degree requirements.

While in the program for up to 24 months, soldiers continue to draw active-duty pay. If qualified, they can use their GI Bill and Army College Fund benefits.

Contact: www.goarmy.com/rotc/enlisted_soldiers.jsp or an education center counselor or an Army ROTC professor of military science.