Posted on Feb 28, 2023
Did you complete your doctorate while on active duty?
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Would love to hear from the rare few who have accomplished such a feat. I am interested in continuing my education, but like any other, doubtful of finding the time to do so at the doctorates level until my career on active duty would be complete.
Education
College
Leadership
Doctorate
Graduate School
Edited 1 y ago
Posted 1 y ago
Responses: 14
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I did my BS and MBA while on active duty. Had the support of my Commander abd the Chief. It was not a walk in the park. Even my girlfriend of 43 years supported me. I was going to start my PhD but I was in Panama when General Noriega started up all that ruckus abd that my fellow soldiers when I had to stop. Note, my studies for the BS and MBA were all in a classroom environment. Working time and many nights to include Saturday and Sundays is how I did it.
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CPO Millard Thompson
I was there when the Iran Contra interdiction was underway. I hurt my back at 24 years old in that conflict (it felt like it was broken, but it wasn't, but I am now 75 and it is just as bad now as it was then) it was then that I decided that I would go the education route when I saw Senior Chief in my division avidly studying books that had no particular place in the radio room. It inspired me to start when I left the Navy, and from that time on it has been smooth sailing and following seas. From my prospective It is a no brainer for us. As far as I am concerned when we have completed such a glorious mission this has to be the next step.
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I'm a reservist, but I completed my doctorate while working full-time (travel job). If you make it a priority, it can be done...as long as you're looking at a program that doesn't in-person attendance other than conferences or limited seminars.
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1LT (Join to see)
Absolutely! I think that is trending in doctorate studies across the board, bi-annual seminars with the majority of work being done by students on their own schedules, around their other responsibilities. More and more degrees are heading online and people are.flxoking to them. From my view, it seems very doable, as long as the commander signs off.
How did your doctorates benefit the unit? I have this hopeful idea in my head that someone could combine a doctorates project with their unit, convincing the commander that it would bring in unique expertise.
How did your doctorates benefit the unit? I have this hopeful idea in my head that someone could combine a doctorates project with their unit, convincing the commander that it would bring in unique expertise.
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CPT (Join to see)
1LT (Join to see) so keep in mind my experience is largely Reserve. There is a tendency for our commanders to see mor value in civilian education since they are also working civilian careers at the same time.
As long as you can demonstrate your degree will broaden your skills as a leader and a soldier, it should be an easy sell to the right commander. A lot of it will require knowing your audience and what motivates them. If they’re looking for a PT stud as a future co commander, a degree in IT might not help get them excited.
As long as you can demonstrate your degree will broaden your skills as a leader and a soldier, it should be an easy sell to the right commander. A lot of it will require knowing your audience and what motivates them. If they’re looking for a PT stud as a future co commander, a degree in IT might not help get them excited.
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I have completed my doctorate, but it was not during my enlistment of 24 years inclusive of reserve (4 years), and active duty of 20 years day for day. I tried to start it on active duty using the University of Maryland program that was available to me even when we were underway, but that dd not work out. As soon as I got out I went to work and did not even anticipate it. I then got a taste of school again on my job with National Semiconductor Corp. and the rest is history. I obtained my associate degree, Bachelor of Science degree (in business), Master of arts degree in Management, and subsequently My Doctorate in Information Technology with a minor in Business. It was not easy, but the benefits of it manifest themselves daily. I completed everything by age 64, and I will never look back. It was truly worth it. There are many opportunities for you to attend the University of Maryland courses while you are on active duty to fill in all of the holes that you can while on active duty, but I chose to do it after I retired from the Navy. Full speed ahead if you are willing. Nothing but respect for you even inqiuring.
Dr. Millard A. Thompson SMC(SW)
Dr. Millard A. Thompson SMC(SW)
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I did it through the Advanced Academic Degree Program...fully funded and was my duty assignment. Even with that advantage, the three year time line was incredibly demanding and took everything I had to finish on time.
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Express your interest in obtaining a doctorate with your assignment officer or career branch. If the opportunity exists you stand a good chance in your career, based on the needs of the service, in obtaining one. In my case I did that and was later assigned as a Captain to the University as a full time doctoral student. After completion, I was then assigned to Washington DC in a utilization tour. Good luck!
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1LT (Join to see)
Really? That sounds like a great opportunity sir, thank you very much for the advice.
May I ask what the experience was like? I would love to hear more of your story.
May I ask what the experience was like? I would love to hear more of your story.
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I have only known a very few. TA will not cover it. I am working on my masters currently with Troy University now. I don't think I will go that far in my education but most programs require a prolonged studies that would not be ideal with the military life style. I am deployed again and I was in the middle of an online class when I started it.
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SPC Vonnie Jones
I am a student at Troy, I actually took a brake. When I was in the service I couldn't do it. I had two sons and it was hard just to be a full time soldier with kids. Now I am 61 with 3 classes left before my BS at Troy. Pls hang in there don't wait until yur 61 lol
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CPT (Join to see)
I already have my BA. I plan on getting my Masters before I get out. It is free while I am in the Army and I am going to take advantage of it.
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I had my Master’s degree when i started my military career and I received an early release after which I started my quest for a PhD. I did so working full time, with a young family, and with travel requirements on the job. I used the GI bill to fund my tuition and fees etc. and earned the doctorate in five years. It was not easy! It required prayer, encouraging parents, a supportive wife, focus, time management, and discipline. Despite the challenges, sacrifices I would do it again. Thankfully I had a career in education as a teacher, supervisor, high school principal, director of instruction, and CEO having worked at the local , regional, and state education agencies over 38 years.
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I graduated this past weekend, PhD in Cyber Operations (link: https://dsu.edu/programs/phdco/index.html). I had 12 college credits when I first joined the Navy (22 years ago), I now have a BA in Psychology, an MA in I/O Psychology, an MS in Computer Science and my PhD. It was a SLOG. When I started the program, I was in a relatively laid-back job and had some flexibility. This past year and a half (working primarily on the dissertation and publications) was brutal, working a department head job overseas - and that's coming from a guy who's been working on homework almost my entire adult life in my spare time. Would I recommend it? Only if you're completely unfamiliar with work/life balance and you're convinced that sleep is for the weak. But now I'm one of the rare few - so there's that. Best of luck!
B~
B~
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1LT (Join to see)
About as expected sir, lol. Sounds like a huge challenge. Congratulations on finally completing your degree! Time to get started on your second PhD.
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LCDR (Join to see)
Nay, it's time to catch up on a decade's worth of video games, tv and relaxing, haha. I think the value of your time sink into the PhD will be determined by your intrinsic drive for it and it's worth outside of the military. I'm retiring this fall, expecting to earn 150-250k on top of my retirement, my PhD being a lead factor in that. Good luck!
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I actually completed mine when leaving active duty and transitioning to the Reserves. While you can use the GI Bill to pay for it in either case, the GI Bill only pays you a housing stipend if you are not on active duty. Doing the doctorate when in the reserves allowed me to treat it as a second job and to supplement my civilian income (nearly every civilian job I looked for paid less than active duty pay+benefits).
As far as time commitment, a doctorate is very different than other degrees. You'll need a lot of uninterrupted writing and reading time. Tests are rare, your grades are mostly related to the quality of lengthy writing/research assignments. Depending on the program you find, much of that may also be group work to prepare you for academia in which there are multiple authors writing a single paper. It may be very hard to find that time in an active duty unit in which you are subject to mobilizations, field problems, and the whims of commanders, but you know your situation better than me.
Check with yourself and see if you really can commit to 15-20 hours per week, no BS. Unlike military courses or even Masters courses that give such estimates, there is still the unacknowledged reality that there are a lot of click-through classes and tests that inflate the number. A doctorate program is very different and the time sink is real!
As far as time commitment, a doctorate is very different than other degrees. You'll need a lot of uninterrupted writing and reading time. Tests are rare, your grades are mostly related to the quality of lengthy writing/research assignments. Depending on the program you find, much of that may also be group work to prepare you for academia in which there are multiple authors writing a single paper. It may be very hard to find that time in an active duty unit in which you are subject to mobilizations, field problems, and the whims of commanders, but you know your situation better than me.
Check with yourself and see if you really can commit to 15-20 hours per week, no BS. Unlike military courses or even Masters courses that give such estimates, there is still the unacknowledged reality that there are a lot of click-through classes and tests that inflate the number. A doctorate program is very different and the time sink is real!
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LTC (Join to see)
1LT (Join to see) - Happy to help in any way I can. I realized I rambled in the end there. Meant to say military/masters courses tell students it takes X time, but are usually way less in practice. For the doctorate, time estimates are probably more accurate. I spent about 2 hours every day by getting up early before the family for writing or reading/note-taking, and a little longer on weekends when needing to. Find a battle rhythm that suits you, but you will need to make sacrifices somewhere. I don't know if I could have gotten the consistency I needed if I was still on active duty. But, the consistency of the reserves and civilian employment set the conditions where I could make it work.
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LTC (Join to see)
Forgot to mention. Program was Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, distance education program with a 2-week residency seminar every August. The school had a lot of USAF people in it and it was interesting to see the world from another service's perspective. I took 2 years of classes, plus 1 year for writing the dissertation, and I was one of the fastest. Most people take 2-3 years to finish the dissertation, but that depends on your motivation, as there aren't clear-cut deadlines from classes anymore and it's easy to stall. Lack of self-motivation is why many do not finish the dissertation and drop out of the program before completing it and earning the degree. Personally, I was motivated by the GI Bill only providing so many months of tuition, so I pushed myself to get it done before that ran out.
Online class would be a good option for you as many schools are starting to offer online programs. It makes sense for a PhD because it's almost entirely research and writing and teaching yourself (we only had a rare lecture here and there to teach us to use software), and libraries are all online these days. The barrier is that many (most?) PhD programs use doctorate students as teachers for undergrads, and that comes with in-person requirements. That's obviously a non-starter for an active duty person, and possibly even for someone with civilian employment.
Still, there are several online programs popping up all over that are good matches for military veterans who don't want to move or quit a job. Just be sure to do your research about the school because there are still some predatory ones out there that exist just to steal your GI Bill. To research the program, try looking up the faculty page and seeing if you can find any of them in recent publications in research journals. If faculty is pumping out research, or you see a lot of authors attributed to the school in journals, it's probably a safe bet.
Online class would be a good option for you as many schools are starting to offer online programs. It makes sense for a PhD because it's almost entirely research and writing and teaching yourself (we only had a rare lecture here and there to teach us to use software), and libraries are all online these days. The barrier is that many (most?) PhD programs use doctorate students as teachers for undergrads, and that comes with in-person requirements. That's obviously a non-starter for an active duty person, and possibly even for someone with civilian employment.
Still, there are several online programs popping up all over that are good matches for military veterans who don't want to move or quit a job. Just be sure to do your research about the school because there are still some predatory ones out there that exist just to steal your GI Bill. To research the program, try looking up the faculty page and seeing if you can find any of them in recent publications in research journals. If faculty is pumping out research, or you see a lot of authors attributed to the school in journals, it's probably a safe bet.
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1LT (Join to see)
LTC (Join to see) My instincts going into this conversation is that I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze. I am not going to ask my family to sacrifice all the effort of a doctorate's degree on top of active duty. I'm not seeking it for the achievement, but for the expertise I'll gain. I'll need the time and energy to put into it.
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