Should the military grant a 4 year "General Studies" degree to soldiers whom have served in the Armed Forces?

The Army PAYS for Soldiers to go to college...you want to just give this away without actually attending college and learning? &nbsp;We learn very little from our daily duties that would prepare us for a civilian career, much less than one that requires formal education.<br><br>How would one be 'granted' an accredited baccalaureate degree for basically 'life skills'?<br><br>This seems to just be another of societies 'everyone gets a trophy' scenario.

No reason to stop at the General Studies degree. We could just as easily grant everyone a PhD. Then instead of watering down what little credibility is left in an undergraduate degree, we could further undermine the meaning of "doctor".

Most Soldiers who do one term of enlistment will spend less than six months in training and the rest of the time will be spent doing their duty. As a former Infantry Soldier, I can tell you that doesn't help you develop a lot of "life skills". Many Soldiers will come out of the military much less prepared for the civilian world than they were when they enlisted. No need to reward them for this.

Let's keep degrees where they belong, in college. And let's encourage our Soldiers to get a degree while they are in service rather than sitting in the barracks playing X-Box.

<div>1LT P.</div><div><br></div>Unfortunately, no. Fortunately, no. GI bill provides a chance to get a real degree.<div><br></div><div>Why settle for unaccredited degree that will be instantly discarded as worthless??</div><div><br></div><div>Get real degree from real institution based on real coursework earning real units.</div><div><br></div><div>Warmest Regards, Sandy</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

NO!!! &nbsp;There is no way that I could equate my military experience with a 4-year degree. &nbsp;I earned my bachelor's degree while serving in the Army and the experiences of going to school and being a Soldier are completely different. &nbsp;I think the current system is sufficient in allowing Soldiers to apply for "transfer credit" from their military experiences and schooling. &nbsp;The bottom line is that even though there are some transfer credits awarded, they will not be enough to equate to a 4-year degree. &nbsp;They wouldn't even come close to meeting the core class requirements for a bachelor's degree.

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</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Calibri">I do not think it is fair to give them a degree at all. They
should go to school and earn it like me and other people I know have done. Most
colleges give you elective credits for some of the stuff that you learn in the
Army. You know how many people would earn a degree simply for being in the Army
and have done absolutely nothing? Most of them do not know history or basic
math and he wants to give them a degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;
</span>To me that is an insult for people who have took their time and went to
college and earned their degree while working or on a deployment. </font></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">

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This might be a case where it "Briefs well" however there are several problems that would make granting a degree a bad idea. I will name a few off the top of my head that might inspire some thought, however I don't feel that this should be a discussion brought to the table. &nbsp;Especially, when we all have the opportunity to obtain degrees with Tuition Assistance, Post 9/11 GI Bill, Advanced Civil Schooling, ROTC--Green to Gold, etc. &nbsp;Here you go:<div><br></div><div>1. Granting a degree would be prejudicial against good order and discipline in that it would generate a system in which many people would volunteer for the Armed Services to obtain a degree without placing the emphasis on education itself.</div><div><br></div><div>2. As many people obtain a degree they work hard, study hard, and balance many of life's challenges during their pursuit of higher education. Would it not devalue their hard work to have someone basically get a degree without the same hard work? &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>3. Why do you purpose it be a "general studies" degree? &nbsp;Many times the course work for general studies revolves in the Social Sciences and Humanities that include English, Literature, Special Problems, Criminology, Sociology, Major National/Global issues, Political Sciences, etc. &nbsp;That being said, the "general studies" are important classes so you are essentially arguing that "general studies" are not as important or that "general studies" would be a more palatable avenue for someone to allow for a degree to be granted due to the fact it would not be as if someone was given degree in a specific area of concentration. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>4. Though it may sound like a great idea, and hypothetically if it did occur, I would argue that the people that obtain a degree that is granted would be far behind and face many more challenges with writing, communication, discipline, and social problems. &nbsp;Higher education isn't just going to class and receiving a piece of paper. &nbsp;There are value skills and traits developed that cannot be learned through granting a degree in exchange for service. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>5. If degrees are granted, the job market and resumes would then be flooded to a degree that those who only had a bachelor's degree would be forced to seek Master's or higher in order to set themselves apart from everyone else.....this is already happening, therefore, it would make it that much more difficult to obtain a career.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>6. Why would you not try to argue that the government implement a specific plan or point system for service oriented careers in the GS system? &nbsp;You stated it is virtually impossible to get a GS job without a degree. &nbsp;Fix the System. Don't attempt to create a method of subversion to obtain a career. &nbsp;It takes years of hard work and dedication. Building on my first point, you would create a new sub-culture seeking to get GS jobs, free degrees, all while they are not expanding their knowledge or social influence. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>My theory is that the more educated a person becomes then the more objective they become in their thought processes and actions. Essentially, more education and development allows people to become less emotionally attached to ideas and the opinions of others. &nbsp;More education=maturity and less violence. Think about it.</div><div><br></div><div>I will stop here, I am sure I can think of many other reasons it is a bad idea. &nbsp;However, I wish you the best of luck in pursuing your argument. &nbsp;I really would like to see the results. &nbsp;</div>

I enlisted in the Navy for 5 years as an aircraft electrician before I got out to pursue a college degree. While I learned a lot in the Navy, it did not come close to the type of critical thinking that college pushes. While I would like to see more reciprocity with civilian industrial occupation certifications (RN, A&P license, CDL) I don't think just being in the military for 4 years qualifies you for the type of work expected from someone with a bachelor's degree. Enlisted occupations tend to focus on the 'how' while academia tends to look at the 'why'.

<font color="#4d4d4d"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Giving a degree to anyone without having them put the effort into earning it might devalue the same degree for those that paid the money, took the classes etc. I know several Service Members who went to school after work to earn this degree because it fit their path they were going on. Going to school while in the service takes discipline to get it done, we receive credit for certain training as it stands that colleges may or may not accept. Going down that path may seem like a good idea but overall I just think it devalues the degree regardless of the Major/Minor or in this case concentration for General Studies.&nbsp;</span></font>

Really? You get a trophy for just showing up, little Johnny! Maybe they should also get an MSM for their ETS award, too. Go to college, use your TA, GI Bill, educate yourself!

I don't think it should be a "give away". I especially don't think a 4 year degree should be given for a 3 year enlistment. That being said, we make all sorts of training mandatory, why can't we make a minimum course of civilian study leading to a civilian certification mandatory and a pre-requisite to attending NCOES schools? Most MOS's have some sort of civilian capability for certification.