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

Wouldn't be prudent. If you consider that the Air Force has its own College (and perhaps that's why this question may have originated) it would be easy to assume that the military can award a degree. The reality is we're talking Apples and Oranges when we use the term, "General Studies" and attempt to align it with Military service.

The JST - Joint Service Transcript already covers military personnel for recommending college credit based on courses taken while serving in the Armed Forces. This alone is extraordinary.

The degree alone would be an issue since the Army would need to develop an entire agency to manage the accreditation and administrative aspects of the higher education component.

This alone goes against the DoD budget proposals that have been made public this last year which mandate downsizing over the next several years. So the integration alone would fail from a budgeting perspective.

Partnering with Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL's) is possible but you run the risk of devaluing the schools brand which translates to devaluing the credentials it awards. My opinion is speaking more to the "perception" employers will have about such a degree, and at the end of the day social and personal perception dictates whether or not it's favorable or negative. I'm sure there are IHL's that would jump on the bandwagon for revenue reasons, and that'ts likely the only reason they would... This is why CCAF (Community College of the Air Force) was created to avoid that issue and keep the Air Force education program constrained to only what it believes is going to benefit the Airmen. Frankly the Air Force got it right, but it could do that because it's force structure is a fraction of that compared to the US Army.

Absolutely Not!!!!! Most higher learning institutions (the good ones anyways) are not about teaching knowledge, but rather about thinking critically, understanding and applying analysis within context, and dealing with the World. The Military does the exact opposite. The military teaches and instills instant obedience to orders, without critical thought. The military micromanages and does things "by the numbers" so that analyzing isn't required (except maybe executive or programmatic level positions and certain limited MOS's). And military members are insulated from the "real world" by the bubble of the military institution.

Now before anyone gets angry that I am denigrating the military, none of these are bad things. They are exactly what makes US service members survive in combat and help all branches operate more efficiently. But they are antithetical to the purposes of matriculating into a higher educational institution. It would be interesting to know how many vets had to deprogram to some extent before they could thrive in a school environment (impromptu poll...); I did.

So no, even though an enlistment may potentially provide invaluable experience, personal growth, and particularized knowledge, it is not the same as what a degree denotes within our culture. Granting a 1-term enlistee a degree is unfair to the soldiers getting them because they can't live up to what the degree represents to the rest of the world about them.

I think that just saying "Ok, you did x years in the service, here's the equivalent of a college degree" is NOT a good idea. However, I do think that Leadership Courses, Correspondence Courses, SSD courses, and maybe even AIT should all count toward civilian education. In a lot of instances a service member will get out and then have to sit through courses that they've already done some equivalent of. Why waste all that time on things you already know or are proficient at when you could just move on to the next level?

I'll add my voice to the chorus of "no's" being sung here. If you grant a degree and everyone leaving military service gets one, then you diminish the value of the degree in the first place. It doesn't serve to elevate everyone to the level of "college graduate," rather it changes the perception of military veterans to the lowest common denominator.

I'll be honest - I learned a lot from going to class and doing my coursework. A lot of things I wouldn't have learned or benefitted from if the DoD had just blessed me with an honorary degree along with my lapel pin and ceremonial flag.

Yes and No, if it was fine tuned towards their MOS then yes, but no more than and Associates. I say this because I have seen States like WV that when you complete their 6 mos. State Police Academy, you are awarded an Associates Degree through one of their state colleges. NJ State Police require you to already have a degree. So lets take an MP for instance, why not grant them an associates after training or maybe once you make it to the rank of E-5 than you would be granted an Associates. Same with a cook, they could get an associates in Diet and Nutrition or whatever Degree would correlate to that. But No, no to a BS just because, I agree with SGM Quick with the reference to 'Trophy generation".

Also, I'm not sure how colleges award credit for your service, but if the degree you are seeking correlates with your MOS then you should be awarded more credit than someone going for the same degree from a different mos. Not just a blanket amount of credit just for Service For example an MP seeking a Criminal Justices Degree compared to an Infantryman seeking a Criminal Justice Degree.

Due to unfortunate circumstances, I was not able to use my G.I. Bill within 10 years of discharge. Once I was in a stable place, I tried to get my benefit but they said my time expired. I wish that rule would change. Especially because they took $1200.00 from me right from the start while in Boot Camp. If they won't give me the benefit, they should at least give that money back to the veteran.

No. The School of Hard Knocks - U.S. Military campus is a great institution of learning, but it should not be a degree awarding institution. I get it, it sucks competing against civilians with real degrees, and it sucks working for a degree in between deployments/PCSes/long hours while on active duty. There is little that we learn in the military that truly translates to being a normal human in the civilian world, and it should be part of our life experiences to reacclimatize to the civilian world when it is our time to do so.

Many institutions already provide college credit for appropriate training and experience... its a good system, why cheapen a 4 year degree by just giving it away?

For the longest time I have a vision of what the NCOES system could be. If planned properly this could be the answers to our current educational gap. From the moment you entered active duty your SSD studies are complemented with some general education classes by the time you achieve the rank of SSG you should be a ble to produce an Associates degree in General education. You will continue with your SSDs and NCOES schooling persuing a BA or BS in either General education or MOS related. Completing a 4 year degree before being eligible for MSG. At this point enrrolment into a Masters program should be a requirement before attending USASMA culminating with a Masters in organizational leadership or Liberal Arts with concentration in leadership or Military studies. All this could be done if the right partnership happens between our NCOES system an a University with the vision for this to work. For example a PVT enters the Army as an MP by the time he reaches SSG he would have an Associates degree in General Ed or Criminal Justice; by the time MSG is achieved he will have a Baccalurates in criminal Justice or Liberal Arts and lastly upon graduation from the Sergeants Major Academy he will have a Masters in leadership. This would be the optional following an MOS related path or the Soldier may choose a non MOS related degree plan but the completion milestones would still be the same before the major promotions i.e. AA before E7 BA or BS before MSG Masters upon graduation USASMA. This is my vision I know it may be flawed but I think it with the proper planning it could be attainable.

Negative, how about the folks that want to earn a degree while they are in turn in the old TA request and register for their first course today. It is free to go to school while you are in. That is more than enough of an opportunity in my mind. If someone really wants a degree, they will be willing to put in the extra effort it takes to earn it.