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

6 of us Vietnam veterans at Palm Beach Jr. College were were asked to leave the campus, after attending several weeks of school. They said the VA was no longer paying for our education. Oh well.

Soldiers do not generally hone soft skills the way that is learned through academic programs. Also, I worked in the Federal arena for many years post retirement, I know first hand that the average GS does not have a degree. In fact there are GS13 and above who do not have degrees. In any case I do not believe that Soldiers up through E6 in most MOS’s do not learn the skills required of a 4 year general studies degree. Just my opinion.

No.

Change his subject, it is stupid. Perhaps a way to test and receive credit for experiences that are skilled is annotated. Leadership CLEP test given to show levels of leadership and Human Resource education. Many times they military will say with your experience you are middle management but HR looks at that and just laughs. Reference letters would help in future employment as well before you leave. Otherwise it is like those PCS medals promised but never submitted.

Tell him to find another subject. Reading the job requirements for jobs most soldiers go through and NCOS later a test should be given for college credit such as Leadership. Leadership 1, 2 and 3 for instance. ASCE Certification. Physical Fitness College Credit, Martial Arts, Land and Sea Navigation. Real Estate Building Maintenance and such.

Would be nice- but the military (short of accredited academies) does not give or issue degrees. They can only work with the education system to get you some credit for the courses.

I'm not sure that a 4 year degree is the money maker that it used to be. I'm here to tell you, I am not pushing that on my soldiers, nor my own children. If they want to do it, fine. What the US lacks are people willing to get their hands dirty and take risks. Our service industries are running out of people. Construction trades are very, very high paying depending on geographical location. HVAC, Elctrician, Plumber, Carpenter, etc. All of these programs are offered at most local community colleges and are 18-24 month certificate producing programs.

The Military offers free training in most of these programs. Kids should take advantage of them.

Just a different thought on the matter.

Yes and No. Yes, the military should provide a way for service members to earn an accredited degree while serving. No, it should not be awarded with no extra work.

I prefer the concept used by the USAF with its Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). The CCAF is regionally accredited... Airmen are encouraged to use the credits that they earn through military service schools and occupational training towards a CCAF Associates degree that closely aligns with their occupation in the USAF. In fact the CCAF aligns their academic programs so closely with the USAF occupational specialties that CCAF training becomes part of the total USAF occupational training experience. It should also be noted that there are General Education requirements so Airmen must attend at least some formal college courses to complete the requirements for the degree.

The CCAF concept is an award winner in my humble opinion and should be considered an excellent role model for other military services to provide that same kind of support to their service members.

And now to answer the rest of the question... Should the military grant a 4 year "General Studies" degree to soldiers whom have served in the Armed Forces?

No. I believe that the CCAF associate's degree model provides all that the military needs... and that there is more than enough availability for service members to continue their education towards a four year degree via local and online universities.

Soldiers already receive college credit for the MOS training they complete. Some earn enough college credit to satisfy a couple of semesters of coursework or even an associate's degree with MOS experience under their belt. Knowing that, I do not see why a General Studies degree is out of the question for a retired Soldier whose depth of leadership and general knowledge surpasses that of their civilian peers. I do not think we "diminish" the worth of a degree, we are simply bringing to light a life's long dedication to Service and wealth of knowledge in many respective disciplines, hence the term "General Studies."

Makes sense?

That’s a big negative. I just finished my associate in general education, the classes you have to take for that you in no way whatsoever get that knowledge from 4 years in the service. english classes, history, math (beyond your common core and basic addition and subtraction) humanities, sciences and so on, not to mention the countless elective hours. The military pays for your education, they have also partnered with a wife of schools who acknowledge the JST and give you some college credit for your military experience. So just giving some a general ed or general studies degree for serving, it’s not plausible nor it is a good idea.