What are the best online degree programs for the military?

I laugh when I hear people stating that online classes are easy. I NEVER wrote so many research papers in my life. Accredited online colleges are insanely demanding because you have NO idea what to focus on. If theclass has 3 books you read them all cover to cover, at least twice! Psych classes averaged about 200 pages of writing per class. Get used to 25 pages at the graduate level. I'm not giving an endorsement or free advertising. My profile lists my schools. Not well known, but VERY challenging and regionally/nationally accredited. Great thread idea CPT (Join to see)

I got my MBA in Accounting from AIU (AmericanIntercontinnental University) it is known as the serious university. I received my Bachelors in Business and Finance though CTU . Colorado Technical University, which has a brick and mortar campus with an athletic department. Both schools were tough, but my capstone class at AIU killed my 3.97 GPA. It was the most difficult class I ever had. I plan on getting my doctorate at Northcentral University online. They have one of the highest ratings for my degree program.

I enjoyed my experience at Capella University online. The classes were well done and I learned a lot. When I was doing my research, I found out that Capella has a good reputation as a for profit university. The recommendations came from other professors at a local university.

Now if I could only find a job in my new field. That would be great!

I used AMU for my undergraduate in History. I thought the classes were challenging and beneficial. For my MBA in Human Resources I went to Trident University International. Again not bad but a big workload.

I think a few people have hit the nail on the head. I cannot emphasize this enough: MAKE SURE ANY SCHOOL YOU GO TO IS 'REGIONALLY' ACCREDITED. National accreditation is basically a diploma mill and courses typically do not transfer. If you see a school that is Distance Education Training Council (DETC), it is usually a nationally accredited institution and not worth your time unless it has a regional accreditation with it. And DETC schools love to target military. They convince you to give them all your TA, but give you a worthless degree. Be careful brothers and sisters.

I had the opportunity to return to school 5 years ago for an MBA. I looked at a lot of programs, and decided that a classroom experience would be the best for me. Keller Graduate School has a campus nearby, so I signed up with them. I needed four courses over the course of three years online. I found all of the courses stimulating, but the interaction in the classroom, and the direct connection for group projects was much more effective for me. Keller is a for-profit school, but the accreditation met the requirements for my current job.

Bottom line will always be, how much effort each person puts in it, and how well they apply the information they receive while in their studies.

I earned my AA and BA through traditional brick and mortar institutions and my MA through American Military University. Just like you, I found the on-line experience more challenging.
I think AMU is an excellent choice for any military member, in part because they were built and founded on taking care of soldiers. My one complaint would be that they did increase graduate tuition above TA, so at that level you do have some limited out of pocket expenses...but even that was not much.

I burn't the post 9/11 GI bill in just under three years to get my bachelor's degree in technical management. I wouldn't have graduated if it was not for one of the amazing instructors at Devry University. Personally, I would not recommend Devry to anyone, but some of the instructors they have down in Southfield, Michigan are awesome.

Online education is very convenient, however there are many scams out there, so you have to be careful. The best bet is to enroll into an online program in a university that is also a traditional brick and mortar school (preferably public school, or a decently priced non-profit private). Make sure to check if the schools are accredited (http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/)
I would also recommend staying away from the strictly online schools and for-profit colleges (The University of Phoenix, Sanford Brown, DeVry University, and ITT Technical Institute are just a few of the more popular ones). They are expensive, and students who enroll end up with debt that far outweighs that of their nonprofit and public school peers. There have been several news reports (including 60 Minutes) done about dangers and issues of for-profit colleges.

I attained both my B.S. and M.A. degrees through online programs and the experiences I had were worlds apart. My B.S. (Criminal Justice) was through Troy University (AL), and it was as you describe other's experiences - disengaged instructors, and a lackluster program that was so easy to fake it through, that I never bought a text book through to graduation.

Then, I found a Masters program online through Concordia University (St. Paul, MN), and my notion of online learning was thrown on its proverbial head. I started with a two-day residency on campus meeting the other 11 students in my cohort and meeting each of the instructors I was going to have throughout the program. The very first paper I wrote in the very first class I was enrolled in was not graded the week I submitted it. When I inquired with the instructor about whether she received my paper or not, she replied that she had received a paper with four sentences of meaningful words and five other pages of useless fluff (I believe she even called it garbage).

Needless to say I worked my tail off to ensure my papers were 99% full of useful words from then on (nobody's perfect right...?). The Criminal Justice Leadership program at Concordia was great, and made even more great by the instructors and the other students in my cohort. Of the 11 I started (and graduated) with, I am still in regular contact with seven of them.

As far as what I would stay away from now that I have been in the world of academia for a while, is any online program at a school that is nationally accredited - the opportunities coming out of these schools is hampered by that title alone I have found. And, even though I work in the for-profit career college realm, I would make sure to do extensive research on statistics from these colleges to make sure you are going to come out prepared for the workforce, or at the least that the knowledge gleaned in these programs is useful to you in your current and future positions.

In short (after this long response) is research the hell out of schools to find exactly what you are looking for...there are so many options, but not all of them are good obviously!

I completed my online degree though Embry Riddle. The classes and instructors were relevant to the degree I was pursuing. They even sent an instructor to Afghanistan to teach a compressed on-site class. I was stationed at Fort Campbell Ky and the Embry Riddle staff was always on point and ready to help. When I got out and moved home to WA I still completed the rest of my degree program with the ER staff at Fort Campbell.