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Questions What is SOC? The acronym SOC stands for “Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges.” It is a consortium of national higher education associations, which functions in cooperation with the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Military Services including the National Guard, and the Coast Guard, to help meet the voluntary higher education needs of servicemembers. What is SOCAD? The acronym SOCAD stands for “Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Army Degrees.” It consists of a select group of more than 100 of the 1,400 SOC colleges. They evaluate a soldier’s past learning experiences (college courses, tests, military occupational specialty, Army schools, etc.) and provide the soldier a Student Agreement, a list of credits awarded and those still needed to graduate. If the soldier relocates and must complete his degree with courses from other colleges, they guarantee to accept transfer courses from SOCAD colleges without individual approval provided the soldier has a signed Student Agreement from his “home college” (reference SOCAD Q&A 4 ). How do Army Career Degrees fit into Army Continuing Education System’s vision to “Create and lead the Army’s premier education organization committed to excellence in service, innovation, and deployability?” While making the Army their career, Army Career Degrees provide soldiers credible options for completing college. This new program allows soldiers to maximize their learning achieved through their own Army career development while permitting them to complete their degree programs through distance learning anywhere in the world. What efforts are being taken to inform soldiers that they should participate in Army Career Degrees? Soldiers are briefed in Basic Non-Commissioned Course (BNCOC) on the SOCAD Career Degree in their specialty. Other degree options that relate to their specialty are also included in the packet of information provided in the BNCOC briefing. Other support materials, besides print literature, include: SOC Army Degree Builders website: Army Career Degrees are briefed and information provided at ACES workshops, NCO conferences, and through other venues. What Military Occupational Specialties have SOCAD Degree Builders?
The most current list of SOCAD Degree Builders is located at http://www.soc.aascu.org/socad/DegBldrsA.html How can information regarding Army Career Degrees and Service Members Opportunity Colleges Army Degree-Degree Builders be accessed on their website? You will find a brief introduction and links to current degree builders at http://www.soc.aascu.org/socad/DegBldrsA.html What is the objective of the education briefing during Basic Non-Commissioned Course?
The objective is to introduce soldiers to specific college degree programs that are closely related to their Army specialties in a format that conveys exactly what their military experience is worth in completing the degree and precisely how each course requirement can be met using guaranteed-to-transfer SOCAD courses and non-traditional means. Do courses provided by institutions as part of the Army Career Degree Program replace training instruction core to the noncommissioned officer education system. Coursework taken from colleges and universities to complete an Army Career Degree does not substitute for military training courses core to noncommissioned officer education system (NCOES). This coursework should, however, be complementary and supportive of soldier’s career development. What is the role of the Education Centers?
Army Continuing Education System guidance counselors, education services specialists (ESS), and education services officers (ESO) should be familiar with Army Career Degrees. When soldiers in-process, guidance counselors:
Was there a pilot to test the feasibility of implementing Army Career Degrees? Yes, Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, N.J., in partnership with SOC, HQDA ACES, and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) developed a SOCAD Army Career Degree for career management field (CMF) 67, aviation maintenance. The 1999 pilot lasted seven months. The results showed support for the concept. The SOCAD Career Degree format proved effective in allowing the college to articulate guaranteed credit based on learning achieved through Army training and experience. Thomas Edison reported a considerable number of inquires regarding actual enrollment in CMF 67 Army Career Degree Program usually after soldiers were briefed in BNCOC and became stabilized at their permanent duty stations. What are the criteria for expanding Army Career Degrees into other military occupational specialty/career management fields? The criteria for expansion includes:
How is the Army Career Degree Program being evaluated? The U.S. Army; U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC); U.S. Medical Command (MEDCOM); and SOC Program Managers will evaluate the program to determine the advisability of continuing or expanding the Army Career Degree network.
How have colleges and universities been selected to join the Army Career Degree Network? The SOCAD colleges were asked to make their interest known to the SOCAD Project Director if they wanted to develop a SOCAD Army Degree in one or more specialties. On October 26, 1999, the HQDA ACES Director and the SOC Director sent a joint letter to the presidents of each SOCAD institution thanking them for their past commitment to Army education and soliciting their interest in partnering with the Army in this initiative. The SOCAD Project Director, in coordination with the HQDA Project Manager, selected institutions expressing interest in particular specialties on a first come basis to develop a SOCAD Army Career Degree in specialties of their interest. For specialties where no current SOCAD institution expressed a willingness to develop a SOCAD Army Career Degree, the SOCAD Project Director went to institutions outside the system recognized for their expertise and distance learning capacity. The Project Director solicited their interest in joining SOCAD and in developing a SOCAD Army Career Degree to meet an Army priority. Where can the latest information on Army Career Degrees be obtained? The SOCAD website contains the latest information of implemented Army Career Degrees: |