COLLEGE 101 FOR DEPLOYED MARINES

1. COLLEGE 101 FOR DEPLOYED MARINES MCAS Miramar Education Center 858-577-1801 smbmiramarmccs.edu@usmc.mil

2. Our Mission and Services • When a student succeeds, we succeed which is why the Education Center strives to provide superb education services for Servicemembers and their dependents to help them achieve their education goals • We provide Tuition Assistance (TA) processing, JST (formerly SMART) counseling, military classification and DANTES testing, test proctoring, general education counseling and the Military Academic Skills Program (MASP) • For deployed Servicemembers counseling will be done via email or phone, and TA will be processed using WebTA • For more information about using WebTA please refer to our website http://www.mccsmiramar.com/edcntr-tuition-assistance.html

3. Creating a Goal • Deciding what your goal will help determine the steps to achieve your goal • Use O*Net (www.onetonline.org) or the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh/) to research different careers, their education requirements, and potential earnings • For help deciding what to do, create an account with Kuder Journey (www.dantes.kuder.com ), and take the 3 assessments to help determine possible careers and majors, or contact a counselor at our office • If you are still not sure of what you want to do, starting with a general studies degree is often a good choice to knock out the basic courses needed for any degree

4. Degrees to get you to your Goal • Vocational Diploma or Certificate • Number of credits is based on the program • Generally technical in nature • Associates • Takes 2 years if attending full-time • Approximately 60 semester credits • Consists of general education (gen ed) courses and electives • Bachelors • Takes 4 years if attending full-time courses for major, and electives • Approximately 120 semester credits • Consists of gen ed courses, • Masters • Approximately 2 years • Starts at 30 semester credits • Consists of courses in major area • Doctorate • 2 years or more • Extensive reading, writing, and research • Research culminates in dissertation *Remember it may take longer for you to complete your degree because your first priority is being a Marine*

5. Choosing a School • Use the College Navigator Website (http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/) for unbiased information about schools • Communicate with a counselor at our Education Center for important factors to consider when choosing a school (reference our website for our school comparison) • Communicate with counselors at the schools you are considering to determine if the school meets your needs • Remember, it is important to select the school that is best for YOU, not just the school where all your buddies are going!

6. Questions to Ask • What are the admission requirements? • Can I get credit for military training or CLEPs? (If so, how many?) • How many credits can be transferred in from other schools? • Is the school responsive to the special needs of military personnel? • Does the school have a special military tuition rate? • Does the school have classes that meet you schedule? (online, evening, daytime?) • How many class start dates are there per year? • How much do books cost? Are they electronic or hardcover?

7. Accreditation • Accreditation is the first indicator of the quality of education when choosing a school • Regional is the most recognized and accepted type of accreditation in the United States, with the most transferable credits • Nationally accredited schools are good option for trade schools, but not necessarily traditional academic subjects (Math, English, History etc.) because credits are not likely to transfer to Regionally accredited schools • You can find out who the accrediting agency is on College Navigator

8. Regional Accrediting Agencies • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (Commission on Secondary Schools) • New England Association of Schools and Colleges (Commission on Institutions of Higher Education) • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (The Higher Learning Commission) • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (Commission on Colleges) • Western Association of Schools and Colleges (Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities)

9. National Accrediting Agencies • Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges • Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training • Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools • Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools • Association for Biblical Higher Education commission on Accreditation • Association of advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools Accreditation Commission • Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada Commission on Accrediting • Council on Occupational Education • Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission • National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc. • New York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of Education • Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, Accreditation Commission

10. CLEP and DSST • CLEP and DSST programs let you earn college credit for what you already know by earning passing scores on examinations • CLEP and DSST are free for military • If a passing score is not received, the government will not pay for you to take the same test a second time • CLEPs and DSSTs are a great way to keep working towards your degree if you max out your TA, and they expedite the process of getting your degree • Make sure to speak with your school to see which ones and how many they will accept • Study guides are available on NKO, www.petersons.com/dantes, and in the Miramar Station Library

11. SOC and SOCMAR • Servicemember’s Opportunity College consortium (SOC) is a group of 1,900 schools that advocate for a Servicemember’s opportunity to achieve education goals through maintaining flexible programs, better credit transfer, reduced residency requirements, and acceptance of military training • SOCMAR is a smaller group of specifically Marine Corps approved SOC schools • Choosing a SOCMAR institution as a home college will help the Servicemembers earn a degree with minimal loss of credit when duty stations change • Learn more about SOC at http://www.soc.aascu.org/Default.html

12. Joint Services Transcript (JST) • The JST (formerly SMART) is a record of all your military training for which the American Counsel of Education (ACE) recommends college credit • How many of these credits will be accepted depends on the policies of the school you attend • The more credits you get from your military training, the closer you will be to getting a degree • Access your JST at https://jst.doded.mil/smart/welcome.do

13. Using Tuition Assistance (TA) • TA is available to active duty enlisted, officer, and reservists on continuous active duty • Officers incur a 2 year obligation following the completion of each TA funded class • To use TA you must: • be eligible for promotion, • enrolled in a class that ends at least 60 days before your EAS • maintain a 2.0 for undergraduate or a 3.0 for graduate • Only 1 course at a time will be authorized if GPA drops below 2.5, a ‘D’ is received in previous term, or a voluntary withdrawal is processed in the previous term

14. First Time TA Users • First time TA users must have at least 24 months time in service, and have completed MCI “Personal Financial Management” 3420G • First time TA users are authorized for only 1 course in the first term, unless you have completed 60 college credits with at least a 2.5 (unofficial transcripts must be provided to the Education Center) • A Marine with a GT score of 99 or below, will only be allowed to take one class at a time until he/she has proven good academic standing* or received a 10.2 on the TABE * As determined by the Education Services Officer (ESO) at MCAS Miramar

15. TA Policies 1 • The school must be accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education • The school must have a DoD MOU signed in order to receive TA funding (check at www.dodmou.com) • Marines must have a degree plan or SOCMAR submitted to the Education Center after 6 semester credits (obtained for the school) • The TA application must be approved by the command and processed by the Education Center before the term start date • TA will not retroactively fund any courses

16. TA Policies 2 • All outstanding TA issues (incomplete courses, reimbursement issues, missing grades, etc.) must be resolved before approving new TA • Marines must continually be working to a higher degree (TA will not pay for a 2nd Associates, Bachelors, or Masters, etc.) • TA will not fund overlapping classes (new class starts before a previously approved class ends) • Certificate programs must be accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education, be approved by the Department of Veteran’s Administration, and have a DOD MOU signed in order to receive TA funding • TA will only fund 2 modules/courses at a time for certificate programs with multiple modules/courses

17. TA Obligations • Submit TA application BEFORE the start of term • Submit TA Voucher to the school • Pay any and all student share • Repay TA for • voluntary withdrawal (W) • failing grades (F) • Incomplete without passing grade after 6 months (I) • Notify the Education Center for ANY changes to TA voucher (change the course, do not enroll, cancel, or withdraw) • Submit grades within 30 days of course completion • Provide documentation for withdrawal for military reasons Withdrawals and failed classes count against allotted $4,500 per FY

18. Current Tuition Assistance Rates Tuition Assistance will fund a maximum of: • $250 per semester credit • $166.67 per quarter credit • $16.67 per clock hour Not to exceed $4,500 per fiscal year pending availability of funds • The Lower the tuition rate at your school, the more classes you can take with tuition assistance

19. Alternative Funding Opportunities • A Pell Grant is free federal aid for up to $5,550 per year for those that qualify, apply at www.fafsa.ed.gov with your 1040 tax form • Scholarships are an excellent way to fund your education, use sites like: • https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search • http://www.needalift.org/ • http://www.petersons.com/college-search/scholarship-search.aspx • GI Bill Top Up can be used to pay the amount exceeding TA rates (must have served a consecutive 24 months to use GI Bill Top Up)

20. Using GI Bill Top Up • How much entitlement is used, is based on which GI Bill you use • The Montgomery GI Bill is based on the dollar amount of benefits used. To exhaust a full months benefits, you must use all $1,564 (current monthly rate) • The Post 9/11 GI Bill is based on the time enrolled and the rate of pursuit. If you are going to classes at the 1/2 time rate, a 1/2 month of benefits used for each month you are enrolled • When using GI Bill Top Up it is most beneficial to stay with the Montgomery GI Bill

21. Other Resources • Military Academic Skills Program (MASP) Miramar has a free, two-week program designed to build a solid academic Math and English foundation (PTAD orders are required) – this is an ideal for a refresher course before college Math or English • United States Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP) USMAP provides the opportunity for Servicemembers, in applicable MOS’s, to gain a nationally recognized “Certificate of Completion” from the Department of Labor by recording hours worked - https://usmap.cnet.navy.mil • Leadership Scholar Program (LSP) LSP is a partnership between highly selective schools and the U.S. Marine Corps to help qualified and honorably discharging Marines continue their education - www.leadershipscholarprogram.com

22. We are Here to Help Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, we are here to help! Website: http://www.mccsmiramar.com/education_center.html Email: smbmiramarmccs.edu@usmc.mil Please complete the certificate on the next page and send it in to our office

23. Click HERE to print this blank certificate, complete and sign it, and submit it to your appropriate Education Center when you apply for TA for the first time. College 101Certificate of Completionis hereby granted to______________Printed Rank & Full Name______________Signatureto certify satisfactory completion of theTA OrientationGranted: 9/11/2014 6:29:29 AM