COLLEGE 101 FOR DEPLOYED
MARINES
MCAS Miramar Education Center
858-577-1801
smbmiramarmccs.edu@usmc.mil
Our Mission and Services
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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
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For more information about using WebTA please refer to our
website http://www.mccsmiramar.com/edcntr-tuition-assistance.html
Creating a Goal
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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
Degrees to get you to your Goal
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Vocational Diploma or Certificate
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Number of credits is based on the
program
Generally technical in nature
Associates
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Takes 2 years if attending full-time
Approximately 60 semester credits
Consists of general education (gen ed)
courses and electives
Masters
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Approximately 2 years
Starts at 30 semester credits
Consists of courses in major area
Doctorate
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2 years or more
Extensive reading, writing, and research
Research culminates in dissertation
Bachelors
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Takes 4 years if attending full-time
courses for major, and electives
Approximately 120 semester credits
Consists of gen ed courses,
*Remember it may take longer for you to
complete your degree because your first
priority is being a Marine*
Choosing a School
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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!
Questions to Ask
What are the admission requirements?
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Can I get credit for military training or CLEPs? (If so, how many?)
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How many credits can be transferred in from other
schools?
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Is the school responsive to the special needs of military personnel?
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Does the school have a special military tuition rate?
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Does the school have classes that meet you schedule? (online, evening,
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daytime?)
How many class start dates are there per year?
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How much do books cost? Are they electronic or hardcover?
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Accreditation
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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
Regional Accrediting Agencies
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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)
National Accrediting Agencies
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Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
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Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
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Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
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Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
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Association for Biblical Higher Education commission on Accreditation
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Association of advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools Accreditation Commission
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Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada Commission on
Accrediting
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Council on Occupational Education
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Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission
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National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, Inc.
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New York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of Education
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Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, Accreditation Commission
CLEP and DSST
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CLEP and DSST programs let you earn college credit for what you
already know by earning passing scores on examinations
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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
SOC and SOCMAR
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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
Joint Services Transcript (JST)
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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
Using Tuition Assistance (TA)
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TA is available to active duty enlisted, officer, and reservists
on continuous active duty
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Officers incur a 2 year obligation following the completion of
each TA funded class
To use TA you must:
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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
First Time TA Users
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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)
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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
TA Policies 1
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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
TA Policies 2
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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
TA Obligations
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Submit TA application BEFORE the start of term
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Submit TA Voucher to the school
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Pay any and all student share
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Withdrawals and
failed classes count
against allotted
$4,500 per FY
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)
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Submit grades within 30 days of course completion
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Provide documentation for withdrawal for military reasons
Current Tuition Assistance Rates
Tuition Assistance will fund a maximum of:
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$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
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The Lower the tuition rate at your school, the more classes
you can take with tuition assistance
Alternative Funding Opportunities
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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:
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https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
http://www.needalift.org/
http://www.petersons.com/college-search/scholarshipsearch.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)
Using GI Bill Top Up
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How much entitlement is used, is based on which GI Bill
you use
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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)
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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
Other Resources
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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
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
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 101
Certificate of Completion
is hereby granted to
______________
______________
Printed Rank & Full Name
Signature
to certify satisfactory completion of the
TA Orientation
Granted: 4/8/2015 2:07:36 PM