ARLINGTON, Va., June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Army Officers trained to be Space
Operations Officers -- called FA-40s in Army circles -- now have an online
learning partner for completing a master of science degree in space studies. A
cooperative agreement between the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
(SMDC) and American Military University (AMU) was signed May 26.
"As we start to develop the space operations officers -- if you think of
it in terms of a life cycle of a human being -- how you mature them, how you
grow them ... education is the key," says Col. James Pierson, director, Force
Development and Integration Center, SMDC. "The online education program with
American Military University is a tremendous opportunity," he says.
Pierson says this opportunity will grow to include others in the space
cadre.
"We're taking officers for the degree program today. Tomorrow we're taking
non-commissioned officers, warrant officers and Department of the Army
civilians," he says.
The agreement spells out the cooperative degree program including
development, student eligibility, participation, format, credits awarded for
successful completion of the space operations officer qualification course
(SOOQC), AMU coursework required, and tuition rates.
As part of the program, AMU grants 15 credit hours to qualified space
operations officers who have completed the SOOQC. They would then have to
successfully complete an additional 21 credit hours from AMU to complete their
master's degree.
The cooperative degree program was developed under the guidelines of the
Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit, published by the Council
on Higher Education Accreditation and the American Association of Collegiate
Registrars and Admissions Officers. The credit being awarded for the SOOQC is
based on a joint evaluation by faculty of AMU and the SOOQC.
AMU is one of three distance-learning institutions in the American Public
University System (http://www.apus.edu/amu ). The University System serves
11,000 students in 50 states and more than 100 countries, delivering 61
undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It is a member of the
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC).
"We have a 24/7 operation that's completely online -- available wherever
and whenever you are," says James Flaggert, academic dean for AMU.
"This partnership with the Army is so important to achieving a common
objective -- in this case, taking care of the soldier and professional,"
Flaggert says. "These are exciting times and we look forward to the success
of this and other related programs."
For more information on this degree program contact Tom Coleman, chief,
Training Development, FDIC, SMDC, at (719) 554-4541 or visit AMU's Web site at
http://www.apus.edu .
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