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College Comparison Tool As an education counselor, how many times has a prospective student said they want to go back to school but they don’t know where to start? TA DECIDE is a Defense Department (DoD) tool to assist service members with choosing the right college for their individual needs. The tool is online and easily accessible, with thousands of schools to choose from. Each school has been vetted by the DoD to ensure quality and value. Plus, all schools are eligible for military tuition assistance (TA). When a college has already met quality-driven criteria and is eligible for TA, a member cannot help but save time and money. See more details about TA DECIDE at https://www.dodmou.com/TADECIDE. Military Training and Experience Evaluations Service members can use what they know and their past experiences to get college credit. Talk about saving time and money! The Defense Department partners with the American Council on Education (ACE) to translate military learning experiences into comparable civilian postsecondary college credit. The Joint Service Transcript (JST) capitalizes on the knowledge and experience of highly-skilled service members by documenting occupational experience and training and translating that information into ACE-recommended college credit. This “credit for prior learning” can be used to help reduce the amount of time it takes to complete degree requirements and may serve as a guide for developing resumes or career portfolios. Military education counselors and service members may request a free JST by visiting https:// jst.doded.mil. Air Force members can request a transcript through Air University by visiting www. airuniversity.af.mil. DANTES Information Bulletin
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SOC Degree Network System The Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Degree Network System (DNS) is comprised of colleges and universities that have adopted specific DoD Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) policies to ensure service members earn college degrees that meet certain quality standards. Academic institutions within the network offer twoway guaranteed transferability, require limited academic residency, and offer a contract-for-degree to protect students from changes to degree requirements over time. These benefits also remain in effect if the member leaves the military before graduating. Degree completion with SOC DNS can save time and money. Become familiar with the system by visiting http://www.soc.aascu.org/. SOC Career and Technical Education For several career fields in the military, different types of certification are extremely beneficial to professional development, career progression and civilian transition. The SOC Career and Technical Education (CTE) program offers credit-bearing certificate programs in CTE fields with bright employment outlooks for service members on active duty and for those preparing for transition. The CTE program assists military education counselors, academic advisers and service members with identifying CTE pathways to a civilian career with positive growth potential. These certificates can stand alone or can be integrated into associate or bachelor’s degrees offered by the institution. Saving time and money is easy with CTE, more information is available at http://www.soc.aascu.org/ career-and-technical-education.
http://www.dantes.doded.mil
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