Veterans and military personnel bring unique experience and a different outlook to an online MBA degree program than a non-military candidate. The service individuals have handled extreme duties under intense circumstances with decorum and established a skill set allowing them to thrive in high-pressure conditions.
Online programs like those offered at https://online.xavier.edu/military-friendly-online-mba/ recognize how military candidates enhance classroom diversity, with some schools waiving application fees for veterans and offering a plethora of other incentives. The priority with most universities offering “military-friendly” programs is to ensure these students feel like members of a “family” as they would within their units.
When there are peers in the MBA “classroom,” there is a comfort level that allows each individual to feel that they made the right decision to pursue a degree.
If that “friendliness” is missing, some veterans start to let self-doubt creep in and begin to question their choice even if it felt like the ideal opportunity in the beginning.
Choosing An Institution with A Military Friendly MBA Program
Selecting an online program to achieve an MBA degree takes careful forethought and considerable research to ensure the ultimate educational success and optimum career selection.
The level of degree is the key to your marketability in the workforce. An MBA with a military background places you relatively high in demand in many directions in the business world with advanced pay incentives depending on the reputation of the school and the quality of the curriculum also.
That would be part of the attendee’s research when selecting a “military-friendly” institution, ensuring the accredited institution is a well-established school with a solid following and one that offers only quality degree programs.
Some things to take into consideration as someone leaving the military or a current veteran to ensure an MBA degree is right for you include:
Does the school have a “Veterans Association”
While most military students will take advantage of online studies for their MBA degree, many universities have a “Veterans Association” that all students, whether in real-time or online, can take advantage of as a means of developing a camaraderie.
With each new class, the administration is given unique ideas about how the school can improve the experience for veterans and other military students in the future. The students can also interact with studies and classwork when facing challenges or to better understand the material.
Online studies
Again, most “military-friendly” MBA degree programs should be offered on the online platform. Some veterans might be unable to get out of the house or prefer not to travel distances to school; maybe their at-home parents or need a self-paced class to suit a specific lifestyle.
Some schools might not offer an online option which would eliminate them from many veteran and military options. Fortunately, a lot of institutions are offering the exact MBA curriculum online and in real-time to accommodate their student body’s needs.
Even non-military attendees are turning to the online medium due to greater responsibilities outside the educational spectrum requiring more flexibility with the school.
Accreditation recognized in your specific field
It is essential to ensure that the institution you choose has accreditation recognized in numerous career fields. Without that, you could waste much time and effort (and cost) attending school only to find that the field you intend to pursue does not acknowledge the college you attended.
That means your degree is virtually useless for that particular position. Find these things out upfront with initial research before putting out applications. The best school will have accreditation in any field without limitation allowing employment wherever a student wishes without challenges.
Does the institution participate in the “Yellow Ribbon” incentive
Participation in the “Yellow Ribbon” incentive is a genuine indication of the institution’s level of support for its veterans. It’s considered a good program if the school has a contribution of no less than roughly $9000 for graduate students each year for each student, ultimately equating to considerably more since the VA contributes a matching amount doubling the incentive.
Final Thought
When a veteran or military personnel close to leaving the service considers the idea of pursuing an MBA degree program, it’s an important life choice. The process of finding the right military-friendly curriculum takes considerable time and effort to research for the necessary variables, including needing an online platform in most cases. Read here for guidance on getting an MBA after the military.
There could be physical or mental disabilities preventing a veteran from attending a traditional facility, perhaps lifestyle disallows traveling a distance for regimented classes, or the convenience of a self-paced at-home study program is just a preference.
Nevertheless, an important aspect is ensuring that there are in-school groups or organizations directed towards veterans or the military, so there is a sense of camaraderie comparable to their “unit” when they were in service.
They can work together on study programs, helping when someone faces a challenge in their classwork, or offer suggestions to the administration as to what would be beneficial for military students in the future with the school system.
Fortunately, most institutions are military-friendly, accommodating veterans and non-military students with an online platform and comparable real-time curriculums, so there’s a level of convenience with studies suiting any lifestyle.
That way, no one has to forego their education because life gets in the way of school. This way, there’s no excuse. You can fit school in around life.