Press Release: WGU and MyCAA Suit Military Spouses, 10/7/09

News Brief - 10/7/09

Spouses of Active Military Personnel Find Flexible, Affordable Degree Programs at Western Governors University

Salt Lake City — For busy adults, going back to school to earn a degree can be daunting, but for the spouses of active military personnel, the challenges are even greater—the frequent relocations and assignments in remote locations that are part of military life can make it nearly impossible to attend college or complete a degree program. With its challenging online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, non-profit Western Governors University is a great fit for military spouses. With more than 50 accredited degree programs in Education, Healthcare, Business, and Information Technology, WGU offers the flexibility of online study, anytime, wherever there is an Internet connection.

WGU’s Teacher College, which allows students to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, including initial teacher licensure, is particularly well-suited to the needs of military spouses. WGU is the only exclusively online university to receive NCATE (National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation, and Teachers College graduates can be licensed in 49 of 50 states, either directly or through reciprocity agreements.

While there are many online universities offering degree programs for adults, WGU offers some important differences that make it ideal for military spouses:

• Once enrolled at WGU, students can do their studies from anywhere in the world without worrying about transferring to a new college if they relocate.
• WGU coursework is competency-based—rather than getting credit for spending time in classes, either online or in person, students advance by demonstrating competence in degree subject matter by successfully completing exams, papers, and other assessments.
• Learning resources and study materials are available all of the time, so students may study when it is convenient for them rather than at prescribed class times.
• WGU offers degree programs in high demand fields, especially teaching and nursing, that make sense for military spouses.
• Nursing programs at WGU are CCNE accredited. An autonomous arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, CCNE is the foremost accrediting body for nursing schools that offer baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
• WGU’s tuition, which has increased only $220/year in the past 4 years, combined with substantial financial aid, including scholarship programs, makes it far more affordable than other, for-profit online universities.

Benefits from the Department of Defense Military Spouse Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program, which offers eligible military spouses up to $6,000 in financial assistance for education and training, can be applied to tuition and other expenses associated with attending WGU. More information regarding this program is available at https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa, or email a request for information to MyCAA@MilitaryOneSource.com. For more information regarding degree programs and scholarships from WGU, go to www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/scholarships.