Top 7 areas of study pursued by military students
Many people probably assume that military personnel pursue criminal justice degrees to leverage their military experience into a fitting civilian career. However, this is not the case among the 50,000 military students attending University of Phoenix, says Mike Bibbee, MBA, MS, vice president and director of the University of Phoenix Military Division.
"The reality is that the military reflects society,” says Bibbee. Thus, many active military students tend to transition to civilian life by pursuing University of Phoenix degrees where they can fill societal needs, he notes. For some, this may entail attending the College of Criminal Justice and Security, but not always, Bibbee adds.
He crunched degree enrollment numbers and found military students currently most attracted to these seven degree programs and general areas of study at University of Phoenix, beginning with the most popular one:
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology — This is the most popular degree pathway for military students, Bibbee says. Today’s society is run by information technology and many military students are savvy to the career opportunities available within both the private and public sectors. He says this makes the degree not only attractive, but relevant as well.
- Bachelor of Science in Management — This program, Bibbee notes, has more transferable credit flexibility, including the ability to apply relevant military training to credits.
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology — Bibbee surmises this degree path attracts many military personnel in part because they can rely on their experiences to pursue counseling jobs within the government, such as the Veterans Administration, to help fellow servicemembers.
- Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration — Bibbee says this degree provides military students an education foundation as well as geographical flexibility to pursue the nation’s most robust job sectors.
- Master of Business Administration — This is typically a trend seen among military officers and veterans who are embarking on the next phase of their educational pursuits, Bibbee notes.
- Criminal justice degrees — Although not the most popular, some students do find career comfort in security and criminal justice degrees based on their military experience, says Bibbee, noting not one particular degree outshined another, statistically.
- Nursing degrees — The health care field is where job opportunities are heading (think baby boomers). This, Bibbee notes is prompting many military students to seek the various degrees offered by the College of Nursing.
