<p>How do you get an MBA through the Academy? I heard about some Air Force grads were 25 years old and had their MBA’s. Where can you go and who pays for it? Do you have to serve more years? Are you on active duty and getting paid? Thanks for the info…</p>
<p>You can get after graduating. We know several AFA grads that went directly to grad school and then UPT. A couple of things to realize. </p>
<ol>
<li> You will owe more committment time. 3 yrs ---last time I checked</li>
<li> Masters are masked until you go for your 0-5 board, thus, it won't get you promoted any faster.</li>
<li> You can go active duty and the AF will pick up 75% of the tab. Bullet got his when he was a Capt...back in his day Masters wasn't masked for 0-4.</li>
</ol>
<p>Get through the AFA first, don't burn yourself out on the education route. Like I said your Masters is going to give you a leg up, it is how you perform as an officer that you will be evaluated on. Finally, realize if you want to attend UPT and defer it for your masters education, you do not what the pipeline will look like down the road. Every base has satellite colleges that you can obtain your Masters from at a more leisurely pace</p>
<p>Here's my perspective on this topic:</p>
<p>Get your Masters degree sooner rather than later, or at least begin on it. There are opportunities to go to grad school right after USAFA, but these are few and far between so I won't focus on them. If you go to pilot training, you will obviously not be able to do classes during that time, but if you have a less time-consuming job, this is a possibility. Classes can be taken in actual classrooms or online. It all depends on the school and the degree. If doing it in residence, just realize that you might change bases before your degree is complete and have to transfer credits. The Air Force will pay a portion of your degree, up to a certain amount per credit, with both a fiscal year cap and total cap, currently $4500 and $9000 respectively. This will NOT cover the whole degree, but it's better than nothing. You do owe a few years, but this is sevred concurrently with your obligation from USAFA (5 years) and any other path you choose (such as pilot training, which is 10 years from when you get your wings).</p>
<p>I'm a 1st Lt who is half way through an MS in industrial/organizational psychology through Capella University (which is online). I began my degree about 6 months after graduating from USAFA and took a couple courses prior to beginning pilot training. After washing out of pilot training, I've since taken a few more.</p>
<p>Getting a Master's degree opens the door for more jobs; for me, I need it to go back to USAFA to teach, which I hope to do in a few years. While you might not technically need a Master's degree for many years, it does look bad if you are a senior captain, for example, who has not taken the initiative to begin your degree. The way I see it, I'm not going to get LESS busy as time goes on, so I should just do what I can now.</p>
<p>Pima was saying that your master's is masked until your O-5 promotion board. Is it more of a view from superiors or an actual obstacle?</p>
<p>I used to work as an executive officer for an operations group, and the commanders' notes that accompanied OPRs from senior captains who had not even begun their grad degree were less than flattering as it is viewed as a lack of initiative. So... No, it is not "officially" marked down anywhere, but keep in mind that your SURF (which has lots of info about you, including whether or not you have an advanced degree) accompanies your performance reports.</p>
<p>I think that as a young lt in the flying world...your 1st few years are about studying to be the best in te jet. I do agree get it done waaayy before O-4. Being a young capt with the jet under your belt than that's when you should go for it. If you go into the flying world you will not be operationally MQ for about 28 mos. Studying for a Masters during those first few years will not help you</p>
<p>I agree with that. I didn't do anything with my Master's degree while I was in pilot training. I'm actually currently trying to talk one of my friends out of beginning his Master's degree right away; he just graduated from pilot training and just began airframe-specific training, and I don't think that working on a degree NOW is where his focus should be. However, for people NOT in the ops world (or other jobs that require tons of training and long hours), I can see little reason not to start on a degree as a lieutenant.</p>
<p>^^^ Concur..if you are not flying, than get it right away...don't take offense that fliers should get a pass, it is just they do not have an 8-4 schedule in UPT and it is hard to schedule that they will be able to attend every wed., when flying schedules are only made every Friday</p>
<p>Echoing the opinions of others above. Do it sooner rather than later. Too many conflicts tend to arise the older you get (wife, children, increased responsibilities at work, etc., etc.)... I assume this is even worse in the AF than in the civilian world.</p>
<p>may seem really ignorant of me now, but i'm a 4degree i'm supposed to be :)</p>
<p>why is a masters such a huge deal? i'm one of those who wants to be done with school after usafa and not have to worry about getting a higher degree just to get promoted.</p>
<p>I think part of it has to do with the fact that a Master's is the new Bachelor's. A generation ago, simply having a college degree may have put you ahead of the curve, but today you need a much higher level of education just to keep up with the Joneses.</p>
<p>i dont CARE about the Joneses :) just gimme my butterbars and leave me alone ;) hahaha</p>
<p>HNeedle, trust me -- you most likely WILL care 10-15 years from now. </p>
<p>Let's think this through. You Graduate from the Academy and get your commision (Hoo-ray!). Next stop: UPT. Finsh up there and head off to your additional training in your particular aircraft. Finish up there, and your off to your first Ops assignment for the next three years. Total time from AFA graduation to the end of your first Ops assignement: about 5 years. (And guess what, you're also a Capt by that point!) And as it was said many times already, your first priority is to learn you new job, be it pilot, accountant, lawyer, doctor, etc. Be the best at it as possible. Getting a Master's is secondary, if even considered at this point.</p>
<p>Next, you head off to your second assignment (Ops, training, career-broadening, who knows), which is again for 2-3 years. Guess what, you've made it to the point where you'll now have your first major decision about the rest of your life. Do I leave after my commitment is up, or do I stay? Quite frankly, most of us have already started thinking about this already, near the end of our first Ops assignment. It's a tough decision, and one only you can make. BUT, if you decide to stay (and I believe the majority of us do, for reasons I would gladly go into on another thread), you better start thinking long term.</p>
<p>So, you're at the 8-10 year point, and your promotion board to Major (O-4) is going to occur sometime during your current assignment. Is the fact that you do or do not have a Master's "masked" from the board? Yes (the info is not on your SURF (basically a one page summary of your entire career and all your qulaifications) that the Promotion Board sees (but like Uncynical states, your immediate chain of command still sees this info). So, having a Master's Degree is not the end-all-to-be-all at this point, but it is "nice to have" (to show your commitment to self improvement through higher education; we want smart people leading our troops at the higher levels, but I was one of the exceptions to that rule! :) )</p>
<p>So, say you DON'T have your Masters by the Major's promotion Board? Not a career killer, but when you pin on Major, you're on the hook until the 15 year point. So, if you're staying for 15, why get out then when only 5 more years more you'll garauntee youself a retirement check (half your salary) for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. So, almost EVERYONE stays in for 20 once they make O-4. The good news is that a lot of the Professional Military Education schools at the Major Level (mid-career) give you a Master's when you complete the course. The bad news is you can't count on this (very competitive to get into)</p>
<p>So, at the 15 year point, you've made Major (If they selsected me, goodness knows ANYONE can make it that high! :) ), you're now planning on staying for the full 20. You'll compete for the next rank (O-5) sometime around the 15 year point as well. And Guess What; having a Master's IS DISPLAYED ON YOUR SURF at this board. The Board members EXPECT you to have this complete by now (as do your immediate Commanders), and frown oupon those who choose not to show the commitment to getting one. In fact, I can tell you stories of lots (and I mean LOTS) of fliers and other officers (all highly accomplished in their jobs) who did not get their Master's by this point, and were PASSED OVER for Lt Col, all because they didn't have a Master's Degree. No big whoop? Tell that to them when their retirement pay-check comes in every month $400 - $500 LESS than whatit would have been if the made O-5! Tens of thousands of $$$ over thier lifetime. </p>
<p>One other thing: say you do decide to get out at the 8 - 10 year point. You'll now be competing for some great job on a market where therest of the people your age will MOST LIKELY have their Masters. Who do you think they will select. And it's even better if you are the only one who interviewed for thr job with one. Who do you thinkn they will select then? </p>
<p>Well, sorry for the manifesto-length post, but bottom-line (and what I told the Capts I led) Stop whining about it, buckle down, and get your Master's (sometime during your second operational tour is the best time t do this). Show your dedication to the Service, but more importantly, to yourself!</p>
<p>A quick caveat to add: for some of you who decide to go into the "technical fields" (i.e. engineer, doctor, etc.), it WILL be expected of you to start on your Master's some time during your first operational tour. "Expected" may may not be the right word (implies you are ordered to do so); more like your boss will kind of raise his/her eyebrows and look at you funny if they ask, "So, how's the Master's coming?", and your answer is, "I haven't planned to start it yet." The next thing out of their mouth will be, "Let's go to my office. We need to talk."</p>
<p>and that is why we love having people who've been there and done that! thanks bullet, i really wouldnt've seen the point otherwise</p>
<p>"Let's go to my office. We need to talk." words I spent a twenty-one year career avoiding. :) Bullet left the other wonderfull PME related things that will chew into that time while trying to accomplish your Masters. When you are a young Lt aspiring to those railroad tracks you'll have the joy of completing "SOS" Squadron Officer School. Then when you are knee deep in all that work as a Maj or I hesitate LC you'll be expected to complete something like AWC "Air War College". Like Bullet said the AF wants smart people, and the learning never stops.</p>
<p>Bullet and CS are dead on. Makes sense; they've been "around the block."</p>
<p>I just had the misery of telling one of my officers (I'm a reservist) (he's an airline pilot and didn't get his PME done in a timely fashion, he also never took one grad school course) that he was passed over for Lt Col again...his second passover. And with it came a mandatory separation date.</p>
<p>Yes, discharge. He is NOT being continued to 20 years. He will separate with 17 years 11 months of "good" time (active duty and reserve). Had he made it to 18 years, he would have been in what is referred to as "sanctuary" and would have been allowed, by law, to continue until he qualified for retirement.</p>
<p>Now...he'll get a nice medal and certificate and a "thank you very much for your service" letter...and that's it.</p>
<p>PME, grad school...education PERIOD does NOT stop...it can't. The AF is a fast moving service, extremely technical and getting even more so. If you don't know that, ask Bullet. I am a "front ender" and I know my stuff...but looking into his "pit" I am totally lost. VERY technical there! And it's not just knowing how to employ the systems, you need to know how they work so you can employ them. Again, VERY technical.</p>
<p>No, the learning continues every day.</p>
<p>Wow, talk about driving the point home...</p>
<p>Thanks for that, Col.</p>
<p>Currently O-5 seems very far away, but also remember only in the early 90's we had RIFS and promotion to O-4 was at an 80% marker because that yr group was still bloated after the RIF. We knew someone who was passed over and had to seperate , thus they too got a hardy handshake and a pat on the back :(</p>
<p>This guy btw was an AFA grad and a flyer. You do not know what is going to happen in the DOD..if Barney Frank has his way, you could see RIFs and pipelines closing down. After Bullet graduated the pipelines shut down almost completely within 3 yrs of his commissioning , simultaneously as the RIF occurred. Back than AFA grads received full commissions which saved them, but that is no longer the case</p>
<p>RIFs are reductions in force, by the way. (in case anyone feels out of the loop)</p>