American Military University

All-in-all, AMU provided an outstanding education. However, be advised, this is not a degree-mill where you pay money and do little work for your degree. Most AMU classes require a good amount of writing and will challenge its students. To be successful at an online institution, the student must have a decent foundation in time management and apply themselves. Although the teachers are always there to guide the class and provide feedback, at the end of the day, most research is done by the student and that is when knowledge is gained. Personally I like this format because it taught me how to effectively conduct research and the skills gained will help me when I leave the military and enter the civilian sector. I highly recommend AMU for those in the Inter-agency and military professionals trying to advance their careers. Good luck out there and hope this review helps!

Overall, I have had a really good experience with AMU. I am currently finishing up my M.A. in National Security Studies and I have no regrets. For those thinking about attending AMU, please be advised that the courses are very interesting, but there typically is a "higher than average" amount of writing involved. I do not say that to discourage anyone, but if you are looking for a degree mill, this is far from that. However, if you are interested in the inter-agency and National Security environment, you are going to really enjoy your studies here.

I completed an MA in National Security Studies from AMU. I already hold a law degree from a traditional "elite" brick and mortar university. I'm mid career and wanted to transition into national security work and the flexibility and low (overall) costs at AMU is what made me choose it over something like Georgetown. I felt like it was a gamble to go 'online only,' but in interviews I've discovered that most people are used to the idea now. Even though it holds accreditation, I was worried about the for-profit reputation of the school. That one has been harder to overcome and it's why I decided to write this review. Despite its for-profit status, I found the quality of the education to be academically sound. The program was well designed with good range of topics covered and deep enough dives to provide a good baseline. The courses are generally taught by competent practitioners (from places like Georgetown ironically enough). Out of the courses I took, I was only genuinely unimpressed by one professor. All the rest were reasonably responsive during the course. Overall, I've been happy with what I learned, the response from employers when discussing the degree, and the format/expense of the program. Especially in the DC area, the number of people getting degrees here is high, so the school is building a significant base of alumni. Over time, as these folks enter into management roles in the federal workforce, I believe the reputation of this school will continue to improve.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience taking the program. I learned a lot from the instructors, all of whom had both academic and practical experience with the various courses they taught. All were very challenging but also understanding of the students' various situations. I learned a lot. The cost of the courses was also very reasonable. I would highly recommend AMU and especially the course of study.

I completed my Masters Degree in National Security Studies during August 2013. Simultaneously I completed a graduate certificate in Asymmetrical Warfare. The professors, support staff, and ease of technology makes American Military University (AMU) an online university who truly emulates their motto, "Educating those who serve." As a full time major city police officer with over 26 years experience and 14 years in the military (active and reserve) AMU exceeded my expectations with their curriculum and ability to juggle a busy schedule while achieving my educational goals. I have read negative comments about AMU and those comments are misplaced. It’s not what AMU can give you it’s what AMU can provide one with if one merely applies oneself. The professors are in the field offering both their high level experiences and advanced educations "guiding" the graduate student towards achievement rather than engaging in ridiculous hand holding and coddling. If one is looking for a valuable, immediately applicable education, then AMU is for you. If you require coddling and hand holding I suggest you look elsewhere. Robert

I've completed five classes for the M.A./National Security Studies degree with a concentration in Security and Intelligence Analysis and I am very pleased with the program. I went to three different "brick and mortar" universities for my undergrad degree and I can say without a doubt that I put much more time in to reading, researching, and writing w/ AMU and this program than I did for my undergrad. I am learning a tremendous amount, but I also put in the effort. Here's a sample of a typical course: each week the instructor posts a few paragraphs introducing the weekly topic along with about five required reading assignments. You are also given a discussion board topic and must post a minimum of 250 words and cite two strong academic sources by midweek. You also must respond to at least two classmates' posts by the end of the week, citing at least one source (and usually the post needs to be at least 100 words). You'll probably have a mid-term test in essay format, as well as one research paper due at the end of the class (minimum 10 pages, which does not include the title page and references). The learning really comes from your own reading and research - you are spoon-fed nothing. If you need the teaching done for you, college probably isn't for you. The teacher acts as a facilitator. You should also know what your goal is and be clear on whether or not this program will help you. As someone already working in the Intelligence field, I know that this degree is a nice credential...it's the cherry on top. But I also know this degree (or the undergrad version) will NOT guarantee you an intel job. Remember that you are competing against graduates from Ivy League schools for scarce, cool jobs. The real "intel" portion of our profession cannot be taught in an unclassified environment by any school, no matter how good the school, so just be reasonable about what you think this degree will do for you.

Awareness to what is taking place around the world is extremely important for both adults and business professionals now and those on thier way to moving up the corporate ladder. Having earned a Masters Degree in National Security Studies with concentration in Security and Intelligence Analysis has increased my perspective on international security related issues taking place all over the world. Furthermore, it has helped my understand of how the US can be and is affected by the decisions and actions taking place in numerous countries around the world. This is a degree I highly recommend for anyone intested in the intelligence field or any position of employment involving foreign policy. I would also like to mention I did not need the course materials in many of the courses to maintain a 3.6 GPA throughout. Best Wishes.

I took on-line classes from seven different colleges while studying for my BA in History and I can say without a doubt that AMU's on-line classes were the best. The software, their teachers, and their use of up to date materials all helped me to achieve a 3.8 gpa. I am already planning on going after a second master's in managment.

I completed my Masters in National Security Studies with a concentration in Terrorism in 2.5 years. It was a challenging, but positive experience. I chose AMU for 2 reasons: 1) because I lived 2 hours away from a brick & mortar university, and 2) because they offered a degree program (National Security) that was of interest to me. It was hard work, but worth it.

I have been attending AMU for two years. I began in Military History but changed due the recommendation of AMU because I was in the graduate history program at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO), my alma mater. I have just finished a course in which the work was crushing, far more then I had experienced at UNO. This was not usually the norm with an AMU course, but, it goes to show that you cannot take these classes expecting some kind of cake walk. I mean, who ever heard of having four book reviews due over four weeks DURING Christmas and New Years? I spent Christmas day doing school work. I am NOT complaining. This course was exceptional in the material covered and in the expectations of your accumulated knowledge. In comparing a State University to AMU there is no difference. I have decided to transfer my credits to AMU from UNO. I "got stuck" taking a history seminar course at UNO entitled "Gender and Slavery" taught by a woman who had an issue with men. Both of us "men" had to drop the course (only 2 men in the course). With AMU I have a plethora of courses to choose from; subjects that I am interested in taking and not courses that I am forced to take because the course was the only one available when it came my time to register. My Military Studies MA has been taught so far by NYU, Naval Academy, UPENN, Harvard, and NYU professors. The professorial staff is of an extremely high caliber, and they expect much. During a FSL issue between both schools, UNO just did not care in helping me resolve the issue. I was a number, not a person. AMU, much to my surprise assigned me an adviser in the financial aid office and she worked tirelessly to solve the problem. I was impressed. I had heard from various blogs, forums etc. before I started AMU that it was a diploma mill. This is absolutely not the case. Amu was started to assist those who serve with obtaining college degrees. AMU is now the school recommended to employees and soldiers by the government and military to obtain a degree from. It is regionally accredited by the North Central Association. So, credits transfer to and from other colleges without an issue. They are also accredited by the Distance Learning Council, UNO doesn't even have that one, and UNO does distance education. I know that the education I receive from AMU is as good or better than the State school I attended. Many of the degrees at AMU are those which have a direct impact on systems and people. Many times, peoples lives may be on the line and those who have graduated from AMU are responsible for those lives. Homeland security, Military intelligence, National Security studies, or Strategic Studies have real world implications on a daily basis. This review has not been an ad for AMU. I am a real and current student, and have been around during my 50 years. Situational awareness in the hallmark of security studies and of life. You have to be able to tell the shit from shineola. The UNO history department, like so many other history departments in ivory towered institutions, thinks that they are important to life, they are not. Research has its place, in truth research universities like UNO or UN-Lincoln pay their professors to research and publish, teaching students is a side show, it pays the bills. Do not hesitate with AMU, you will learn the important stuff.

I have been attending AMU for about 3 years and am nearing the completion of my degree there. On the positive side, AMU has classes that start every month and on the military TA, you can take 6 classes per year. I am using my GI Bill benefits, which exceeds the cost of tuition. Since it is online, it is very flexible for those that do not have a lot of time to attend conventional classes. Some of the instructors/classes have exceeded my expectations and I have really learned quite a bit from them. Not all classes have open book tests at the end, but require a research paper of anywhere from 5 to 15 pages. The classes I have gotten the most out of had engaging instructors and students that were involved almost daily in the discussion board topics. In those cases, it made me wish that we were in the classroom and could discuss issues face to face. Some of the classes have been rather lackluster, and this can be attributed to not having face to face engagement that you could get in a classroom, busy instructors, and students trying to breeze through. I have been able to complete some classes without opening the text book, but that is mostly due to having easy access to online resources. The bottom line is that you will get out of the class what you put in to it. I tend to work harder if I have someone pushing me a bit, but then again, an engaging instructor always makes a class better. It's not a diploma mill, since you actually do have to put forth some effort, but it's not Harvard either.

My overall experience at AMU has been unequivocally positive, nonetheless there were some negatives: 1)The communication interface (Sakai) is ponderous. 2)A challenging instructor I favored was released (Mike Collier in the National Security Studies program). 3)The forums are generally based on exchange of information rather than the confrontational debate that I favor. In cases were I tried to incite heated debate, the instructor terminated the discussion before resolution. 4)The financial aid process appears to be ponderous and centered around meeting the needs of military personnel versus civilians like myself, hence I paid for all of my courses up front and out-of-pocket. The positives: 1) Interaction with many knowledgeable peers who possessed a unique skill set acquired from working in the military. For example, many of my fellow classmates were highly specialized mid to high level 'managers' in the armed forces actively engaged in the Global War on Terror. 2)Accessibility and low cost of books and other material. 3)Unlike my previous experience at 'respected brick and mortar' institutions in which professors peddled their own textbooks in a callous attempt to make a few bucks at the expense of a captive student audience -- the textbooks required at AMU were awesome and written by acknowledged experts in the field who were not associated with AMU. 4)Courses on research methods and analytics that helped improve my overall ability to conduct, analyze, and present technical reports. 5)Objective, fair, balanced, highly knowledgeable and highly experienced instructors. Lastly, my review has context since I have extensive and varied experience with both traditional 'brick and mortar' institutions and online schools. Both are demonstrably effective depending on the instructors and the programs. Indeed, based on advancements in electronic communications, I believe that online institutions are in ascendance.

I have a BA in International Relations from AMU, currently in the MA program for National Security Studies. I have attended B & M universities, however I found AMU courses challenging and learned considerable more than sitting through lectures. As a working professional it doesn't get better than AMU for education. I wish when I was active duty military this would have been avialable. The professors are of high quality with real world experience, many teaching at other major universities. I truly believe AMU is ahead of its time, and that they are the future of education.

I recently completed my M.A. in National Security Studies with a concentration in Terrorism Studies from American Public University (APU). My biggest complaint is that much of the assigned reading material was dated. I would have liked to see more handouts also - some teachers used very interesting ones and others did not. Like other schools, there are good and not so good instructors - APU is no different. I've taken graduate courses with Auburn and the Joint Military Intelligence College (JMIC)- both in-residence, I enjoyed the subject matter the most with APU but liked the school and professors better at Auburn. I would have graduated with Auburn but my assignment was completed and I had to relocate so I wasn't able to complet my graduate work with them. JMIC had the worst instructors in my opinion although the subject, Strategic Intelligence, was timely and interesting. Looking back, I find that I prefer an actual classroom enviornment to the on-line format; however, the on-line classroom met my needs based on convenience, affordability, and time/attendance. APU had the best support staff and tech response out of the three institutions I attended. Bottom line, if you are looking for affordability and convenience - you can't go wrong with APU/AMU. If you want mental stimulation and the ability to learn from fellow students in an actual classroom enviornment go with the more traditional "live" learning format.

One of the best things about this school are the instructors. Many are involved in the field of study in which they teach. I like the fact that they bring in people who have knowledge (not just academic) about how the "real" world utilizes the information that they pass on to students. Instructors like Dr. Steven Greer, Dr. Anna Simmons, and Dr. Edwin Bundy are examples of those who actually practice what they teach. The only issue that I have is how they schedule their Master's thesis course. For those of us using federal employee vouchers and who have to submit them ahead of registering, they make it difficult when registering for that final course. Even though I tried to get my academic advisor to understand that I am capable of carrying that course plus an elective (GPA: 3.85, now higher after this term) and explaining my voucher process, my complaint fell on deaf ears. Other than that issue, I like the school. It is tough, a lot of research, reading, and writing required.

I enrolled in this program for personal growth and professional development. As you might expect "National Security Studies" is not a common degree program at many colleges so I took a chance and enrolled for this completely online program. Having earned my BA Degree at a Brick & Mortar institution, AMU was my first online experience and I was unsure what to expect. Since being in the program I have been very pleased with everything. The online classroom is very easy to use and the instructors and support staff are very responsive to my questions and concerns. The instructors' syllabi are very detailed and their expectations are clear. I especially liked the cost for graduate tuition which is very affordable compared to other institutions. Most affordable program I could find. If you enroll at AMU be prepared to READ & WRITE A LOT. I have already completed several graduate level courses at a B&M and comparitively the amount of reading and writing at AMU is huge. Now in my opinion this writing was not really busy work. Rather it was a result of much research and critical thinking which was compiled into many assignments. As expected we are expected to synthesize current events with the information being studied. Many of these assignments are posted on discussion boards for other students to read and comment on. Hence you are also reviewing your peer's work and engaged in discussion. One thing I like about AMU is the common bond I feel between the students. AMU has cornered a niche market with military, government, and public safety personnel as its biggest clientele. This becomes obvious when students introduce themselves during the initial week of the courses. These are people I enjoy learning with because they are in my shoes. I would bet if you attend most other online schools you would have a very wide variety of people who you may not relate to. These might include soccer moms or people in the private sector who can't offer much insight. In the end it is the niche market which creates the networking opportunities. I have already met people at my own agency that are enrolled in AMU and our mutual coursework and common career goals create great dialogue. The worst thing about AMU and probably any "legitimate" online school is that self-discipline is absolutely required to complete the courses. Undisciplined students will fall behind and will not suceed at AMU. AMU is for self-starters. With all of this said I recommend AMU for people if they are interested in topics related to the NARROW fields of military, government, and public safety. These are its real strengths and main stay. Of course this would also include History (especially military history where AMU has really sharpened its teeth) and management (defense management and logistics). If you want to study arts, sciences, humanities, etc., then find another school because AMU does not specialize in these areas.