American Military University : National Security Studies Reviews
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Mrmikemodel
(In Progress) on March 2, 2012
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Better than Nebraska
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.
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Anonymous
(In Progress) on September 22, 2011
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AMU - A decent educational experience
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.
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Centinel1787
(Graduate) on September 10, 2011
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The Inevitable and Inexorable Emergence of Online Learning
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.
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Anonymous
(Graduate) on June 15, 2010
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Good Program
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.
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Hugonaut
(In Progress) on October 30, 2009
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Good School
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.
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Anonymous
(In Progress) on February 11, 2008
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Great value
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.
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