While joining the United States Armed Forces is an honorable profession, a veteran’s career isn’t limited to the time they served their nation. In fact, there are several online degrees they can pursue during or after their service to have a legitimate career path paved for them once their service has ended. Of course, some degrees provided better opportunities, resources, and perks than others.
In this article, we have listed the top ten online degrees veterans can complete from the comfort of their homes in a time span that works best for them. A few examples include nursing engineering and criminal justice, to name a few.
Keep reading for more on these degrees, and also answers to commonly asked questions about The United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the services they provide veterans through online education.
Does the VA Cover Online Classes?
As a veteran, you would expect The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) to supply some degree of financial aid for online classes at affordable online colleges considering veterans’ sacrifices while in service.
To honor their bravery and exemplary efforts, the VA provides an exceptional amount of support through the G.I. Bill, both for online and on-campus learning. This aid is provided through the Montgomery GI Bill (MGI bill) or Post-9/11 GI Bill, depending on the veteran, and covers a program’s tuition and fees as long as the institution matches VA requirements.
Additionally, those enlisted in solely online classes (or distance learning) and using post 9/11 GI Bill benefits will receive a housing allowance based on 50% of the national average. However, students that attend all of their classes online will not receive this aid.
There are also exceptions to these resources. For instance, you must attend a two-or-four-year institution approved by the VA in order to receive financial and living aid. Therefore, apprenticeships, on-the-job training programs, and certification programs are not viable for assistance from the VA.
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How Much Does VA Pay for Online Classes?
In 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill was created to replace its preceding MGB Bill, so we are going to detail the coverage based on the VA’s newest policy when answering further questions.
While the VA does offer financial aid for online class tuitions and fees, the degree of aid they provide may vary depending on the type of institution you are attending.
For instance, under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the VA provides full coverage of all in-state tuition and fees at public institutions and coverage up to $26,042.81 per academic year at private schools. They also provide aid through additional programs, such as the Yellow Ribbon program, designated to non-resident students attending public institutions or private institutions that are more expensive than the annual cap.
Therefore, there is the potential for a veteran to receive a higher education through online classes for free if they attend a public institution or the annual private institution cost is lower or equivalent to the ascribed aid cap.
Of course, this aid is for full-time students. If you are receiving an online degree through online classes as a part-time student, it might affect how much aid you receive from the VA. In order to be considered a full-time student, most institutions require twelve or more hours spent in class weekly.
Will the VA Pay for a Laptop for School?
Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to get through a higher education efficiently without tools such as a personal laptop. True, veterans are free to use the school’s resources, like computer labs and library computers, to complete their work, but many attend online classes for the freedom to work at home on their own schedule. Without a laptop, this is nearly impossible. But will the VA provide this vital tool?
Yes, the VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Benefits cover a myriad of school-related costs, including books, supplies, and equipment, as long as the veteran matches the benefit’s general requirements.
Of course, there are stipulations to this. The VA will pay for a laptop as long as it is necessary for you to complete your education. However, the laptop has to fit your educational needs, meaning you can’t ask the VA to pay for a nice gaming laptop when all you need for school is to run the Internet and Microsoft programs.
This does not mean you need to request the cheapest laptop on the market. Just make sure that the functions of the laptop match what you’re trying to do in your education.
It’s also important to note that it is always best to apply for this type of aid well in advance, as it can take a lengthy amount of time for your request to be approved, especially when considering a pricy investment like a laptop.
Where Can I Find a List of VA Approved Online Schools?
It’s definitely a perk to veterans that the VA will cover a majority, if not all, of their online schooling. The kicker is that the institution they attend has to be VA approved, or they’ll be attending under their own financial steam. So, how can you find out which online schools are approved by the VA and which are not?
The easiest way to determine if the online school you have in mind is VA approved is to use the VA’s school search tool. This is located on the VA official website and allows you to enter your school of choice for a quick search, or you can search by program type or state. You can also search for schools approved by the Yellow Ribbon program here if necessary.
Using this tool is the fastest way to see all VA-approved schools, and you won’t be disappointed by how extensive the list is. Remember during your search that full-time online veteran students receive full tuition and fee coverage for public schools and a set amount of aid for private schools.
The Top 10 Online Degrees for Veterans
Now that we’ve established what the VA can cover as far as online schooling costs, let’s get into the ten online degrees best suited to veterans. These degrees would already incorporate knowledge veterans receive from training or lend themselves well to skills and traits most veterans have.
Of course, these veterans are free to pursue their own interests. These are just our top recommendations.
Nursing
One of the most common degrees for veterans is nursing, considering they are all required to have basic medical knowledge as part of their training. Therefore, those starting an online degree will have the benefit of feeling like they’re ahead of the curb despite their late start and can actually use their training to further their education.
Nursing is also a humanitarian career path which many veterans enjoy. This occupation allows them to see the difference they can make first-hand and on a daily basis. As a result, it gives many veterans a sense of purpose after service.
A perk of pursuing a nursing degree online is that not only is this a career that is always in demand but in our nation’s current state, there is an exceptionally high demand for qualified nurses. This translates to job security and might even result in higher perks than when there wasn’t such a noticeable nurse shortage.
Engineering
Another career on the rise with exceptional job security and benefits is engineering. Although this is a highly competitive degree nowadays, engineering is another profession in high demand that veterans can fill.
This is the ideal choice for a veteran who is more technically minded and enjoys using math and critical thinking to create something innovative. There are some veterans who are trained on more tech-based tasks during their service that might translate well to engineering.
An engineering degree also gives veterans the opportunity to continue working for the government, just in a different discipline. This usually has significant benefits of its own, particularly if your Post-911 GI Bill benefits didn’t cover all of your higher education.
Typically, individuals who acquire government jobs can get the remainder of their tuition waived in addition to other perks veterans should use to their advantage.
Physical Therapy
Like nursing, there are many skills intrinsic to physical therapy that veterans actually learn in training, which can help them immensely on their education journey.
Additionally, one reason this degree calls out to so many veterans is that they have witnessed countless comrades suffer from or overcome significant injuries and disabilities due to their time in service.
In some instances, the veteran attending online school might have needed a physical therapist’s services themselves to return to a sense of normalcy after serving. This gives them an exceptional appreciation for the career, and many will pursue it in order to help fellow veterans overcome this obstacle as well.
Human Resources Management
As we mentioned before, veterans have a proclivity for pursuing humanitarian careers, but many also enjoy the order and discipline that comes with the Armed Forces. One of the best ways to combine these two preferences is to pursue a degree in human resources management.
These careers are dedicated to improving the lives of specific individuals, demographics, communities, or even entire towns and cities. They will focus on provided necessary resources that are seriously lacking in these spheres in order to better the lives of everyone involved.
Veterans commonly pursue careers in human resources, but the management level is where many feel most comfortable as it gives them the sense of control and organization that was dominant during their time in service.
Information Security
Another technologically based career that is currently in high demand is information security. This is a career that veterans should pursue if they have a particular passion for computers and protecting sensitive information belonging to individual citizens and the government as a whole.
An online Cybersecurity certification has never been more important than it is today, particularly with the exponential growth of technology and individuals clever enough to know to exploit and disrupt it.
Therefore, like so many other careers on this list, veterans can be assured they’re making a difference when pursuing this career, and they can be confident there will be numerous openings available to them upon graduation.
Construction Engineering
Combat engineers and mechanics should listen up because this career choice is for them. Construction engineering, particularly careers centered on electrical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, is in high demand right now as the industry is losing employees at an exponential rate.
If you have training as a combat engineer or mechanics, congratulations, you already have a great deal of training necessary to complete this degree. Now all you have to do is choose your concentration and expand on it.
Even better, most individuals in this line of work have exceptional salaries bordering on six figures once you have finished your education and snagged some work experience.
Teaching
There’s a great deal of mentorship and camaraderie in the Armed Forces, which lends itself particularly well to teaching on all levels. All veterans start their journey learning from the best in the industry, and then over time, if they’re skilled enough, they’ll get the opportunity to pass down what they’ve learned to recruits.
This system translates particularly well to teaching, whether it be in a classroom or some other sphere of interest. The discipline and patience required to teach others in the military make veterans well-prepared to have a firm but guiding hand in any form of education.
Criminal Justice
Transitioning from solider to police officer or other criminal justice positions isn’t an uncommon step for many veterans, and it’s not hard to see why.
A criminal justice degree allows veterans to continue their passion for protecting people by transitioning to public spheres versus active duty. Whether you agree with it or not, most police or other criminal justice departments conduct themselves very similarly to the military.
As a result, it’s usually a relatively easy transition for most veterans to take a police officer’s badge after hanging up their military uniform.
Emergency Medical Technician
This degree program is best suited for medic veterans or those who have a little more than the average medical training from their time in service.
Individuals who pursue a career as an emergency medical technician need to have a calm disposition, make quick and calculated decisions, and handle stressful situations professionally. None of this is new to veteran medics. In fact, they are expected to perform under some of the direst and hazardous circumstances, making them well-equipped for a career such as this.
Fire Engineering/Fire Science
If you’re a veteran that loves the idea of pursuing a more active humanitarian career but have reservations about entering the police force, fire engineering/fire science might be the path for you.
There is a great deal of competition for positions in fire departments, but having a legitimate degree in fire engineering or fire science will give veterans an element of credibility most applicants won’t have.
Additionally, many fire departments have physical expectations for their volunteers or employees that veterans can easily meet as long as they have maintained their fitness from service. This should make them an easy shoo-in for any fire department.
Final Thoughts
These are common degrees pursued by U.S. veterans, but you can choose whether you want to follow in their footsteps or blaze your path. Many of these degrees were chosen because they highlight skills individuals receive and hone during their service, giving them a leg-up in their future careers.
Many of these degrees have adjoining careers that are also rising or in serious demand for employees, which helps guarantee job security for veterans. However, if you have a passion for a degree outside of those listed above, it is always best to pursue your interests.
