Building Their Technical Prowess
As a significant number of DoD civilians prepare to retire in the next five to ten years, the demand for a new generation of personnel with engineering and high-tech skills is pushing DoD to tap the services of those familiar with technologies to help them retain a competitive edge on the 21st–century battlefield.
By Marty Kauchak
A confluence of events has increased the demand for a new generation of U.S. Department of Defense personnel with engineering and high-tech skills. As a significant number of civilians prepare to retire in the next five-to-ten years, DoD needs operators familiar with technologies to help the services retain a competitive edge over their peer and near-peer competitors on the 21st–century battlefield.
An increasing number of engineering and technical degree and certificate programs at civilian institutions allow servicemembers and their civilian counterparts to advance their academic experience. Courses leading to these certificates and degrees are offered in residence and online in cities with significant military populations and remote education venues. Of particular interest to DoD learners should be the variety of new courses, certificates and degrees in these fields being prepared for delivery.
Initial Decisions
DoD learners interested in engineering or technical education must make a number of decisions before they enroll in a course, one of which is deciding to complete the instruction in residence or online. Numerous universities and colleges offering engineering and high-tech degrees have branch campuses on DoD facilities across the nation and around the world, allowing learners to continue their studies following a change of military assignment or DoD civilian position. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has more than 130 worldwide learning sites, including on U.S. bases and military installations in the 50 states and overseas. Alternatively, individuals who live in one geographic area for three years or longer, will find accredited, quality institutions in most cities, in particular in those with high concentrations of DoD facilities. Two of many universities on this list include Virginia Tech (VT) University National Capital Region campuses and Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Va.
Dr. Tom Cavanagh, director, course design and production for worldwide online and assistant professor of arts and sciences, ERAU Worldwide Campus, provided insight on background skills and competencies needed to complete his institution’s online programs. “There are no advanced computer skills necessary to learn online at ERAU,” pointed out Cavanaugh. “If a student can browse the Web and understands common Microsoft Applications such as MS Word, he or she should have no problem interacting online and submitting assignments. High-powered processors are not required, although students are expected to have fairly up-to-date computer systems, including the latest Internet browser,” he added. “And while not strictly required, a broadband connection is strongly recommended.”
Programs in Major Military Hubs
DoD professionals who want to advance their careers and personal skill sets have an increasing number of academic programs from which to select. The programs and the sponsoring institutions highlighted in this article are a snapshot of their expanding options.
VT University offers a combination of master’s and Ph.D. degrees, and graduate certificates in computer science, electrical engineering, science and technology studies and other programs—with the promise of more on the way. Instruction is provided in residence at National Capital Region sites and on-line. The majority of approximately 500 military and intelligence community learners enrolled at VT’s Northern Virginia campuses are completing work in engineering and high-tech programs, including the Master of Information Technology. “This is an online program designed for people who don’t have a strong IT background—it’s designed to give them a certain level of proficiency,” Dr. James Bohland, vice president and executive director, Virginia Tech National Capital Region Operations, told Military Advanced Education. “It’s modular in design and the student takes a core of about 12 hours and then chooses between networking, business management of IT or other concentrations. All of that is offered online,” he pointed out.
VT also teaches on-site, contract courses or degrees, on demand. “If a particular unit or agency knows it has 15 or 20 students who want to obtain a degree we provide at National Reconnaissance Office, for example a degree in industrial and systems engineering, we can offer that on site. Plus, we can reduce the tuition on that instruction because it is on-site,” explained Bohland.
ODU’s increasing number of engineering and high-tech graduate programs delivered in residence and through distance learning includes a Master’s of Engineering Management (MEM) degree in an anywhere/anytime format. “This is truly appealing to the mobile naval nuclear community and is a very popular option with the Navy’s nuclear-trained officers who earn 12 semester hours of academic credit for their Navy training and experience,” David L. Chase, director, military distance learning, ODU, told MAE.
The program was launched in 2001 and has produced 550 graduates. Courses include project management, logistics and supply chain management and quality systems design. The program is offered via CD-ROM and is supported by graduate-certified faculty who assist the students throughout the courses as needed. “ODU’s engineering management program is the recipient of the American Society of Engineering Management’s (ASEM) ‘Award for Excellence in Leadership in Graduate Programs’ for four out of the last six years and recently was the first program in the country to be recertified by ASEM,” recalled Chase.“When we started the program, we expected 75 students, and we got 300!” remarked Dr. Resit Unal, chair, Engineering Management and Systems
Engineering Department.
Opportunities to earn engineering degrees are available at a variety of other institutions including San Diego State University (SDSU) and University of Alabama- Huntsville (UAH). SDSU is located near the maritime services’ major bases and stations in Southern California and offers masters of engineering degrees in aerospace, civil, mechanical and electrical studies. The university also offers a doctoral degree in engineering science/applied mechanics in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego. UAH is situated in a center of excellence for the aerospace industry and near DoD facilities. The university offers master’s and doctoral degrees in an array of engineering and science fields ranging from atmospheric science to mechanical engineering.
Focus on Online Options
ERAU’s Master of Aeronautical Science (MAS) program has specializations in aeronautics, space studies, space operations management and five other areas of interest to department aviation and aerospace professionals. The university also offers this program online. “The service members’ access to educational opportunity is continuous,” remarked Dr. Ron Thomas, associate dean, online academics and assistant professor, arts and science, ERAU. He added that with a robust online course delivery system, “the entire program can be completed via distance learning, and we have many students continuing their studies in forward locations.”
DoD learners have other opportunities to pursue advanced education online in computer science, information technology, information systems and other disciplines.
Capella University, an accredited online institution, awards a Ph.D. in information technology in four areas of concentration and a Master’s of Information Technology degree in six technology specializations. One of Capella’s instructional strategies of interest is the use of Capella’s virtual lab environment. The environment “allows you to develop and test technology projects in an environment that closely mirrors real-life settings, and to create a professional portfolio that demonstrates your master’s level competencies to current and future employers,” states the program’s homepage.
Two other online learning opportunities to earn a Master of Science in information systems are provided through Strayer University and University of Phoenix Online. Strayer offers its graduate degree in computer security management and five other concentrations. The University of Phoenix’s requirement for a prospective student to complete 30 hours of graduate instruction (three 10-hour courses) for its degree is representative of many other institutions’ engineering and technical programs.
Among institutions that provide online advanced education in computer science is Ellis College of New York Institute of Technology. The college’s M.S. in computer science develops academic skills in areas of increasing interest to DoD, including software, computer graphics and artificial intelligence.
New Courses and Programs
Virginia Tech’s future graduate studies programs will include a master’s in biomedical technology, development and management. The degree will be introduced in the fall 2008 semester and is a joint degree offering with Georgetown University Medical Center. “We’ll be taking science and looking at how you can commercialize new ideas in the biotech and biomedical fields,” revealed Bohland.
In 2009, VT is expected to offer a certificate program in information assurance (IA), under the oversight of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. This program is being developed at a time when DoD’s demand is dramatically expanding for IA-certified personnel to protect information and IT networks.
ODU has recognized the changes in the engineering management field and is adding a new course in systems analysis (ENMA 715) to the MEM program. The course will give students a foundation in systems development, operations and support
Learners in the DoD modeling and simulation (M&S) community will take a quantum step forward with the continued migration of ODU’s popular master’s degree in M&S to an online format. M&S applications support an increasing number of requirements in training, testing and production. As of summer 2008, ODU will have developed material for seven M&S courses.
“What we have developed are ‘hybrid’ courses,” explained Chase. “All of the course materials are online via Blackboard. The problem assignments and exams also are delivered and collected through Blackboard.” He continued, “The courses are hybrid in the sense that we still have scheduled class meetings; they now are discussion sessions rather than lecture sessions. In the fall of 2008, we will experiment with making these discussion sections available online to a limited number of people. This will be an interdisciplinary program offered through the Batten College of Engineering and Technology in conjunction with ODU’s Virginia, Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center.
ERAU, as a result of periodic reviews of media supporting its courses, is updating one of its courses in the MAS aviation/aerospace safety systems specialization. “This will include a comprehensive ‘virtual crash lab’ that will allow students to interact with various elements of an aircraft crash scene, enabling them to conduct their own simulated crash investigations,” noted Cavanagh.
Focus on Aspiring Students
The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) maintains the current Navy, acquires the next Navy and designs the Navy after next. The command recently launched an effort to educate and inform engineering and science students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) about careers in the command’s laboratories, on the waterfront and in other venues. This program is of interest to DoD military and civilians with sons or daughters, or family friends who have given early indications of their interest in engineering or technical education.
An important piece of NAVSEA’s outreach strategy provides scholarships to students at a HBCU school with an engineering program that is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and affiliated with Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE). In March 2007, Vice Admiral Paul Sullivan, commander, NAVSEA, presented a check for $80,000 to AMIE to formally establish the program. NAVSEA is gradually increasing the scholarship funding to a steady state level of $320,000 per year. Acceptance of a scholarship does not obligate the aspiring engineer or scientist to naval service or to joining the NAVSEA civilian workforce.
NAVSEA’s initial scholarship funding supports 11 students. “In the fourth year, the funding will support 44 students,” pointed out Scott Lanum, chief diversity officer, NAVSEA. “This provides an opportunity to gain and continue an education in math and science for some students who may not have had that opportunity,” he added.
NAVSEA’s efforts to attract the best and brightest technically-inclined minority students go beyond scholarships. “We maintain a positive relationship with these students throughout their three or four years in school. We involve them in our intern programs, they are mentored by senior leaders in the organization and they see the work they do,” explained Lanum.
More information about the NAVSEA scholarship program is available through AMIE (http://www.amiepartnerships.org/). ♦