"American Military University" (AMU); anyone use it?

[mycrofft]

I'm researching business models for training folks in emergency prepardness and resilience, and AMU has surfaced a few times. They seem to be sort of a self-enclosed entity, though, and I want tio fin ot if they are mostly smoke and mirrors or a real and truthful deal.

 

[mycrofft]

Sorry, I'm typing on my lap!

Enjoy the day.

 

[cw15321]

I have just signed up for them for my masters in education. I went with them as they are recoginized by West Virgina Department of Education.

I thought they must be OK if there program is eligible for teacher certification.

I have not started classes yet, so I might think different once I start classes.

 

[mycrofft]

Thanks CW.

Good luck!!

 

[spisco85]

AMU is teamed with APU (American Public University). I have looked at what they have to offer but they aren't cheap.

 

[AlphaButch]

Expensive.

I've looked into them as well since they are one of the few schools offering an education in what I want and will probably end up going there. I sent in my transcripts to see what they allow to transfer and they are accepting alot more than local schools do. For the price though, you could just about finish a four year at a local U for what they charge for two years.

Local schools nowadays normally have a pretty good selection of online courses if that's what you're looking for. It depends on what dream your chasing.

 

[mycrofft]

spisco, American Univesity is an offshoot of AMU, as is their "parent" corporation.

Very pricey, I looked into their programs to get a degree in disaster management.

The ex Marine who founded AMU then opened AU, then APUS, ther umbrella corp. Cozy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Public_University_System
Please note the caveat at the top oif the wikipedia article.

I'm more intersted in looking into business models.

(I remember separating from active duty in '79 and finding all the much-vaunted CLEPS and other experience and OJT credits were BS, and I don't mean baccalaureate.

 

[medic2611]

Amu-apus

American Military University is a total online higher education program which is built from it's parent company American Public University Systems www.apus.edu.
They are a completely accredited institution, which qualifies for all federal and military higher ed programs. I have been enrolled in APU's emergency and disaster management program for 3 years now and have enjoyed it the entire time. All of the prof's are experienced with the programs that they are teaching which provides a better learning environment. The cost is 250 per credit hour, which is comparable to most brick and morter schools. It qualifies for FASFA which allows students to participate in the federal stafford loan programs. I have enjoyed all of the classes that they offer, and look forward to completing my degree. Because of the online format, it makes it easier to fit into a bizarre schedual which most of us in EMS has, which is another benefit. APUS also has one of the most active student programs through the International Association of Emergency managers (IAEM) and has recently had several of its student body elected into the national level of the IAEM's student section. Many of our professors are active in their fields so we are kept in the loop with new developments. If you have specific questions e-mail me at medic2611@gmail.com

 

[mycrofft]

Thanks!

That gives me good info.
As I was saying, though, I'm not actually looking into taking their courses at this time, more trying to learn about their business model. When I emailed questons about their structure and external accreditation they stopped responding. However, it's clear that training for adults needs to meet their needs as regards scheduling, accessibility, and relevance.

 

[Scottpre]

AMU is a great option

I'm almost done working towards a Master's in Emergency and Disaster Management with a graduate-level certificate in Homeland Security. I've been impressed with AMU. Their instructors are not just academics, but are also practitioners in the field. It's a mix of current military, former military and civillian emergency response (EMS, LEO, FD, EMA). I like the flexibility in my schedule. When I started with them, I was working B shift as a full time EMT. The flexibility was nice.

Scott P. CEM, EMT-B
Seattle, WA

 

[Griff]

I will be finished with AMU's MPH in emergency management next year, and I have been satisfied with the school. I was wary at first of a completely online entity, but my med school adviser (who is also on the admissions board for a school I'm applying to) said that AMU/APU is fine because of their regional accreditation. It's not a gold standard post-bac program by any means (their MPH is not CEPH approved), but it still augments a professional school application. The tuition is a lot cheaper than many other programs I looked into, and it is very convenient. I wouldn't recommend it to everybody (definitely not as a terminal degree for someone who hasn't already found a position in their field), but it has been a good match for me.

 

[Griff]

That gives me good info.
As I was saying, though, I'm not actually looking into taking their courses at this time, more trying to learn about their business model. When I emailed questons about their structure and external accreditation they stopped responding. However, it's clear that training for adults needs to meet their needs as regards scheduling, accessibility, and relevance.

Ah, I just read what your actual question was.

AFAIK, AMU and APU are part of American Public University System (APUS). This is a for-profit higher education entity, with both regional and national accreditation. I finished a BA with AMU and I am working on a MPH with them now, but I also attend a brick and mortar institution (University of South Alabama). AMU and APU are pretty much exactly the same, as far as tuition, courses offered, and degrees offered. Their national accreditation is not special, places like UoP, Walden, and others have DETC (but then again, so do places like UCLA, Harvard, etc). Basically, DETC is not that hard to get (but it is by no means a negative implication). Getting regional accreditation is a much more stringent process, which separates APUS from a lot of other for-profit online schools (AKA "legal diploma mills"). Instructors for APUS courses typically have a full time job in their field (and always a masters or higher in their field), and teach APUS courses on the side. I have had a fairly positive experience with my instructors/professors, but I have several friends who hated their experience there. The courses themselves are as hard as the instructors want to make them. Some courses are "canned" and completely lack academic rigor, but in my experience this was offset by the over-the-top difficulty of other courses (I wrote easily 300 pages for one undergrad psych course). Canned courses are a hallmark feature of diploma mills, and this was a red flag to me. To be fair, I have seen plenty of ridiculously easy and completely irrelevant classes at the various brick and mortar schools I have attended as well.

Basically, the school is legit and bears regional and national accreditation. The school is not very well known outside of some fields (emergency management being an exception). I know for a fact that undergrad/grad/professional schools in the southern Alabama, northern Florida, and eastern Mississippi areas have no problem accepting transfer credit from APUS. Additionally, degrees from APUS are looked on favorably here, although there is no academic comparison with top-tier or CEPH approved schools. You can look up their accreditation via CHEA, or go to this link:

http://www.ncahlc.org/index.php?option=com_directory&Itemid=192&Action=ShowBasic&instid=2853

to view their regional accreditation profile. I hope this helps!

 

[mycrofft]

Yes it does help, pretty well.

A former coworker and I are working out our business plan and I am lookling at various ones for inspiratin and caveats.

The one point I keep getting stuck on is the genealogy, AMU begat APU begat APUS in that order (don't know about AFAIK yet, thanks).

Might be a manifestation of "distance learning" being a relatively new field.

I gather University of Idaho has some distance learning in the disaster and emergency fields as well, and they have been experimenting with Second Life (Obelix Island) as a virtual exercise ground, as has York University.

Online distance learning looks like a good way for little guys to get a toehold if they can get a good internet presence on the cheap, and dependable.

I'm noticing the AMU students here use good grammar and have fewer typos than the rest of us, in general.

 

[Griff]

A former coworker and I are working out our business plan and I am lookling at various ones for inspiratin and caveats.

The one point I keep getting stuck on is the genealogy, AMU begat APU begat APUS in that order (don't know about AFAIK yet, thanks).

Might be a manifestation of "distance learning" being a relatively new field.

I gather University of Idaho has some distance learning in the disaster and emergency fields as well, and they have been experimenting with Second Life (Obelix Island) as a virtual exercise ground, as has York University.

Online distance learning looks like a good way for little guys to get a toehold if they can get a good internet presence on the cheap, and dependable.

I'm noticing the AMU students here use good grammar and have fewer typos than the rest of us, in general.

AFAIK is "as far as I know", but I can't tell if that was humor or not

APUS is the actual university system, AMU and APU are schools within that system. APUS is the one with the accreditation, and the two schools are bound by that accreditation. This is similar to UMUC's model (UMUC falling under the University of Maryland system), except that UofM is a public, non-profit system (pretty sure they have different rules regarding tuition rates, programs, etc). As far as the business model goes, APUS could feasibly open a new school and call it whatever it wanted and those schools would fall under that accreditation (as long as they did not deviate from allowed programs, etc). From what I've heard, AMU is geared more towards active duty and reserve military, while APU is geared more towards the public sector. The course requirements for degrees, student policies, etc are exactly the same for both schools, but the student body (which trickles down to individual class demographics) will differ between them. My courses are almost completely comprised of active duty military, reserve personnel, and DoD dependents.

 

[mycrofft]

AFAIK..that would be a good name for a school then!!

HAHA on me!

 

[mycrofft]

AMU accepts FEMA online classes for credit?

Allegedly. Fredericksberg Community College does.

 

[Seaglass]

I've heard good and bad about AMU, but they are legit. As for the cost, I get the impression that most of their students are using military benefits, so it's not as bad as it looks for their target audience.

Online schools do tend to change names pretty often. It's not because they're trying to hide anything... it's really just because it's a new field. If you're worried, check the CHEA site to see if they're accredited. There's supposedly no difference between regional and national accreditation in terms of how rigorous the process is and whether government employers accept the degree, but you want regional if you're planning to transfer credits.

Google will usually turn up a decent amount on how a place actually works. Business plans actually vary quite a lot from school to school, and they also vary broadly in how willing they are to discuss them.