Earning an education is easier than ever before through distance learning with thousands of high school, undergraduate and graduate level courses offered by accredited colleges and universities via the Internet, video, tape form, satellite, cable or regular mail.

The beauty of distance learning is that you can earn a degree no matter where you are stationed. Essentially, you learn as you go, at your own pace. You pick and choose what courses or degree programs you want to take and you use a variety of educational tools to complete the classes necessary.

"I work 10-12 hours a day and I have a wife and baby at home," said Lt. Scott Bell, 34, who is earning his MBA through the University of Phoenix. "The flexibility is what I really, really enjoy. It's on my time."

"Especially in my occupation as a flight instructor at NAS Whiting Field, FL, I can continue to take classes even when I go on a cruise," Bell added. "With an e-mail address I can be reached on ships. If I were in regular classes, I would have no choice but to drop."

But to better understand what students like Lt. Bell go through, you should know what the typical "classroom" is like.

Distance learning programs can vary from class to class, program to program. While many schools use regular mail or e-mail to submit and receive course lessons and papers or to communicate directly with instructors or admission offices, some schools use the Internet to deliver instruction. Others employ satellite or cable delivery methods.

For example, according to the Central Texas College's Distance Learning website, "Today, CTC offers distant learners the choice of delivery modes - online, video-based, videoconferencing or multimedia."

And although every course will be a structured a little differently from the next, a distance learning course might look like this:

The military student signs up for the course. Before the term begins, the student picks up or receives by mail his or her class syllabus and purchased textbooks. During the course, the student reads the textbook(s) and visits online message boards weekly, posting class comments and questions. This is the equivalent of the classroom setting. When it's time to take an exam, the student visits an approved college, library or human resources training center near to where he/she lives and completes the exam under the supervision of an approved proctor.

Where do you start?
Before you rush out and sign on the dotted line at the school of your choice, you have one stop to make first - your local education center (also called the Lifelong Learning Center or Navy College Office).

The first reason for the stop is simple: if you want Tuition Assistance (TA), then you have to apply for it through your education center.

With TA, each time you enroll in school, Uncle Sam will refund 75% of your tuition costs. However, that total is subject to a cap of $187 per semester hour up to a maximum of $3,500 per year, and no special, lab or textbook fees are reimbursed, nor is the in-residence portion of the program. And keep in mind that you are are paid according to your Service's rules and the availability of funds.

It's also to your advantage to consult an education counselor at the center before you choose a program. Not only will the education counselor help you with TA, but they will provide college admission testing (if necessary); outline sources of college funding available, including scholarships and loans; help you prepare and take DANTES Subject Standard Tests (DSST), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, or Regents College Exams (RCE); administer course interest surveys and aptitude testing, and provide a list of appropriate schools to fit your academic interests.

So now that you have made your first stop, it's time to take the next step. Although your education counselor has undoubtedly headed you in the right direction, it's wise to understand a little about how the distance learning network works to the benefit of military students. We'll begin with the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Distance Learning Program.

DANTES Distance Learning Program
DANTES Distance Learning Program provides a wide range of nontraditional education programs to all military students who are unable to attend set classroom hours.

DANTES provides undergraduate and graduate academic courses from nearly 100 institutions. Other courses are oriented toward a non degree-seeking or technically oriented student.

DANTES divides its Distance Learning Program up into three classifications: external degree programs, independent study program, and nationally accredited distance learning programs.

The external degree programs enable military students to pursue a degree from start to finish without visiting a particular college. The external degree catalog offers a selection of 470 certificate, associate's, baccalaureate, master's and doctorate programs from approximately 70 accredited colleges and universities.

According to DANTES Program Manager Jim Rumpler, more colleges are offering "entire degree programs" rather than a few courses.

The independent study program offers individual courses by subject matter, rather than entire degree programs, so students can take the remaining class or two that they need to finish their degree or program.

"[These courses] are a gap filler," Rumpler said. "The program focuses on specific individual courses to enable a student to get over an obstacle."

Students can choose from more than 6,000 high school, undergraduate and graduate level, and examination preparation correspondence courses that are available from regionally accredited institutions.

The third type of program available to military students is DANTES' nationally accredited distance learning programs, which are geared toward students that want to develop skills through technical and nontechnical training.

To facilitate funding for all three types of programs, DANTES manages the TA for the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The Coast Guard and Air Force pay out their students' TA entitlements separately.

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)
To make it easier to finish the college program of your choice amidst the on-the-go military lifestyle and the rigid residency requirements of many schools, the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) was developed.

SOC is a network of 1,400 accredited colleges and universities and 15 higher education associations that offer associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees to military students. Each SOC school guarantees that college credits will transfer from other colleges, so the student doesn't lose course credit if relocated midstream in the degree program. Plus, each school minimizes their academic coursework requirements to make it easier to complete a program.

"We know deployments take place," said Dr. James R. Anderson, Chancellor of Central Texas College, an SOC school that offers Associate Degrees at over 100 locations, not including the instruction it provides on Navy ships and at U.S. embassies.

"[Servicemembers] have no control over it and neither do we, so we accommodate it," he added.

Each student has a "home college" where all their courses, tests and military experience that are part of the degree are transferred back to. When the degree requirements are met, that school awards the student the degree.

The Necessary Tools
Since distance learning classes are often strictly online, you will need the following to complete one of these courses:

• A Pentium-class PC running Windows 95 or 98 with at least 16 MGs of RAM and at least 30 MGs free on your hard drive, or a PowerPC Macintosh running system 7.5 or higher with at least 16 MGs of RAM and 30 MGs on your hard drive.

• A printer.

• Connection to the Internet. This will be required; so students should also have a fast modem, a reliable Internet Service Provider with e-mail, such as AOL or Earthlink, and a browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape installed on their machine. Furthermore, students should be familiar with their computers, sending/receiving e-mail and attachments and using their browser.