Associate of Arts in Military Studies

Red, yellow and navy blue stripes header banner

Military Studies Associate Degree Program Overview

The Associate of Arts in Military Studies program, taught in conjunction with Arizona State University, is designed for Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who are interested in becoming better enlisted leaders in Military Studies. This program helps you accomplish this by developing your skills in military history, organizational leadership, and political science.

Every associate degree program offered through the USNCC includes the five-course Naval Studies Certificate which provides a naval-relevant foundation to your lifelong educational journey. This is what sets the USNCC associate degree program apart from any other degree program available to you.

In addition to the Naval Studies Certificate, you will also earn a professional Certificate in Military Studies, which is a seven-course program in the Military Studies concentration area. This provides you with a professionally-relevant certificate that helps set you apart as an enlisted leader in military history, organizational leadership, and political science.

Finally, you will complete the general education requirements that round out your critical thinking and communication skills and ensure your degree is transferable to a four-year degree program. This program ensures you have an established pathway to a bachelor’s degree with little to no loss in credit. While the USNCC will not pay for your courses beyond the associate degree program in Military Studies, it will have provided you a quality foundation in your educational journey, which you can use your tuition assistance benefits, GI Bill, or other funding opportunities to continue.

Military Studies Associate Degree Partner Institution

The Associate of Arts in Military Studies program is completed through Arizona State University, who is the degree grantor for this program. Arizona State University was selected for this program because of their military friendliness, quality education program, expertise in the field, established pathway to a four-year degree program with little to no loss of credit, and established flag officer advisory council with retired flag officers from each of the armed services, including the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

Serving nearly 11,000 active-duty members, veterans, Guard, Reserves and military dependents, Arizona State University is committed to educating military-affiliated students while advancing defense research for the betterment and security of our nation. ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. ASU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Military Studies Associate Degree Program Description

In addition to the Naval Studies Certificate and general education requirements, the Military Studies Associate Degree offers courses that develop your knowledge and expertise as an enlisted leader in the following way:

Military Studies is an interdisciplinary associate degree program, designed to help you approach contemporary naval challenges from a deep historical and analytical perspective. You will gain tools to use historical, political, and economic analysis appropriately, demonstrating professional research, clear writing, and critical thinking skills.

The curriculum will explore key influences and enduring functions the U.S. armed forces have executed for the nation in addition to how those will shape the future maritime domain. You will explore the recent history, development, and strategies that drive the U.S. armed forces. You will learn the development, capabilities, structures, and functions of the Department of Defense as well as other agencies involved in U.S. national security, foreign policy, and more. You will learn to balance history, current events, foreign and domestic policy considerations as well as honing your critical thinking as you study U.S. national security policy making and strategy. You will also learn how this broader national context shapes your service in the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.

Military Studies Associate Degree Outcomes

1. Prepare a written document that demonstrates critical analysis, organization and purpose as part of a capstone project.;
2. Identify sources and evaluate the applicability to a military studies research question.;
3. Effectively identify, evaluate, and synthesize information and ideas from diverse sources and disciplines.

Military Studies Associate Degree Program Requirements

To be eligible for this program, you must meet the following criteria:

Active duty enlisted Sailor, Marine, Coast Guardsman, or Coast Guard Reservist
High school diploma or equivalent

Military Studies Associate Degree Program Plan

Naval Studies Certificate
NAV101	Naval Ethics and Leadership	3 Credits
NAV102	Modern Naval History	3 Credits
NAV103	Naval Force Design	3 Credits
NAV104	Civilian/Military Relations, Organization and American Government	3 Credits
NAV105	Introduction to the Geopolitical Environment	3 Credits
General Education
ASU101	The ASU Experience	1 Credit
MCO427	Misinformation and Society	3 Credits
ENG101	First-Year Composition	3 Credits
ENG102	First-Year Composition	3 Credits
MAT142	College Mathematics	3 Credits
CSE180	Computer Literacy	3 Credits
BIO130 - or - SES106	Introduction to Environmental Science - or - Habitable Worlds	4 Credits
Elective	Natural Science - General	4 Credits
Elective	Humanities, Arts & Design - or - Cultural Diversity in the U.S.	3 Credits
Military Studies Certificate
IDS150	Introduction to Military Studies	3 Credits
HST101	Global History Since 1500	3 Credits
POS361	American Foreign Policy	3 Credits
Approved Elective^*	See list of approved electives below	3 Credits
Approved Elective^*	See list of approved electives below	3 Credits
IDS350	Military Studies Interdisciplinary Capstone	3 Credits
Note	The Military Studies Certificate also requires the completion of NAV102, NAV104, and NAV105 from the Naval Studies Certificate, detailed above.	(9 Credits)

Total: 60 Credits

^*Approved Elective Courses:

HST372 Modern Middle East
HST303 China, Japan and East Asian in World History
HST240 Introduction to Southeast Asia
HST304 Stalin to Putin
REL379 Religion, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict
REL366 Islam in the Modern World
JUS374 The Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights
POS300 Contemporary Global Controversies
POS364 National Security, Intelligence, and Terrorism
POS368 Ethics and Human Rights
POS465 International Organizations and Law
SGS303 Global Trends
SGS350 Economic Development and Globalization
SGS370 Geopolitics
PAF469 Terrorism Defense

Military Studies Associate Degree Math Intensity

Low

Military Studies Associate Degree Learning Environment

All of the courses for the Associate of Arts in Military Studies program are offered online and asynchronously, both via the USNCC for the Naval Studies Certificate and through Arizona State University for the rest of the degree program. This means that, as long as you have access to the internet, you are able to take these courses on your schedule, wherever you are in the world. Whether you are stationed on a ship in Norfolk, conducting field exercises in Okinawa, patrolling in a cutter the coasts of Alaska, or providing security or logistical support out of Bahrain, you are able to use your off-duty hours to further your education through the USNCC. Since these courses are offered asynchronously, this means you will not be required to log on to specific meetings at specific times throughout the week. You will be assigned due dates for your assignments; as long as you can post by those deadlines, you will meet attendance requirements.

Military Studies Associate Degree Ideal Rating/MOS Candidates

While there is no requirement at this time to be a part of any rating or MOS community, this program was designed primarily with the following community in mind:

Navy
Any	The Associate of Arts in Military Studies program is a general degree program that is designed to help any maritime service member improve their leadership and critical thinking skill sets.
Marine Corps
Any	The Associate of Arts in Military Studies program is a general degree program that is designed to help any maritime service member improve their leadership and critical thinking skill sets.
Coast Guard
Any	The Associate of Arts in Military Studies program is a general degree program that is designed to help any maritime service member improve their leadership and critical thinking skill sets.

Military Studies Associate Degree Education Pathways

The Associate of Arts in Military Studies program transfers seamlessly to several Arizona State University bachelor level degree programs such as the Bachelor of Science in Public Service and Public Policy or the Bachelor of Science in Political Science.

Military Studies Associate Degree Career Opportunities

In addition to improving your capabilities as an enlisted leader in the core career fields listed above, the Associate of Arts in Military Studies program also sets you up for success in the following career fields after you finish your service in the military, whether it is after four years or 34 years:

Government Service, especially within the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, or Department of State
Intelligence Analyst or Military Analyst
Security Contractor or Government Contractor