Originally Posted by
ArmyFW
I’m about to finish my undergraduate degree in Business and Management and am looking to start a Master’s program very shortly after and I can’t decide what route to take. I am stuck between choosing a finance degree from somewhere like Webster university or Georgetown online if I can get accepted, or a Master’s in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle. If I can’t get accepted in a good school (My GPA is a 3.6 currently but I am graduating from a small school) for the finance degree would it be better to go to Embry-Riddle since they are a well known school? This is for a backup degree in case I lose my medical or get furloughed by an airline once I leave the Army. I have 5 years left on my ADSO.
There are a lot of really good online master's degrees available. If you are using TA or Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill), and thus price isn't an issue, recommend you go for a non-aviation degree from a top 10 school. Consider the Harvard Extension School (HES). HES is VERY military friendly. Classes are almost 100% online and you can get a Master's of Liberal Arts in a host of fields including management. HES is just Harvard's name for their continuing education school. You still graduate from Harvard, get to join the Harvard Alumni Association, and your degree says Harvard University. It's kind of a unique program because your previous grades and test scores don't matter; you take 3 classes for your chosen program and as long as you get B's or better, you're admitted to your program for the remaining 8-9 classes. Did I mention you get a degree from Harvard? I went with this option using Ch 33 when I was mid-career in zone for O-5. Best decision I ever made. There is an on-campus requirement for a few classes but you can arrange it so that you only have to go on campus a few weekends total and that counts for the residency requirement.
If Harvard isn't for you, recommend you consider an online master's (like an MBA) from a high ranked brick and mortar school. You'll be tempted to go with University of Phoenix or one of the other for-profit schools, but do an online degree with a traditional brick and mortar school. I just retired and I've got a few old squad bros who are also hitting the streets and have been finding out the hard way that the online for-profit schools may check the box for a master's degree in the military but they aren't viewed as favorably by a lot of civilian employers. Food for thought in case you ever need to use the degree outside of aviation.