MyCAA

Invest in Your Career with an Affordable Master’s Degree

05/16/2018 By Michelle Volkmann

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the California University of Pennsylvania. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you want a degree with a 98% job placement rate?

Did you know that a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion from the California University of Pennsylvania has a 98% placement rate?

Veterans and military spouses can invest in their careers with an affordable online Master of Science in exercise science and health promotion from the California University of Pennsylvania. Cal U’s 100% online program provides a flexible higher ed option for those who think they don’t have the time or the money to earn an advanced degree.

Through this online master’s program, you can be enrolled as a graduate student while working full time.

You don’t have to choose between attending college classes and earning a paycheck.

You can study at a historic state university from the comforts of your home with your high-speed internet connection.

Cal U students are enrolled in online courses from all 50 states and from more than 20 countries, and university officials point out that many students enroll while on active duty with the military.

Did you know that Cal U was the first college to launch a 100% online master’s degree program in exercise science?

Through their interactive approach to online curriculum, Cal U students can engage fully with their professors and classmates. You won’t feel like you’re missing out because you’re logging into class from a laptop instead of sitting in a lecture hall.

Invest for Less Time, Less Money

Veterans and military spouses can earn an online master’s degree in less than 2 years and without staggering student debt.

Cal U’s master’s degree program, which includes professional certification recognized by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, can be completed in 12 to 18 months. With this streamlined approach to grad school, you can earn your master’s degree before you move to your new duty station.

The California University of Pennsylvania Office of Military and Veterans Affairs offers comprehensive support for veterans, eligible dependents, service members of the National Guard and Reserve, and active duty service members. They help veterans maximize their GI Bill benefits.

Cal U also offers discounted tuition costs for active duty members and veterans of all military branches, as well as their spouses and eligible dependents. You can find out more information about this program at its Cal U Global Online website.

Invest in a Career That Leads to Employment Opportunities

A master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion offers veterans and military spouses an investment in employment opportunities. Cal U graduates are leaders in fitness, athletics, health and wellness at companies throughout the country.

I’m amazed by the variety of jobs that you can do with a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotions.

You can work at a hospital, at a fitness company, at a health care company or with a professional sports team.

You can teach at a community college or for an online certification program.

You can work for the Department of Defense or you can be an entrepreneur.

Earning a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotions is the first step to a dynamic career.

In today’s economy, everyone is searching for an in-demand job that will give them the flexibility to work in any location around the country. Everyone hopes for a job with a competitive salary. Everyone wants to feel satisfaction at their job. Everyone wants to feel like they are contributing to their community and helping those in their community.

At least that’s what I want for my career. I also want to be in a career field with 98% placement.

Do you?

Invest in your career today by earning a Master of Science’s degree with Cal U. Click here to learn more about the California University of Pennsylvania.

I Don’t Qualify for MyCAA, Now What?

01/25/2016 By Rachel Tringali Marston

Since graduating with my bachelor’s degree in 2008, I’ve been thinking about going to a graduate school. First, I wanted to work a bit to see what kind of education would be best for my career path. In addition, there were so many programs out there, I was hoping the right one would come my way eventually.

After getting married and adjusting my career journey a smidge, I started feeling like now is the right time to pursue that graduate degree I’ve been dreaming about for years. The hunger to learn and educate myself more began to affect me.

In my free time, I researched programs that would add to the knowledge I’m already gaining in my career and found the perfect one. I kept my application process a secret mostly because I was scared to be overly excited. I only focused on a program at one school. Then I started researching ways to pay for my graduate degree.

Can't Use MyCAA? Other College Tuition Resources

Are you a military spouses, like myself, that doesn’t qualify for MyCAA? Here are some other resources that may help you pay for college.

I came to this conclusion:

College is so gosh darn expensive.

Last August, I mentioned that military spouses have a wonderful program to utilize for higher education called MyCAA. MyCAA does have limitations though. Only military spouses of active duty service members (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force) at the following pay grades: E1-E5, W1-W2 and O1-O2 can use MyCAA. There are additional factors that might place you out of obtaining the MyCAA program like your choice of study. It needs to be an approved course by your academic institution.

Related: Military Spouses Unaware of MyCAA Scholoarship Program

To my excitement and fear, I received my acceptance letter to grad school a few weeks after I applied. My spouse’s military status pushes me out of the MyCAA program, so I needed to figure out other options pronto.

For those military spouses that don’t qualify for MyCAA like myself, now what?

I began looking into other options to make sure I can pursue my dream degree. I hope my efforts could help you as you navigate through the financial aid process, especially if you can’t use MyCAA.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The FAFSA should be one of your first stops as you start your educational journey. Don’t be intimidated at the lengthy process because it can open doors to grants and other applicable programs that would give you money for college.

Also, don’t be afraid of qualified student loans. They are the type of loans you want because they have extremely low interest rates and forgiving payback programs. My financial advisor calls it “good debt” and it can be deferred until you find a job. Here is a special link for military spouses and families to search through by the FAFSA folks.

Post-9/11 GI Bill

The military members in our lives should consider all higher education opportunities, whether it be the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill Military or tuition assistance.

Out of the three, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is one that could be transferred to military dependents, including military spouses as long as certain qualifications are met.

In the same conversation with my financial advisor about funding my graduate degree, she mentioned that using the Post-9/11 GI Bill might be a good route for us. My husband is currently using tuition assistance to finish his bachelor’s degree and my graduate degree wouldn’t even need the whole contribution. There would still be funding there to supplement any additional education my husband would want after the military.

Plus, the transferability might go away for military spouses and children, so it would be beneficial to do a transfer now because it could always get transferred back to the service member.

School Scholarships and Grants

When you apply and submit your FAFSA, a majority of schools piggyback opportunities that are available to their applicants. If you’re pursuing an undergraduate degree, you can qualify for a Pell Grant, which doesn’t need to be paid back.

Military spouses should visit their on-post Education Center because counselors could share institutions that have special military-affiliated tuition pricing.

I know in Washington, D.C., certain classes that are held on base have lower pricing than the online program or off-base locations. They could also pass along location-based opportunities, you never know!

Scholarships and Grants from Military-Affiliated Organizations

There are so many wonderful opportunities from a number of military-affiliated organizations out there! One that comes to mind for all military spouses is National Military Family Association’s Spouse Scholarship program. Hurry though because the deadline is at the end of this month! It’s held annually, so if you miss it this time around you have another chance next year.

Research organizations that support your spouse’s branch for military spouse scholarships too. That’s a great place to start with military spouse directed opportunities.

What other resources besides MyCAA have you used to help plan for college?

Military Spouses Unaware of MyCAA Scholarship Program

08/24/2015 By Rachel Tringali Marston

Earlier this year, the RAND Corporation, a research group, released a study that military spouses are NOT using scholarship programs that are aimed to help assist the community with college.

Particularly, a majority of military spouses didn’t know about the MyCAA (Military Spouse Career Advancement Account) Program.

As military spouses, we experience multiple moves, deployments, TDYs and any other unexpected surprises that come our way. Because separation often times keeps military spouses busy holding down the fort, college might take a backseat.

Military Spouses Unaware of MyCAA Scholarship Program

MyCAA was created so that military spouses can pursue a meaningful education and attain portable careers.

Also, college is pretty dang expensive and scholarships are critical to help with tuition. I speak for myself when I say I wouldn’t have been able to finish my college education without scholarship programs. Last school year, the College Board reported that the average cost of tuition for state residents is more than $9,000 and almost $23,000 for out-of-state residents. In addition, if you wanted to attend a private university, tuition is more than $30,000.

Tuition is really intimidating and might have hindered a lot of spouses from attaining their bachelor’s degrees. But, just like the RAND study exposed, military spouses don’t know what’s out there. It’s important to share the message and pass along the details of MyCAA.

MyCAA was created for military spouses by the DoD, so they can pursue a meaningful education and attain portable careers. The goal of MyCAA is to work with a spouse’s military lifestyle and to ease the financial burden of a college, but less than 1/5 of eligible military spouses use MyCAA. MyCAA provides payment for obtaining appropriate licensing or certificates needed for certain jobs.

To be eligible for MyCAA, military spouses need to be married to active duty service members (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force) at the following pay grades: E1-E5, W1-W2 and O1-O2.

Guard and Reserve spouses can use MyCAA if they start and complete their classes while their service member has Title 10 orders.

The RAND study highlights that one of the main causes for not using the MyCAA program is because a lot of military spouses think they don’t qualify or are time limited. It also found that newer military spouses didn’t know MyCAA existed.

Related: 10 Employment Programs to Help Military Spouses Find Jobs

Military OneSource counselors are available to military spouses that have questions or need guidance with MyCAA. It doesn’t hurt to reach out to someone, especially if you’re thinking about a career change or continuing your education.

Even if you aren’t eligible for MyCAA, there are so many other military spouses out there that would benefit from this amazing program, so be sure you keep it in mind for others.