Urban areas hold a slight advantage for military men and women seeking to further their education. That edge is proximity to colleges, universities and trade schools. Generally, more degree program choices are available within driving distance of a base in larger cities.

But the explosion and increasing quality of distance learning are making location less important when it comes to continuing education. And when online learning opportunities are coupled with on-base class offerings, the door to educational advancement swings wide open.

That’s not to minimize the differences in base communities. Being stationed in Seal Beach, Calif., is entirely different from an assignment in Knob Noster, Mo. Yet, because of distance learning, they aren’t worlds apart in terms of educational opportunities.

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is five minutes from California State University-Long Beach and about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. About 25 percent of personnel take classes off-base. On-base courses and distance learning facilities are also provided.

“There are numerous educational opportunities outside of base from several community colleges from within a few miles of base all the way up to major universities in the Orange County area,” said Gregg Smith, public affairs officer. “We’re really well set up in terms of location for educational opportunities.”

Bases Help Extend Education Opportunity

Rural Knob Noster, with a population of about 2,500, is no Seal Beach. It is the home of Whiteman Air Force Base and lies between Sedalia (population: 20,000) and Warrensburg (population: 16,000) on U.S. 50 in central Missouri.

But don’t tell Staff Sgt. Alan Reynolds that he’s not getting a quality education there.

“I am one of the statistics that said I wanted to come in for an education,” he said.

Reynolds joined the Air Force immediately after graduating high school in 1998 and began his college education in 2000.

Whiteman personnel can earn degrees on-base through State Fair Community College, Park University and Webster University. Central Missouri State University, which is 11 miles away in Warrensburg, offers 150 degree programs and serves about 11,000 students. Other schools in the Kansas City area are about 60 miles away.

The majority of education at Whiteman takes place through on-base instruction, followed by online and then off-base classes, said Cathy Brogan, chief of Base Training and Education Services.

Reynolds earned his associate’s degree and most of his bachelor’s degree through on-base instruction.

“I am three classes shy of my master’s through Park University,” he said. “It’s been done entirely online. I’ve never met an instructor face to face.”

Reynolds plans a career in the Air Force and said his master’s degree in public affairs and government-business relations is important in his pursuit of officer status.

Brogan said that, in spite of Whiteman’s rural location, personnel have the resources they need to further their education.

“Whatever we do not have in the area is available online,” she said. “I have students going for all kinds of varied degrees, east and west. We have found that most military members accept that a day is going to come when they’re not going to wear that military uniform anymore. They are determined to get their certificate or degree.”

George Boddy, interim director of the Office of Extended Campus and Distance Learning at Central Missouri State University in nearby Warrensburg, said online learning can’t meet every soldier’s needs. But he is bullish about its potential to benefit service members.

Boddy, who spent 32 years in the U.S. Army and National Guard, said distance from a school can limit troops’ educational choices. However, this is “less and less so” because of distance learning, which has been embraced by the nation’s most reputable colleges and universities.

“They all offer an extraordinary array of programs online,” he said.

About 1,600 miles to the east, the U.S. Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, offers on-base courses, including those taught by Southern New Hampshire University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Off-base opportunities include those at the University of Maine at Augusta and the University of Southern Maine in Portland, both of which are between 25 miles and 35 miles from base.

“A lot of people call this their dream assignment,” said Samuel Alderete, director of the base’s Navy College Office.

He said that, in general, access to specialized courses may be limited by a base’s location.

“Yes, they may want to take architecture, anthropology or nursing, but most colleges require general education,” he said. “They can start with us. If their long-range goal is to be an architect, they still get that (general education) out of the way.”

Alderete also said distance learning has allowed many sailors to continue their education, regardless of where they are stationed in the world.

“If a course calls for some type of lab work or hands-on training, then of course distance learning falls short,” he said. “The point of distance learning is that it’s portable. Obviously, if he’s [a sailor] under fire, he’s not going to open a textbook.”

Access to a Major University Expands Options

U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Brad Harris completed his associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees while in the Reserves and on active duty. He earned his master’s degree in human relations while on active duty at the joint command Military Entrance Processing Station in Oklahoma City.

Harris has spent the past few years managing a business in Kansas City, Mo., that provides cleaning services for industrial facilities. However, he was recently called back to active duty as a trainer at Fort Riley, Kan.

While still in the service, Harris envisioned moving into civilian life. Entering the master’s program was part of his post-military career strategy. Harris could have earned a degree in Oklahoma City or at the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, which is about 20 miles from his station. However, the university also offered the program at Tinker Air Force Base, which was next door.

“There were a lot of choices,” Harris said. “It really wasn’t limiting at all. I could choose from six universities, and those each had two or three programs available. They take a building on-post and divide it into classrooms, and it’s like a small school.”

In addition to receiving his master’s, Harris was trained by the federal government as a labor dispute mediator. This education also applied toward his human relations degree.

“I didn’t have it in mind that I was going to be a human relations expert,” he said. “But I really enjoyed the program and I wanted to do it. I’m an officer and all I needed to get my commission was a bachelor’s degree. But it’s highly encouraged that you get your master’s.”

Harris, who has had more than one assignment at Fort Riley, Kan., points out that urban areas don’t necessarily have a lock on specialized schools. The fort is near Kansas State University in Manhattan, which offers numerous degrees and serves more than 20,000 students. Other than Manhattan, however, it is at least a two-hour drive to the nearest metropolitan areas of Wichita, Kan., or Kansas City.

His experience in locations around the world leaves him optimistic about opportunities to study while on active duty.

“Most of the slack has been taken up by the educational institutions themselves,” he said. “Really, where the military lets off, the schools have done a really good job of cutting in and making education possible.”

Roy Harryman is a freelance writer based in Kansas City, Mo.