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BY Joel Junker
Online Education Programs for JMOs
I am currently recruiting Junior Military Officers (JMOs) in the Washington DC area. I am very impressed with how many of these JMOs have taken it upon themselves to further their development formally and informally. At Cameron-Brooks we continuously advocated self-development through informal training such as self-analysis and a business reading program. Not all JMOs have the financial resources or time for formal education. However, for those that do, many ask me for recommendations. There are several options for formal education that range from online MBA programs to executive certificates from Villanova University and University of Notre Dame. I am focusing this blog post on online program recommendations versus classroom based only because most JMOs are not located near a quality university/school to further their education.
I recently read an article in the Financial Times (March 14, 2011) that listed out the top online MBA programs. I noticed that many of the online programs listed were also ones utilized by several of our JMO candidates. Here is a list of online MBA programs highlighted in the Financial Times and utilized by Cameron-Brooks JMOs prior to their transition:
Northeastern University – www.onlinemba.neu.edu
(I have also received excellent feedback on Northeastern’s online MS in Finance program)
Arizona State University – Carey www.wpcarey.asu.edu/mba/online
University of Florida – Hough www.floridamba.ufl.edu/workingprofessional/internet
University of Texas at Dallas www.utdallas.edu/elearning/online-programs
University of Maryland University College www.umuc.edu/programs/grad/xmba
This list is just some recommendations and is by no means the only schools we recommend but rather just some that have been recognized by a high quality publication and utilized by our candidates.
For those that do not have the time or money for a full degree there are numerous schools that offer online executive certificates. We have received strong feedback from our JMOs who have partnered with Villanova and Notre Dame executive certificate programs. We recommend certificates in General Business, Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management and Negotiation (especially for those interested in sales).
Villanova – Specific programs include Lean, Six Sigma and Project Management
www.villanovau.com/programs/certificate
Notre Dame – Recommended programs include General Business and Negotiation
For those JMOs who do not have the time or financial resources, many of the military websites (Army Knowledge Online, Marine.net) offer certifications in numerous relatable subjects to business. They include MS Excel, MS Access, Lean, Six Sigma and Project Management. Specifically Army Knowledge Online uses a program called SkillPort. I also believe any military service member can sign up for an Army Knowledge Online account and use the service. You do not have to be an Army JMO.
These are just recommendations and at Cameron-Brooks we recognize not all JMOs have the ability for formal training. This is why we have our thorough and in-depth Development and Preparation Program which was labeled an “mini-MBA” by a Fortune 100 Consumer Products Company client.
If you have any other recommendations or insights, please feel free to post a reply.
Joel
