Each SOC Degree Network System institution will:
- Be an institutional member of the
SOC Consortium, fully complying with
SOC Consortium membership Principles
and Criteria (and all initial membership
conditions);
- Be selected by one or more of the
participating Services (Army, Navy,
Marine Corps, Coast Guard) for inclusion
in the Degree Network System as either
a Core or an Affiliate member institution;
- Limit academic residency requirements for graduation (credits taken with the degree-granting institution) to 25 percent or less of the total requirements for SOC Degree Network System degrees or, in the case of a degree that is offered 100 percent online, 30 percent. In addition, academic residency may be completed at any time and must avoid any “final year” or “final semester” residency requirement.;
- Award credit appropriate to the
degree for Service school courses
and military occupational experience
based on recommendations in the American
Council on Education (ACE) Guide
to the Evaluation of Educational
Experiences in the Armed Services (ACE
Guide);
- Award credit appropriate to the
degree for non-traditional learning
from at least one nationally-recognized
standardized testing program, such
as College Level Examination Program
(CLEP), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional
Education Support (DANTES) Subject
Standardized Tests (DSST), or Excelsior
College Examination program (ECE),
based on ACE credit recommendations. In addition,
the college may use other recognized
methods, such as portfolio assessment,
to evaluate this learning;
- Accept in transfer General Education
elective courses as defined in the “Transferring
General Education Electives” section
in Chapter 8 of the SOC Degree Network System
Handbooks;
- Serve as the “home college” for
servicemembers and their adult family
members (spouses and adult children),
seeking degrees that are part of
the SOC Degree Network System;
- Issue a SOCAD, SOCNAV, SOCMAR,
or SOCCOAST Student Agreement in
the standard SOC Degree Network System
format for each eligible student.
Specific information about Student
Agreements can be found in Chapter
4 of the SOC Degree Network System
Handbooks;
- Honor the Student Agreement for the length of time established by the home college as indicated on its College Information Page (SOC DNS Handbooks: Ch. 5). Breaks in attendance of two years or less will not invalidate the Student Agreement; attendance will not be exclusively defined by taking courses from the home college;
- Permit the student to complete
his or her selected degree program
under the terms of the Student Agreement,
even after separation from active
military service and even if the
institution no longer participates
in the SOC Degree Network System.
Specific information about Student
Agreements can be found in Chapter
4 of the SOC Degree Network System
Handbooks;
- Levy no fee that is unique to students
enrolled in the SOC Degree Network
System. The institution may charge
a fee for evaluation and records
maintenance not to exceed such fees
assessed all students in similar
situations;
- Inform students about their responsibilities,
including documenting prior learning
and military experience, transferring
coursework completed at other colleges
back to the home college for credit,
and enrolling in courses with the
home college. The home college adviser
should explain residency requirements
and other important aspects of the
degree being sought;
- Provide annual updates to college
information for inclusion in the SOC
Degree Network System-2 and SOC
Degree Network System-4 Handbooks ;
- Provide annual report of SOC Degree
Network System graduates in required
format by stated deadline;
- Identify a single contact person for dealing with SOC DNS matters and notify SOC immediately of changes to that point-of-contact information.
In addition, SOC Degree Network System Core member institutions will:
- Demonstrate to the Service’s
satisfaction that the institution’s
coursework is generally accepted
by other accredited institutions
and will probably be accepted in
transfer in advance by institutions
currently participating in the SOC
Degree Network System;
- Gain acceptance by other Core member
institutions of at least 40 percent
of the major and major-related courses
in each curriculum within the Guaranteed-Transfer
Networks for inclusion in the SOC
Degree Network System Transferability
Tables;
- Grant guaranteed transferability
for all courses mapped to SOC DNS
Course Categories in which the institution
has a course in the SOC Degree Network
System Transferability Tables;
- Respond to SOC DNS Course Category
circulation reviews;
- Submit catalog, syllabi, course
descriptions, and appropriate supporting
materials, as requested, for peer
review of courses by participating
institutions to determine whether
they will appear in the SOC Degree
Network System Transferability Tables;
and
- Accept an associate degree completed
at another Core member institution
in a related SOC Degree Network System-2
network as a minimum of 45% of the
credits needed for a related bachelor’s
degree as outlined in Chapter 1 of
the SOC Degree Network System
Handbooks.
- Be aware of appropriate military
policy from:
Department of Defense, Voluntary Education Policy Secretary of the Navy SECNAVINST 1560.4A, Department of the Navy Voluntary Education (VOLED) Program Office of the Chief of Naval Operations OPNAVINST 15609.9A, Voluntary Education (VOLED) for Navy Sailors |