How competency-based education serves the military

By: The Capella University Editorial Team

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Service members often enter college with knowledge from military training and experience. At Capella, that background may count toward their degree in two ways. Formal military training could earn transfer credit. Also, in FlexPath’s self-paced, competency-based format, service members can also use what they already know to move faster through coursework. Program availability and transfer credit decisions vary.

Why transfer credit often falls short for service members

Colleges can miss the full value of military training when they evaluate it for credit. Two common reasons:

• On-the-job experience often never reaches a transcript. Military transcripts may document formal training but may not capture every skill gained through unit assignments and on-the-job experience.
• Formal training doesn’t always convert to credit. Without a prior learning assessment or portfolio review, a school may struggle to translate your training and experience into traditional course credits.

How competency-based education can help

A competency-based degree measures demonstrated knowledge and skills rather than time spent in class. Students can apply military skills and experience in the courseroom, even when a transcript does not fully describe them.

Capella’s FlexPath learning format puts this into practice through direct assessment, which measures learning instead of time. You demonstrate mastery of each competency, move quickly through familiar material and spend more time on what’s new. You also skip the preset deadlines and establish your own within each 12-week billing session.

What’s different about competency-based education?

Competency-based courses center on the skills, knowledge and abilities that you need to master your subject. These are called competencies. Assessments measure your skills and your grasp of academic theory, but the emphasis stays on practical application. For example, you might build a business case or make recommendations from a company’s quarterly reports rather than answer multiple-choice questions.

Benefits of FlexPath for service members

Capella designs its curricula with faculty who have real-world experience, aligned to professional skills valued in each field. Our FlexPath learning format lets service members set their own pace and show what they know through course assessments. Capella charges a flat tuition fee for each FlexPath 12-week billing session, so completing a program in fewer billing sessions may lower the total cost.

Before you start

• Before starting a program in FlexPath, have your military transcript evaluated. Capella must complete transfer credit and prior learning evaluations before your first course.
• Military Tuition Assistance isn’t available for FlexPath. An enrollment specialist can walk you through other benefits.

FlexPath is available in select bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs across six areas of study: Business, Education (EdD), Health Care Administration, Information Technology, Nursing and Psychology.