The evolution of college credit recommendations for the United States army by the American Council on Education

Abstract

The American Council on Education (ACE) is based in Washington, DC. A contractor for the Department of Defense, ACE oversees academic evaluation of military courses. ACE recruits university faculty members from across the country to evaluate military training and make academic credit recommendations. These evaluators are tasked with matching the content of military courses to the content of civilian university courses taught within their own disciplines. Military training needs and curricula have changed over the past three decades as a result of shifting budgets, technological advancements, and evolving military priorities [1][2]. Higher education has also changed in response to population trends, economic shifts, and increased accessibility [3][4][5]. Military students and veterans currently comprise 4% of American college students [6]. ACE credit recommendations have changed to reflect these shifts in military training and academic content. This paper discusses the extent to which changes in military training, specifically that provided by the United States Army, have affected ACE's credit recommendations at the undergraduate level.