Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Dave C., M.A. in Military Studies
Dave believes in giving back, too. Most recently, he has worked on a project to establish a partnership between his department and a local state university to facilitate fellow officers obtaining four-year college degrees.
Name: Dave Coffman
Age: 45
Marital Status: Married
Children: Two teenagers
Current Location: Utah
Personal Quote: "If you've been out of school for awhile, getting your feet wet in a community college can help you get re-acclimated to the classroom."
School: American Military University
Target: Master of Arts in Military Studies
"The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department currently has over 2,000 employees and over 1,408 full-time sworn officers. But only one-half of our sworn personnel have a college degree."
He notes that 41 percent have a bachelor's, 9 percent have their associate's, and less than one percent has a master's degree. He's hoping to give them the same opportunity that he did.
Aside from his program in law enforcement, one of Dave's goals was to become a better writer by attending school. When assigned to the Internal Affairs department, part of the selection process involved demonstrating the ability to effectively write. He took an avid interest in writing and went as far as saving all his papers.
"They're like trophies to me because one of my goals was to become a more effective writer," says Dave earnestly.
We caught up with Dave to find out a little bit about what it takes to complete a degree after years of striving for it, and why finding the perfect fit in a school was integral as he looks to complete his graduate degree.
Why did you eliminate the possibility of studying on-campus and decide to go with distance learning?
My work schedule is too varied for a tradition program. I believed I had the personal discipline to complete my course work without actually sitting in a classroom.
What is Intelligence Studies? Why did you select Intelligence Studies as a major?
Intelligence studies examines the various issues that challenge intelligence professionals and learn how each issue fits into larger intelligence strategies. Subjects include terrorism, espionage, national security, competitive intelligence, regional intelligence, the "war on drugs," ethnic conflict, and more.
Ultimately, it was a good fit for me because it provided me an opportunity to read and study relevant topics related to current events and my career as a police officer.
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