What is a Military Correspondence Course?

The military service members have the opportunity to take various military correspondence courses online that enhance their military professional development and advance their long-term military career. The Army Correspondence Course is one example of the four military correspondence course programs.

In the earlier years of the Army correspondence course, the older Army soldier ordered the correspondence courses through the mail. The soldier completed the courses and returned the test answers and waited for the test results. This has changed with new technology. The correspondence course program is now available through the soldiers Army Knowledge Online.

There are a variety of Army correspondence courses that a soldier can take to receive training. The educational portal, Army Knowledge Online (AKO), keeps track of the coursework that the soldier does online. There are courses on the soldier's Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) as well as the basic soldier skills.

The basic soldier skills includes first aid, map reading, and Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) courses. Once the soldier becomes promotable, they can take leadership courses that will prepare them for leadership and more responsibility. There are correspondences courses that are required to take before the soldiers go to the formal leadership courses where they have to physically attend the leadership school.

Soldiers that want to get promoted can earn promotion points by taking correspondence courses. For every five credit hours of coursework, a soldier earns one promotion point.