SOCMAR is the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) degree program for the Marine Corps. It consists of colleges that offer associate and bachelor’s degree programs on or near Marine Corps installations worldwide. These colleges have joined together to form networks in which each college agrees to accept credits from all the others. This ensures that Marine Corps students and their adult family members can continue toward completion of their degrees, even though the Marine Corps may transfer them several times.
SOCMAR -2 is the associate degree network program; SOCMAR -4 is the bachelor’s degree network program.
The SOCMAR college that offers the degree you wish to pursue:
- SOCMAR-2 Associate Degree Colleges
- SOCMAR-4 Bachelor’s Degree Colleges
- Marine Corps Career Colleges Program (MCCCP)
Colleges within SOCMAR act as “home colleges” for SOCMAR students. Students begin their studies at their home college where they complete the required academic residency. SOCMAR colleges and universities require no more that 25 percent of a degree program in residence, and courses taken from the college anywhere in the world at any time during study for a degree count toward residency.
When SOCMAR students are transferred to new duty stations, they may continue to take courses from other SOCMAR colleges, and acquire credit for further military experience and tests. These credits are transferred back to the home college, which will award the degree when all academic requirements set forth on the Student Agreement are met.
SOCMAR students can pursue their degrees though three delivery options:
- Traditional Delivery — Courses normally are delivered through classroom-based instruction with some academic residency required.
- Distance Learning — External-degree option that allows SOCMAR students to take courses without sitting in a traditional classroom. Courses may be by correspondence, computer, video, or other type of independent study.
- Learning Assessment Option — External-degree option that consists of approved curricula that do not require academic residency for graduation. Participating colleges and universities evaluate learning from nontraditional sources, and accept credit transferred from other institutions.
