What is ACE?

ACE is the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities. They represent more than 1,800 college and university presidents and the executives at related associations, and are the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. Their diverse base of member institutions 75 percent of which have been with ACE for over 10 years, is their strength. They are comprised of representatives from all sectors to collectively tackle the toughest higher education challenges, with a focus on improving access and preparing every student to succeed.

AFMS & ACE

AFMS pursued ACE credentialing for some of our courses(two-weeks or more in length): How the Army Runs Course (HTARC), Functional Area 50 Qualification Course (FA50QC) and the Force Management Orientation Course (FMOC). In the future, we will pursue similar credentialing for the Army National Guard Force Management Course (ARNGFMC).

In early summer 2017, our Training Development Department completed the Programs of Instruction (POIs) for the HTARC, FA50QC and FMOC in TRADOC’s Training Development Capability ( TDC). Approved POIs in TDC form the basis of analysis of the ACE-designated university professors who examine the content, syllabi, tests, writing requirements and overall rigor of our courses for equivalency in American universities.

In January 2018, the ACE coordinator for our courses assembled a group of university professors in the areas of strategy, change management, security studies, organizational management operations management and program management to conduct a virtual assessment our selected courses. Our school uploaded all course materials to ACE’s SharePoint site to facilitate this virtual review. These college professors examined our course materials and provided recommendations to the ACE Coordinator based on how they assess our courses against teachings in American universities. The graphic below provides a summary of all relevant information concerning ACE credentialing for AFMS courses. This will help any of our course graduates pursue ACE credits should the need arise.

Course	POI Effective Date	Length (Weeks)	ACE Reference	Version	Graduate Hours	Undergrad Hours	Remarks
Functional Area 50 (Force Manager)	December 2012 through July 2017	10	AR-1717-0251	V1	0	12	Upper-division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in strategic management, 3 in strategic human resource management, 3 in change management, and 3 in organizational management
Functional Area 50 (Force Manager)	August 2017 to present	10	AR-1717-0251	V2	3	6	Graduate degree level: Program Management (3 credit hours); Upper Division (300/400) in the baccalaureate degree level: Security Studies (3 credit hours) & Change Management (3 credit hours)
How The Army Runs	April 2017 to present	4	AR-1717-0263	V1	0	5	Upper Division (300/400) in the baccalaureate degree level: Strategy & Policy (2 credit hours & Operations Management (3 credit hours)
Force Management Orientation	August 2017 to present	2	AR-1717-0262	V1	0	3	Upper Division (300/400) in the baccalaureate degree level: Organizational Management (3 credit hours)
Army National Guard Force Management	June 2020 to present	2	AR-1408-0400	V1	0	3	Upper Division (300/400) in the baccalaureate degree level: Organizational Management (3 credit hours)

Our Commandant has directed that all students who graduated on or after the effective date of the POIs (version 2 only) or are currently attending one of these courses be notified on the outcome of our ACE credentialing efforts. Graduates and current students of ACE-credentialed courses will be provided with the information described in the graphic above to access ACE credits when taking baccalaureate or graduate level courses in the areas identified. Graduates from our courses (from the effective date of the approved POIs to present) who are seeking college degrees may want to capitalize on these college credits by doing the following:

• Register for an accredited university

• Seek a Joint Services Transcript by Clicking Here

• Contact the university’s Registrar to determine if the ACE credits for AFMS course are relevant to the classes the student wants to take in the university.

• The corresponding university Registrar’s Office personnel will determine if the classes that a student wants to take can in fact validate the ACE credits of AFMS courses.