The Foreign Service Journal, June 2010

86 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 1 0 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT teachers working with immigrant communities in the U.S. So it was a good mix.” Finally, a note on cost. We’ve all read about the high cost of higher edu- cation in the United States — and, unfortunately, it is no less true for the online variety. Do you have $78,000 handy? That’s the cost of Thunder- bird/Indiana University’s Web-based dual Master of Business Administra- tion and Master of Global Manage- ment degree program, which takes 28 months to complete. Although for-profits are often more expensive, some costing $400 to $500 or more per credit hour, the cost of online classes and on-campus class- es tends to be roughly the same. Community college courses might be under $100 per credit hour, making the cost of an associate degree (at 56 hours) just $5,600. Many state universities charge around $200 a credit hour (a bache- lor’s degree requires about 120 hours, or about $24,000). All legitimate schools will have cost details on their Web sites, as well as information about financial aid. The demands of overseas living, combined with frequent moves, make career development difficult for Foreign Service family and household members. The good news today, however, is that educational opportu- nities are better than could be imag- ined just one decade ago. From uni- versally offered general courses such as English literature to highly specific programs (Federal Indian Law stud- ies at Montana State University, any- one?), the options are nearly endless. As a result, Foreign Service fami- lies, in particular, have new avenues for learning, whether for basic educa- tion, career development or sheer pleasure. ■ CHANGE OF ADDRESS Moving? Take AFSA WithYou! Change your address online at: www.afsa.org/comment.cfm — Or — Send change of address to: AFSA Membership Department 2101 E Street NW Washington, DC 20037