MC1 Mark Anthony Geil A new program offered by Coastline Community College offers family members reduced price tuition and free books to help complete associate degrees in either general or several specialized areas of study.

Headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., the school has sponsored the program since the fall session of 2007.

Coastline’s Military Spouses Program is available to spouses and family members of active duty personnel who have graduated from high school. The tuition is $59 per semester, which includes the cost of books.

Students may choose an Associate in Arts (AA) degree in general studies, business and administration, human services, construction technology or human resources management.

‘‘We know of no other institutions of higher education that are offering this type pf program,” said Glynis Pierre-Louis, the local Coastline site representative. ‘‘Coastline is offering a greatly reduced tuition rate and free textbooks. When textbooks can range in price from $100 to $500, this savings is incredible.”

A spouse can also share the textbook with their uniformed partner to double the savings, said Pierre-Louis.

Some spouses have expressed concern about losing college credits they have already earned, she said. Coastline accepts the credits from most any regionally accredited college.

Another concern of spouses is the transfer of Coastline credits to a four-year institution once students have earned their associate degree.

‘‘Coastline is regionally accredited, so its credits should transfer to other regionally accredited colleges,” said Pierre-Louis. ‘‘Coastline also has agreements with other regionally accredited colleges and universities that guarantee acceptance of all of Coastline’s credits.”

Pierre-Louis said Coastline is a Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOC) school and will give students SOC agreements once they begin taking classes.

Students aren’t required to participate in online sessions at specific times of the day, she said. The online courses are designed to allow students to earn their AA degrees at their convenience, whether that’s 10 in the morning or at midnight.

‘‘The length of time it will take spouses to compete their associate degrees will vary with their circumstances, the number of credits they have previously earned and whether there are any breaks in their attendance,” she said.

A new student starting with no previous college credits should complete their associate degree in two years if they take two courses, which total six semester hours, per session with no breaks in attendance.

The Military Spouses Program enables couples to work toward a shared goal, said Pierre-Louis. They are able to take classes together and save money by sharing the textbooks.

‘‘Some spouses believe that the credits obtained online are not as highly regarded as the credits which might be obtained from a traditional ‘brick-and-mortar’ school,” said Pierre-Louis. ‘‘While this may be true at some schools, Coastline has been delivering distance learning courses for over 30 years.”

The next available (summer) session will run from June 9 to Aug. 3, with registration available from April 21 to May 14.

For more information about the Military Spouses Program, call Glynis Pierre-Louis at (866) 833-2850 or visit http:⁄⁄military.coastline.edu⁄reps.htm.