Penn State World Campus and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot have agreed to help military personnel obtain degrees while stationed at the San Diego Marine Base. With San Diego being one of the largest concentrations of military installations in the country, this allows Penn State to provide an opportunity for higher education to a large number of people.

“We are excited to expand access to higher education to the San Diego military community,” Penn State President Eric Barron said. “The University has a long history of educating members of our armed forces, and we are committed to providing them with a high-quality academic experience and the opportunity to become part of the Penn State community.”

The courses will be defense or business-related and will be taught in a Penn State classroom at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. The agreement calls for on-site, face-to-face instruction. The point is to orient military personnel into an education setting.

The classroom space will begin renovations in Spring 2015 with plans for classes to start during the Fall 2015 semester. There will be office space for an admission counselor as well as an outreach director. This will be Penn State’s first classroom on a military base.

Courses from the Master of professional studies in homeland security, supply chain management, human resources and employment relations will be available, as well as Bachelor of science in labor and employment relations. Once students complete the courses at the depot, they will be able to continue whichever program they are enrolled in online through the World Campus.

“Penn State World Campus is providing another option for a high-quality college education to the military community in San Diego,” said Craig Weidemann, vice president for outreach and vice provost for online education at Penn State.