Thousands of companies and organizations have provided tuition reimbursement to their employees to study at DETC accredited institutions.

Click here for a partial list of sponsoring companies.

If you would like to highlight your company here please contact Patrice Wall, Information and Accounts Specialist.
202-234-5100 Ext. 100

Corporate Brochure Download

Corporate recognition of DETC allows employees to achieve higher education and essential training without quitting their job or reducing hours to juggle work, family life and classes. DETC institutions provide corporate employees with distance education that works for them, rather than against them and their already hectic schedules. Many companies accept DETC accredited institutions for tuition assistance, allowing employees to attain workplace advancement with DETC accredited job skills and training while the employer pays the bill. We will be featuring a monthly company spotlight to demonstrate the success of a partnership between corporations and DETC accredited institutions.

Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc.

Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc. (EMA) is a recognized leader in technology, engineering, management and logistics support for government and industry clients worldwide. The 23-year-old company originated in Lexington Park, Maryland with one contract and two employees. EMA now boasts over 1,541 employees nationwide, annual revenues of $167 million and an average annual growth rate of over 28%. The company is continually ranked among top contractors by both government and industry publications.

EMA actively supports the Aviation and Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence communities. The company’s specialized capabilities include information assurance, technology-based systems, information technology solutions, systems engineering, program management and geographic information systems. With such a varied and technical group of specialties and contracts, EMA is constantly looking for employees from diverse backgrounds committed to teamwork, customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.

One key to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction is to keep EMA employees on the cutting edge with up-to-date job training and education. EMA first worked with a DETC-accredited institution, American Sentinel University, in 1999 when an employee was living and working in an area where no other college was available. Distance education was the ideal option for EMA and its employee. When deciding whether or not to use tuition reimbursement for a DETC institution EMA took into account accreditation and cost in line with other institutions offering the same degree.
“Distance learning institutions offer our full-time working employees the opportunity to seek their degrees on their own time,” says Thea Noll, an EMA spokesperson. “The degree programs are often accelerated, and employees have large fields of institutions from which to choose since they are not restricted by an institution’s location.”
EMA’s Education Assistance Program is highly regarded by employees. Eric Wilcox, an EMA employee and current Master’s student has been enrolled in distance education classes since he came to work for EMA in 1996 with only a few college credits under his belt.

“What’s not to like about a reimbursement program?” asks Wilcox. “I get an education and EMA pays for it. I’ve already got a second Master’s program in mind so if EMA will keep paying for it I will keep registering.”
Employees/students find EMA is supportive of their pursuit of higher education and work hard to meet both employer and instructor deadlines.

“My job comes first. Without it, there is no school,” says Wilcox. “However, it is difficult to juggle school work, a job and some kind of home life. [Compressed distance education classes] can be twice the work and half the time as compared to a normal 16-week semester. To meet deadlines on big [school] projects, I don’t usually have a problem using a day of annual leave.”

EMA pays for employees to study through DETC institutions under the expectation that employees will grow in their work fields. Another added benefit of pursuing education while employed at EMA is the company’s library of academic books. EMA reimburses employees for books after a student has completed a class so that other employees may use them. According to Noll the company will increasingly work with DETC accredited institutions in the future.

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