Your degree plan
⚡ Speedrun calculator
🔥 Your progress, by the numbers
💼 Where this degree can take you
Median US pay, May 2025, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of workers earn more, half less. Your certs and security clearance can push you higher.
Best Sophia courses for this plan
Not taken yet, most useful first. Check them off on the Sophia tab.
Steps
📋 Update log
Every time the facts on this site are re-checked, it's logged here. A robot also re-checks scholarships on the 1st of each month.
Your JST
Default is 24, an estimate for a Navy ABH3 with about 5 years (boot camp ~6, A-school ~3, the ABH3 rating ~15). Get your real number free at jst.doded.mil.
⚡ My picks: most credit per hour
Safe picks: count in the most plans
Not sure which school yet? Take these first. They clear credit almost everywhere, and your JST stacks on top of them (JST counts most at UMGC and Embry-Riddle, barely at WGU).
Sophia is $99/month ($299 for 4 months, $799/year; prices re-checked Oct 19, 2026), self-paced, open-book. Sophia says the average course takes about 28 days; focused students finish faster. Hours are estimates from Sophia syllabi and student reports (confidence shown per course). Essay courses take longer on the calendar because each essay waits 1–4 business days for grading. Mappings verified Sept 2026. likely means the school reviews it case by case.
Every degree plan, side by side
Uses your checked Sophia courses and JST number. Green = knocked off, light blue = possible with more Sophia. Time and cost use the pace you set in the speedrun calculator on My Plan. Tap a plan to make it yours.
How to read this. "Done now" is what your Sophia courses and JST already clear. "After your Sophia plan" adds the extra Sophia classes you set in the calculator. "You pay" is tuition left after TA ($4,500 per year) plus Sophia fees.
WGU charges a flat price per 6-month term, so finishing fast is cheap. UMGC and Embry-Riddle charge $250 per credit, which TA covers fully, but TA only pays for about 18 credits a year.
UMGC is an official Sophia partner and takes up to 90 transfer credits. Embry-Riddle isn't a Sophia partner, so its Sophia numbers are estimates. Get a free unofficial evaluation from any school before you pick.
Cost for your plan
⚓ Navy TA rules (FY2027)
USNCC classes are free and don't count toward the 120-credit career limit, so the free associate's saves TA for your bachelor's. TA classes can't overlap a USNCC term. Source: Navy College Program (page updated Aug 19, 2026), checked Oct 19, 2026.
Deadlines
Scholarships & grants
All of these stack with TA. Set a status as you go; money marked "Won" comes off your cost above. One 500-word essay about you and your plan works for most of them.
🎓 How many degrees can you stack?
Realistic answer for about 3 years left in service: 2 degrees plus certificates, then a master's. All facts below checked on official school and Navy pages, Sept 2026.
Paid entirely by USNCC, not TA or GI Bill. Open to active-duty enlisted sailors. Programs run with UMGC (General Studies + Computer Studies, AI or Data Analytics), WGU (Cybersecurity, Data Analytics), Embry-Riddle and others. Every one includes 5 required Naval Studies courses (15 credits). Programs ↗
Your associate's rolls straight in (USNCC partners with UMGC). UMGC takes up to 90 transfer credits, so Sophia and JST stack on top. TA pays because it's a higher level than what you hold.
Example: UMGC's 18-credit Cloud Computing & Networking certificate counts fully toward the Cybersecurity Technology bachelor's. A resume line halfway through, no extra classes.
Navy TA won't pay for a second degree at the same level. A second UMGC bachelor's also needs 30 new UMGC credits and 150 total. TA does pay for a master's, and your GI Bill is still untouched.
Embry-Riddle route: associate's rolls into its bachelor's, and active-duty students can take their Embry-Riddle credits at any point instead of last. A USNCC → Embry-Riddle transfer agreement wasn't found, so ask Embry-Riddle.
🧠 The wise play (most degrees, fastest, most money)
For a cloud/cyber goal with UMGC and Embry-Riddle on base. Every step is free or TA-paid.
For the UMGC route: Human Biology + Lab, Intro to Nutrition, Public Speaking. You can't take Sophia while enrolled at USNCC, so do it first.
You'd earn an associate's degree, the Naval Studies Certificate, and a Computer Networking & Cybersecurity certificate (networking, cloud, ethical hacking). About 14 courses at USNCC: roughly 12–14 months at 2 courses per 8-week term. $0.
Your 60 associate's credits carry over. Add Sophia and JST credit up to UMGC's 90-credit limit, and about 30 credits (10 classes) are left. That's about 1.7 years at a pace TA pays in full, or faster with Pell.
Cybersecurity is the highest-paying path on this page, and cleared IT pays best early on.
Your GI Bill stays untouched for a master's later. Keep at least 6 months left in service before each USNCC class starts.
Other good routes: fastest with certs: WGU's USNCC cybersecurity associate's is self-paced and includes 6 CompTIA certs plus Linux Essentials. Uses your ABH experience: Embry-Riddle's USNCC Emergency Management associate's includes a Fire & Emergency Services course option.
⚓ USNCC free associate's: what Sophia clears
Every program includes 5 required Naval Studies courses (15 credits) that can't be transferred in. Checked on usncc.edu program pages and partner transfer guides, Sept 2026. ✓ = you've already done it.
📝 How to get into USNCC
- 1. Check you qualifyActive-duty enlisted (E-1 to E-9), high school diploma, and at least 6 months left in service when each class starts. People without a degree get priority.
- 2. Finish Sophia firstYou can't take classes at another college, or use TA, while you're enrolled at USNCC.
- 3. Line up your command approverYour Educational Services Officer (ESO) or a Chief or above. USNCC emails them for approval, and a missed deadline delays your admission.
- 4. Apply online (10–20 minutes)At usncc.edu → Apply. Have your DoD ID number, EAOS date, duty station, high school info and every college you've attempted. You can apply up to a year before the term.
- 5. Wait for decisionsNotifications start about 3 months before the term, and final decisions come at least 30 days before it starts. Seats are limited, so apply early. The school then reviews you and sends your admission.
- 6. Send your Sophia and JST transcripts to the partner schoolOrder Sophia's transcript from your Sophia account. Your JST is free at jst.doded.mil.
| Next USNCC terms | UMGC | Embry-Riddle | WGU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring I 2027 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Feb 1 |
| Spring II 2027 best fit: time to finish Sophia first | Mar 10 | Mar 22 | Apr 1 |
Dates from USNCC's admissions page, checked Oct 19, 2026. Terms also run in Summer and Fall. Source: USNCC admissions steps, eligibility.
💰 Best-paying path for each degree
Your current plan's row is highlighted. Pay is US median (BLS, May 2025) and Europe gross salary in euros.
🇺🇸 USA: pay by job
| Job | Entry (lowest 10%) | Median | Top-paying places* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information security analyst +21% growth | $75,090 | $129,180 | San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle |
| Computer network architect | $79,900 | $134,050 | San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City |
| Data scientist +35% growth | $67,240 | $120,230 | San Jose |
| Management analyst | $60,640 | $101,860 | — |
| Network & systems administrator | $62,640 | $99,130 | DC, Nevada, New Jersey |
| Emergency management director | $54,210 | $93,330 | DC, New Mexico, Washington |
| Network support specialist associate's is typical | $47,120 | $76,220 | — |
Entry and median: BLS, May 2025. *Top places come from older BLS data (2022–2023) and are a rough guide.
🔐 Your security clearance is worth money
Keeping your clearance active when you leave is one of the biggest pay boosts available to you.
🏛️ Federal jobs (veterans' preference)
| IT Specialist (GS-2210), 2026 | Most of US | DC area | San Jose/SF |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-7 (bachelor's) | $43,106 | $57,736 | $63,081 |
| GS-9 (3.5 GPA, or 1 yr experience) | $52,727 | $70,623 | $77,161 |
| GS-11 (master's, or 1 yr at GS-9) | $63,795 | $85,447 | $93,358 |
Step 1 pay from OPM 2026 tables. Veterans get 5 extra points in hiring (10 with a service-connected disability). Federal pay starts lower than private jobs but comes with a pension and job security.
🇪🇺 Europe: pay and how an American can work there
| Where | Cybersecurity pay (gross) | How you get in |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich | ~€122,000 avg | Hardest: not in the EU, only ~8,500 permits a year for all non-Europeans |
| Germany | ~€78,000 median (IT security, official Entgeltatlas) | Easiest: EU Blue Card for IT at €45,934+. Or US-base jobs (below) |
| Amsterdam | ~€74,000 (cloud engineer) | Skilled-migrant permit at €5,942/month (€4,357 under 30). Tax break for newcomers |
| Luxembourg | ~€75,000 | EU Blue Card |
| Dublin | ~€60,000 | Critical Skills permit at €40,904+ |
| Madrid | ~€33,000 | Blue Card €41,356+, or digital nomad visa (€2,849/month income) working remotely for a US company |
Defense contractors in Germany can get you work status through the DoD's DOCPER/TESA process, so you need no German visa. DoD civilian (GS) jobs at Ramstein, Stuttgart, Italy or Spain are on USAJobs.gov. Overseas GS pay has no locality bump, but hires from the US can get a housing allowance (check current rates at aoprals.state.gov).
European pay is lower than US pay for the same job, and taxes are usually higher. Most figures come from salary sites (Glassdoor, Hays summaries) and vary by source. Germany's figure is official. Visa thresholds are official 2026 numbers.