SOCAD is a system of college curriculum networks designed by SOC for Army servicemembers and their adult family members. Networks consist of groups of colleges that have agreed to accept each other's courses in a particular program of study. Students can move freely among the colleges in a network without being reevaluated or worrying about whether or not courses will transfer. SOCAD-2 is the associate degree network program; SOCAD-4 is the bachelor's degree network program.

SOCAD-2 and SOCAD-4 colleges provide students with the opportunity to complete college degrees without losing credit because of frequent changes in duty station. Curricula, or courses of study, are offered by colleges and universities on or accessible to most Army installations worldwide.

Colleges within SOCAD act as "home colleges" for SOCAD students. Students begin their studies at their home college where they complete the required academic residency. SOCAD colleges and universities require no more than 25 percent of a degree program in residence, and courses taken from the college anywhere in the world at any time during study for a degree count toward residency.

After completing no more than six semester hours at the home college, SOCAD students are eligible for an official evaluation and SOCAD Student Agreement, which is a degree plan and contract-for-degree. The SOCAD college includes on the official evaluation appropriate credit for any previous college courses and nontraditional learning, including Army MOSs, military training courses, and results of national examinations. Credit for nontraditional learning is based on recommendations of the American Council on Education.

SOCAD colleges guarantee to accept in transfer courses listed in the transferability tables of the SOCAD-2and SOCAD-4 Handbooks, which are used as manuals for the SOCAD system by college and military counselors. These courses are transferred among network colleges without course-by-course prior approval for individual students. SOCAD colleges also guarantee to accept college-level General Education elective courses in specified course areas. These guarantees are in effect only when a SOCAD Student Agreement has been issued, and only for transfer back to the home college.

When SOCAD students are transferred to new duty stations, they may continue to take courses from other SOCAD colleges, and acquire credit for further military experience and tests. These credits are transferred back to the home college which will award the degree when all academic requirements set forth on the Student Agreement are met.

SOCAD students can pursue their degrees though three delivery options:

• Traditional Delivery — Courses normally are delivered through classroom-based instruction with some academic residency required.
• Distance Learning — External-degree option that allows SOCAD students to take courses without sitting in a traditional classroom. Courses may be by correspondence, computer, video, or other type of independent study.
• Learning Assessment Option — External-degree option that consists of approved curricula that do not require academic residency for graduation. Participating colleges and universities evaluate learning from nontraditional sources, and accept credit in transfer from other institutions.