David Coffman, Bachelor’s Degree, Intelligence Studies

David Coffman places such value on his American Military University (AMU) degree that he saved all his papers.

“They’re like trophies to me because one of my goals was to become a more effective writer,” says Coffman, a sergeant with the Sacramento County sheriff’s department, in Sacramento, Calif. He earned his bachelor’s degree in intelligence studies in 2005 and has spent the past 23 years in law enforcement.

Coffman is teacher as well as student. He recently completed a master instructor development program, sponsored by California Peace Officers Standards and Training. With the help of AMU’s course Pychological Dimensions in Warfare, he applied his knowledge toward developing a three-day training course for California law enforcement officers. The course he developed, Survival Stress Training for Tactical Operations, helps maximize job performance and satisfaction through understanding stress physiology.  A related paper was recently published in The Tactical Edge magazine.

His degree and his instructor certification came after years of hard work. He earned his associate’s degree in 1986 as a young officer. He wanted to pursue a bachelor’s degree as a personal goal – and a way to help his kids understand the value of education.

“I wanted to show my teenage kids that dad reads, too, and the importance of time management,” says Coffman. It became difficult, however, to continue toward a bachelor’s because of irregular work schedules and the lack of programs that were of personal interest and relevant to his career. He continued proving himself on the job by being selected for his department’s full-time SWAT team and then promoting to sergeant five years later. Along the way, he spent 15 years teaching at the police academy and providing in-service training to other officers.

He again thought about a bachelor’s degree in 1998. He learned of AMU and its distance learning programs while reading The Marine Corps Gazette magazine. Coffman had served in the Marine Corps Reserve since 1979 and returned to active duty during Operations Desert Storm/Shield.

He knew AMU’s programs were a good fit for his career. He paid his own tuition, taking one course a semester – and applying what he learned.  “I didn’t want to take out a student loan and found I could afford one class a semester without too big of an impact on my family budget,” he says. The book grant for undergrad students helped as well.

As an alumnus, Coffman still stays connected to AMU and is particularly proud when he sees one of his former professors interviewed on Fox News or the History Channel. He has access to the online library and uses it as a research tool for work-related studies. He also checks in on master’s courses. “I add the textbooks to my Amazon ‘wish list,’” he says, although he’s not sure if he’ll pursue a master’s degree or not. He is sure about what his bachelor’s degree has meant for him – accomplishing a goal and helping his career. “My courses had a huge overlap to my job,” says Coffman, who now works in internal affairs.