Coast Guard enlistee Jessica Cooper earns second master’s degree, embarks on new training position

During her 12 years as an active-duty member of the United States Coast Guard, Jessica Cooper has established a successful career.

She also graduated with a master’s degree in disaster preparedness and emergency assistance from Arkansas State University in 2018 with the help of tuition assistance from the Coast Guard.

When Cooper graduated from Boise State University’s online Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) program five years later, being a full-time student was her job.

“The Coast Guard offers funded post-grad education programs and opportunities within our workforce,” she said. “I competed for the human performance technology advanced education program, which is what the Coast Guard calls grad school.

“Each year, there are a certain number of people who can attend. I earned one of those spots, so that was a significant career accomplishment for me. I was very proud of that.”

Once selected, Cooper had one year to earn a degree in human performance technology and had to select a university to attend.

“I started researching those preferred options, and Boise State stood out,” she said. “I like how it focuses more on the workplace performance. The workforce performance improvement track seemed really interesting to me. It incorporated a lot of different elements I was curious about.

“Other schools might focus more heavily on instructional design or e-learning. I liked the more holistic approach, so I selected Boise State.”

Cooper transitioned to the role of enlisted rated training branch chief earlier this summer in Washington, D.C.

“I was reaching the point at the mid-grade officer level where I needed a secondary specialty,” she said. “I’ve always loved training; I wanted to be more involved in that. The opportunity to impact the service at a larger scale and a more enterprise-wide focus has always been interesting to me.”

Good call

Cooper hails from West Virginia. She enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2013 and has served in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and D.C.

“I knew that I wanted to be financially independent; that was important to me,” she said. “I grew up in a very rural area.

“I was attracted to the job stability that the military, in general, offered. If you show up, have a good attitude and work hard, the opportunities are limitless here. I went to a service academy. I have now received two master’s degrees at no cost to me. It’s wild.”

The online format worked out well for Cooper as she coordinated time to work with classmates on group projects.

“It was very easy to use and very straightforward,” she said. “I had great coms [communications] with all of my professors. One of the unique things about the OPWL program is how project-heavy it is. We are immediately applying the skills that we learned every week, hands-on, for a real-world project.

“Equally as important as being able to access the learning materials and the instructors, having that student project engagement was also unique. Going into the program, I remember feeling hesitant because some people would be doing it part-time and in different time zones, but we made it work. It was a great, collaborative experience.”

Cooper enjoyed the courses in the OPWL curriculum. She continues to apply the knowledge gained in the program to her career.

“There were several I enjoyed,” she said. “I loved Needs Assessment and Evaluation. I also got a lot out of Change Management. I’ve found in my current job I have really used a lot of those skills — more than I thought I was going to. I’m very happy that I ended up taking that course.”

Coordinating with her classmates provided Cooper with another real-life skill that she also uses regularly.

“It prepared us for a world that demands it,” she said. “You are going to have to work in a virtual environment with people in different time zones. Right now, I have projects with people in California. It was a good prep for that.

“With one of my projects, we had one student in Kenya, two of us on the East Coast and one of us in California. Between the four of us, we spanned half the globe. It was a great project.”

All in the family

Cooper said her family and friends were excited to see her earn a second master’s degree, although, “I think some of them thought I was crazy,” she said. “They said, ‘You already have one master’s degree. Why do you need another?’

“All of the benefits to military service have been a great benefit to our family. We love the Coast Guard. My husband, Michael, is an active-duty Coast Guard officer, as well; we are a whole Coasty family. Boise State has a lot of military support resources.”

Cooper and her husband have two children, Riley, 5, and Grady, 2. She has no plans to leave the Coast Guard Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM).

“I hope to remain in the FORCECOM training service for the remainder of my career,” she said. “I might go back for one more operational tour somewhere else in between. We’ll see.

“My ultimate career goal is to serve as a training officer at one of our training centers. You have to have a training- or performance-related degree to serve in those senior leadership roles.”

For potential Boise State OPWL students, Cooper believes the most important thing to know going in is to prepare for the project.

“It’s slightly different than other online degree offerings, where it’s more work at your own pace,” she said. “Having the projects and collaborating with other students was something unique I had to quickly adjust to. It has so many benefits. I love it.

“I still keep in touch with people I had projects with. We have created friendships and a network among ourselves. It’s something to note that you might need to join up with other students for a project selection that have similar time blocks to work on projects. It was a great overall experience.”

Learn more about the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning program

Earning an online Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.

Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.