Army Higher Education Pathway (AHEP)

The Army selects candidates for a limited number of fully-funded places. If you are selected, there are no fees, additional study costs, or Return of Service (RoS) required. You can register your interest for the AHEP whilst at RMAS. If selected, you can apply for AHEP for up to 18 months after completing RMAS.

All international officers who successfully meet the entry requirements for AHEP can apply to receive a Certificate of Higher Education (Cert HE) or Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) on successful completion of the full Commissioning Course. However, international officers may not apply to study the BSc or MSc pathway.

If you have been selected for AHEP, please apply through the AHEP Portal - ahep.defencegateway.mod.uk.

International officers: Please select the appropriate cohort and programme level link:

Applying for the MSc (Exec)

To be considered for the MSc (Exec) Leadership and Strategic Studies programme you must be a regular member of the British Army with at least five years’ leadership experience (within the Armed Forces) and currently studying the full Initial Command and Staff Course (Land) (ICSC(L).

For further information and an application form for the MSc (Exec) please contact the Ed Branch: APSG-EdBr-Accreditation@mod.gov.uk

Once you have been accepted you will need to register on the AHEP Portal via the Defence Gateway.

Entry Requirements

Cert HE/BSc - GCSE Maths and English Grade C (4) or above.

PG Cert/MSc - Bachelor’s Degree at 2:2 level or above MSc Exec – ‘5 years leadership experience’ within the Armed Forces

You will need to have a digital copy of your degree certificate (if applicable). You will not need evidence of your GCSEs.

International Cadets

English language requirement level:

• Cert HE – IELTS 6.5 (No element below 5.5)
• PG Cert – IELTS 6.5 (No element below 6.0)

For further assistance and queries with the application process please contact the AHEP team at Henley: ahep-admin@henley.ac.uk

For the individual, it offers a unique opportunity to ‘Lead and Learn’: to complete a recognised BSc or MSc in Leadership and Strategic Studies through our partnership with Henley Business School and the University of Reading's School of Politics, Economics and International Relations (SPEIR).

‘Lead and Learn’ is a pathway that will strengthen and enhance the British Army’s existing excellent through-life career leadership and professional development opportunities. It supports our people to confidently develop their intellectual capability, ready to meet the challenges of the future with absolute commitment.

‘Lead and Learn’ is a pathway that will strengthen and enhance the British Army’s existing excellent through-life career leadership and professional development opportunities. It supports our people to confidently develop their intellectual capability, ready to meet the challenges of the future with absolute commitment.

Major General Zac Stenning OBE

Commandant Sandhurst

Be the best leader you can be and enhance your career and success as an Officer

The role of higher education in the Army is about developing individual capability to the highest standards possible – train for certainty, educate for uncertainty. Learning is a way of evolving and adapting to changing environments.

A BSc/MSc/MSc Exec degree in Leadership and Strategic Studies is:

• Focused on your career stage
  The BSc and MSc degrees start during the Commissioning Course at RMAS. The pathway accredits and builds on your demanding and complex officer leadership training.
  The MSc Exec pathway is for those approved after ICSC(L). The course includes advanced leadership and coaching skills, exploration of British Foreign Policy and the foundations of conducting robust and relevant research.
• Workplace relevant
  The extension modules explore a deeper understanding of leadership concepts and by applying your learning in the workplace you’ll develop your communication skills and personal leadership effectiveness.
  You will also advance your critical thinking and analytical skills, and by extending your knowledge, learn how to adapt, evolve and develop effective solutions to volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous problems.
  You will be doing your work and applying what you have learnt to real situations, recording the learnings and outcomes in an online platform.
• A brains-based approach
  The course will develop your conceptual and intellectual capacity and so you can be best placed to enhance the Army's ability to protect the Nation and meet the challenges of the future, both at home and overseas.
• Flexible with no exams
  It is an online course so you can study anywhere in the world.
• A fully funded qualification
  You won’t have to pay any fees and there are no additional study costs (e.g. books).

These qualifications will optimise your Army career opportunities and keep you in line with your peers outside of the Army.

Officer Cadets at RMAS

Your training at RMAS counts towards a BSc in Leadership and Strategic Studies. If you already have a degree, you can apply for an MSc in Leadership and Strategic Studies. During your Commissioning Course you will start your degree course and it will continue during the early stages of your Army career, linking training, education and leadership experience. After each mandatory course of Career Stage 1 the extension module you undertake counts towards your degree.

Blue: Army Career Stage 1:
JOLP3 = Junior Officer Leadership Programme 3
JOTAC = Junior Officer Tactical Awareness Course
JCSC(L) = Junior Command and Staff Course
(Land) MA(A) and MA(B) = Military Analysis A and B

Orange: Henley/UoR extension modules

Majors ICSC(L)

Blue: Army ICSC(L) = Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land)
Orange: Henley/UoR extension modules

Note:

For all routes you must complete the application and enrolment process.

If eligible you will not have to pay any fees for these qualifications.

The aim of the programme is to enable you to learn as you lead, underpinning your professional understanding and analysis. Developing you intellectually to support professional activity and agile thinking.

Extension modules

The extension modules are relevant to your work environment, as they focus on leadership, developing others, organisational studies and strategy; as well as politics and international relations.

The modules studied and how they work with the Army’s academic syllabus are laid out in the overall qualification specification.

Research projects

You will be required to complete a research project within each of the degrees, based on work-related issues. This will be underpinned by a comprehensive ‘Research Methods’ module, equipping you with the investigative and analytical skills needed to create impactful research, both of which are deeply relevant to Army leadership practice.

The ‘Negotiated Learning’ module will provide opportunities to develop theory and knowledge in a specific topic through assignments and dissertations.

The course integrates with the practical demands of military life. You can learn at your own pace, while on regimental duty or deployed overseas. A BSc, MSc or MSc Exec degree will optimise your Army career opportunities and keep you in line with your peers outside of the Army.

Online learning

Learning is through the Canvas VLE and can be accessed via tablets, laptops and smartphones. There is also a bespoke AHEP Portal. Within the portal you can:

• Register for modules
• Review progress on your modules
• Upload on the secure file store
• Submit your assignments

Learn on the job

You’ll capture examples of your learning and activities and save them in your Professional Leadership Portfolio (PLP).

The PLP App is designed to help you do this. You can add reflections in the form of written documents, photos, videos and voice recordings. As well as set up reminders and tag your reflections.

Assessment

There are no exams. You will be assessed through assignments and dissertations.

Your research project will be based on work-related issues and reflect the depth of your investigative and analytic skills.

Timescale

All courses

You have six months to complete each module. A 10-credit module = 100 hours of study, 20 credits is 200 hours etc. These hours are split between ‘online’ work, private study and assessments. After completing a module, you can take up to six months before registering for the next.

BSc/MSc

You have 18 months from the last day of the Commissioning Course to finalise enrolment and register for the first module of learning.

You have up to seven years to complete the programme, but realistically most will achieve it within the first three to five years of commissioned service.

MSc Exec

If you are studying on the MSc Exec, you have between 24 and 60 months to complete your course.