So Im looking at the possibility of going to graduate school. Being military, I am trying to make best use of programs that schools offer.

I am looking at MBA programs, as well as M.A in Strategic Foresight, as well as Ph.D/M.A. in Strategic Communication/Marketing.

Two of the schools I am looking at offer fairly reputable military assistance programs and decent tuition rates/discounts for military/veterans.

One is University of the Incarnate Word, the other is Regent University.

Im looking for input on these schools - I want to make sure Im going to a university where the degree will be respect in the business world.

Thoughts? Experiences?

I have never heard of the first, and Regent is not exactly a top tier school. If you are looking at online programs, there are a lot of them out there - and a great deal of them don't distinguish on their degree between distance learning and "on campus".  If you are looking into strategic communications, I will do some searching at see what I can find as far as online programs, but I suspect you can do better than both of those w/o too much work.

-shooter

ETA:
1. University of Florida - Online program in Global Strategic Communication - I am somewhat partial to UF, and it has national name recognition.
2. American University - probably expensive.
3. University of Iowa
4. Troy University - not perfect, but if this program is online, Troy is VERY familiar with working with the military.
5. Seton Hall

That is with about 5 minutes worth of looking - don't know how flexible those are, but they are all online. I think any of them would be an improvement. There are more as well (Liberty University - bleh, George Washington - $$$).  The one I was really looking for was Wayne State - it is a great Comm Program...

ETA2 - if you decide to go the MBA route, there are a TON of options there as well, I just went looking for the strategic comms stuff.

Regents (I assume you're talking about the Virginia Beach school by that name, there are others) has a good reputation.  Aside from that, you're always going to run into people prejudiced against any kind of distance learning, so there's that to consider.  I'm using Regis, and have been fairly happy with them so far -- I finished my BSCS with them and am about 1/3 of the way through and MSIA right now.

I actually just stumbled across Northeastern University. It seems to be fairly more reputable than most online schools, and is reasonably priced.

What are your goals in attaining a Master's degree? Don't get a Master's degree because you feel like you need one.  Every Tom, Dick, and Harry has an MBA and while I think the top tier schools have great MBA programs, I feel like the MBA at most schools is the new 'General Education" master's degree these days.  A Master's degree is about refining and mastering a specific set of skills.  A Master's degree is not about teaching you a new trade.

Agree with above.  There's a surplus of MBAs today.  Please consider two things:  If you are getting into debt to get your degree, there's an uncertainty that you can recoup your expenses.  That money that would go toward education could be going toward an investment.  Second, if you need a MBA to keep or job or for promotion, then it may be worth it.  

Suggested reading:  The Richest Man in Babylon.  Simple, easy to read book with wisdom that applies as much today when it did centuries ago.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Richest_Man_in_Babylon_(book)

A degree from any other than a top tier school will be regarded with suspicion.  You are about to invest years of your life and thousands of dollars.  I would like to have my degree redly accepted and admired  in the business community.

To be brutally honest, MBA's are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them, which in turn is directly correlated to how much they can make off of you... Unless you are going to be able to go into investment banking or management consulting via your MBA, then it probably isn't worth it from a financial prospective. That said, unless you are going to a top 20, maybe top 25 MBA program, you won't have the opportunity to be recruited for ibanking or mc, so take that for what it is.

This post nails it.

Be really careful with MBA programs!  I've known lots of people that got an MBA in a low ranked MBA program and it didn't do a whole hell of a lot of good.  I was fortunate enough to get into a top 10 MBA program and it's been a great career move.  I was able to double my salary in only a couple years post MBA and I have a ton of career options ahead of me.

MBA programs don't really teach you anything beyond basic business knowledge.  The value of the MBA program is not the coursework, but rather the reputation of the school and the alumni network.

That being said, there are business schools out there that aren't in the top 20 that have really good reputations locally.  If you know where you want to live post-MBA, those schools can be a worthwhile investment.  A great example is UT Austin.  It's typically in the top 20 in rankings, but if you're looking to stay in Texas, the school's brand in Texas punches way above it's national ranking.

Check out this website: http://poetsandquants.com/

It gives you some great advice on schools and the application process.

RF