kung fu degree

[plummantisgeek]

okay so im a soldier if afghanistan, and i practice plum blossom mantis daily. i love it. i started practicing in korea four years ago and now i cant stop. anyway when my deployment is over i would like to live off of the post 911 gi bill and get a degree, but i dont care about getting a degree that gives me a good job (please no responses with degree or carreer advice i get that shallow crap enough from my sergeants.) i just want to study kung fu but i have to go to an accredited college to get my gi bill. anyone know of a university with degree plans in martial arts or even just a good kung fu club. oh and the gi bill will pay for foriegn colleges so anywhere in the world would be okay. thanks for the help.

[SanHeChuan]

I remember a few questionable "degrees" being posted here before. I'll have a look. Found it.

Your best bet would be in china at Beijing sports university or some place similar.

You could go to OSU and join the Shaui Chiao Club, or any University that has a big Kung Fu club.

Other Links

University of Bridgeport

Indiana University

Amerstate University

Martial Arts as a College Degree

[David Jamieson]

A kung fu degree will get you exactly no where in North America.
It's literally meaningless here.

In China, you could get a degree, but it would be in competitive wushu for the most part and allow you to instruct there, etc etc. I'm sure more guys here could help you to understand that aspect of China's school system. I could be wrong, but I think it's all about the wu shu there.

My personal opinion would be that it is your best bet to get a certification at instructor level in combatives (if you are a us servicemen), get your certificate from yoru current kungfu master if s/he gives them and get yourself an academic degree in kinesiology or sport training (gym teacher), sports medicine or some other legit and complimentary degree to what it is that you apparently love to do.

[MasterKiller]

get yourself an academic degree in kinesiology or sport training (gym teacher), sports medicine or some other legit and complimentary degree to what it is that you apparently love to do.

T h i s .

[plummantisgeek]

i have level 2 combatives instructor cert. but combatives is lame lol and at my rank its near impossible to get into level 3 (it goes to level 4 but thats just administration on how to set up a combatives program on a base its not really a martial arts class despite what some people say one of my 1SG's was a level 4.) anyway if i dont get a degree in martial arts im getting one in art i dont care about a good job i just want to have fun ive been a flight medic for five years now and am sick of seeng blown up people i just want to get a degree in somthing fun

[SenseiShellie]

get yourself an academic degree in kinesiology or sport training (gym teacher), sports medicine or some other legit and complimentary degree to what it is that you apparently love to do.

For sure this. Part of martial arts is not just harming, but also helping people. You would be a complete martial artist IMHO if you were go with Kinesiology or Sports Medicine...

[Drake]

No such thing as an accredited kung fu program for any college. It doesn't exist, and the GI Bill won't pay for it.

[MasterKiller]

i have level 2 combatives instructor cert. but combatives is lame lol and at my rank its near impossible to get into level 3 (it goes to level 4 but thats just administration on how to set up a combatives program on a base its not really a martial arts class despite what some people say one of my 1SG's was a level 4.) anyway if i dont get a degree in martial arts im getting one in art i dont care about a good job i just want to have fun ive been a flight medic for five years now and am sick of seeng blown up people i just want to get a degree in somthing fun

A good job will provide enough time and money (and insurance) to study your martial arts the way you want.

I work 8 to 4, have 5 weeks off a year, and have enough disposable income to justify not working any harder.

[plummantisgeek]

lol i dont really care if its a "kung fu" degree i could get a degree in general studies or whatever i just have to be enrolled in a degree program to get the tuition and housing allowance just a college with a CMA class or club or decent school near by

[Lucas]

If you are completely serious in your posts, then you should look around for a place you really want to train, then find a college near it and go to school there. get your degree in what ever you want (its your life not mine, who am i to know what makes you truly happy, i agree the money is all BS just be happy and you are richer than most ) and learn great martial arts while you are doing that having fun. i do agree taht you can suppliment your martial art training in a variety of degree choices. no one understands your artistic free spirit better than you do!

narrow down some training sources you would like to check out, make sure everything is on the up and up. visit when ever possible.

thank you very much for the past 5 years you have been out there helping to save lives. you deserve to do what ever you dang well please, grumbling kungfu know-it-alls aside

he isnt looking for a kungfu degree, he is looking to see if such a thing exists that he could use as a link for the gi bill.

[SoCo KungFu]

You seriously need to go back and do your homework. Not only does GI Bill not pay for "any college in the world," it doesn't even pay for any college in the US. Colleges have to be certified not only with a recognized US accredidation board, but also have to be VA certified for the government to cover your tuition and housing allowance. Furthermore, I don't know exactly how much you think you'll be getting, but you'll be very lucky if your housing is anywhere over $1k-$1200/month. And that's to cover EVERYTHING (Rent, food, electricity, water, insurance, etc, etc). And it doesn't cover times between semesters when you aren't class (unless you specifically tell them to do so, and that time is deducted from your total benefits leaving you out of money before you finish your degree). So, you'll either be finding some alternate source of income or living off student loans like everyone else. Now this isn't to say there aren't SOME schools in foreign countries that qualify, but they are very few and far between. I do believe there was 1 in China (Shanghai), I think. But that was about 8 years ago I looked into that with the education office.

I know how you feel, I did a few years of my time as a flight medic as well. But you should really think about if this is the best way to reach your goals.

[FuJowPai]

OP, I may be the only one here who can directly relate to your situation. I'm an Army vet and also love training and studying martial arts. I trained in kenpo for almost 5 years before I went into the military. I was stationed overseas in Germany and then was sent to Iraq for Desert Storm. I had to use my ma training to literally save my life. So to say that I came to love and appreciate martial arts even more after that, is an understatement. You wrote that you're a medic well I understand how you feel. I wasn't a medic, I was an 11b which is the worst crap MOS to have during a time of conflict but hey it was my choice. But I've seen death first hand so I feel where you're coming from. I joined my first kung fu school not long after I was discharged and have been happily training since.

You said that you don't want career advice and I can understand that. You might not care right now about what you major in, but wouldn't it be good to major in something that will allow you to continue your pursuit of martial arts training? Some people have suggested degrees in kinesiology. A degree in kinesiology alone is good if you want to be something like a high school gym teacher. If you want something that will allow you to work anywhere in North America, I would suggest physical therapy. I'm a physical therapist and I love it. Basically you never have to work nights or weekends, it's a pretty good paycheck, and you get to learn the inner workings of human anatomy that can enhance your own study and application of martial arts.

Because of my training and exp. in pt, I've been able to travel a lot and as a result was able to train with some of the most respected and venerated martial arts instructors in America. My hours are such that if I decide to start teaching at some point, it wouldn't be a burden on my schedule. If you want to be a physical therapist the GI Bill will help (I used it myself) but you'll need to get a doctoral degree (D.PT). If you don't want to invest that kind of time, you can also be a physical therapist assistant which doesn't pay as well of course, but still allows you a lot of choices on being able to live pretty much anywhere you want. PTA's do most of the grunt work but it's nothing compared to what you've already gone through. You can be a physical therapist assistant with only an associates degree.

If you don't want to do anything like that, I would suggest a degree that will have international appeal. Some health care fields allow you to be able to work overseas. Another option might be something like accounting or international business. By the time you finish college the economy should be back on track and having any of those degrees could open the door for you to be able to work and live in a variety of countries. I know someone with a bachelors in psychology and he's working as an English teacher in Korea and loves it. Hell, if I had the opportunity many years ago I would've done the same thing.

Many universities here in the states have some type of martial arts classes and clubs. At the university I attended there were karate, judo, aikido, kung fu, and even a ninjutsu club.

[SoCo KungFu]

I'm inclined to agree with Fujowpai.

If TGY is any indication, an education in PT can do wonders for your understanding of MA.

International business or language is also a good choice. I know a girl I used to do kungfu with that went in and majored Mandarin Chinese and business. She's in China now doing a year internship on scholarship and will possibly have a job lined up somewhere either in China or in the US close to a heavy Chinese community. Either way is good for kung fu in the long run. Although ironically at the moment she is too busy with her internship in China to actually do kung fu.

[pazman]

You can indeed get a degree in "Traditional Chinese Sports" in China, which would include a traditional gongfu track. However, keep in mind that "traditional gongfu" in China means something very different than what most people think of.

I may have to elaborate on the thread concerning the duan ranks, but if you study it as a university major, you will learn a collection of taolu meant to represent the traditional "essence" of Chinese gongfu. In "real" traditional gongfu, students will learn basics, two-man drills, coordination exercises, breathing, etc. At Chinese universities, however, taolu (forms) are the only thing practiced. In other words, you get a "taste test" of different styles, without truly training traditional gongfu.

On the plus side, however, the students at the school I teach at are given a very sound basic training in qigong, and get to learn cool weapons like the meteor hammer.

Plummantisgeek, if you situation allows for education outside of the US, here's my advice: don't go for a "Traditional Chinese Sports" degree. Instead, enroll at Beijing Sports University (or in Wuhan or Xian) and get a four-year degree in Chinese language or Sports Medicine. Make connections to find a gongfu teacher and train in your spare time. As a student, you'll be able to attend extra classes as you like.

[Drake]

You CAN get a degree in that, but don't expect the Army to pay for it. Like mentioned earlier, there are some stringent requirements for using the Post 9/11 GI Bill. It's generous, but it isn't so you can get some crazy, useless degree.