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Department of Aerospace Studies
The Department of Aerospace Studies administers the United States Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Program and has been an integral part of the University's tradition of scholarship, excellence, and achievement since 1947. As the University continues its pursuit of excellence as the nation's oldest state liberal arts university, Air Force ROTC will continue to develop outstanding officers who will serve the nation.
Air Force ROTC offers both undergraduate and graduate students many opportunities. These include specialized academics, scholarships and financial assistance, applied professional training, job placement, and a variety of extracurricular activities. In many ways, Air Force ROTC is more than a department in the College of Arts and Sciences. It is also a professional organization designed to provide students growth and development opportunities beyond the classroom. Air Force ROTC cadets learn and develop personnel management and leadership talents through hands-on experience both inside and outside of the traditional classroom setting.
The Air Force ROTC Program
Air Force ROTC offers eight semesters of academic classes. The University recognizes these classes as undergraduate elective credits. Air Force ROTC is not a major - cadets take ROTC courses in addition to the courses in their chosen major. Air Force ROTC cadets are also required to take our Leadership Laboratory (0 credit).
The first two years of the program are referred to as the General Military Course (GMC) and are designed to introduce the cadet/student to the Air Force and the broad opportunities offered. With this information, a student can make an informed decision on whether the Air Force interests him or her. A two-hour Leadership Lab meets once a week and is required for all Air Force ROTC cadets. A student may enter, or leave, Air Force ROTC at any point while in the GMC unless obligated by scholarship.
The second two years are referred to as the Professional Officer Course (POC) and are designed to prepare an officer candidate to become a commissioned officer (Second Lieutenant) in the United States Air Force. These courses meet twice a week (three credit hour class), with a two-hour Leadership Lab (0 credit) once a week. Entry into the POC is competitive. Once accepted, a student is obligated to serve in the active duty Air Force upon graduation.
Undergraduate students may enter the program at the beginning of their freshman year or as late as their junior year. There is no commitment to the Air Force until the last two years of the program or activation of a scholarship. Any student, graduate or undergraduate, may enter the commissioning track program if he or she has at least three semesters of full-time study remaining at the University. Completion of the Air Force ROTC program requires an obligation to serve in the Air Force as a commissioned officer after graduation. Usually this commitment is four years. It may be longer in professions requiring extended special training, as in the case of pilot, navigator, or physician.
The minimum requirement for entry into the program is to be a full-time student at the University. Minimum requirements for consideration to enter the last two years of the program include a 2.0 GPA, U.S. citizenship, medical qualification, passing a physical fitness test, and achieving minimum scores on the Air Force Officer's Qualification Test (AFOQT).