Special Programs
Aerospace Studies prepares students for leadership positions with the United States Air Force through the Preprofessional Program and offers courses to all students through the Academic Program. The curriculum examines multi-disciplinary issues as they relate to leadership participation in the military environment.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
The academic program (without affiliation with the formal Air Force ROTC program) is designed for students interested in gaining a perspective on military leadership, management, ethics, and discipline. Students who pursue this concentration should take the upper-level (AERO 3100 and 3200) courses, several of which are approved to satisfy general education requirements and they may attend the lower-level courses. Participation in Leadership Laboratory courses is available by special permission from the department.
Preprofessional Program/Air Force ROTC Program. The preprofessional track of the Aerospace Studies program is implemented as the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. It provides three programs for students to qualify for a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. To be eligible for the Air Force ROTC preprofessional program, a student must be a citizen of the United States, physically qualified for commission in the Air Force, not under 14 years of age and, upon graduation, no more than 30 years of age. For those with prior military service, commissioning must occur not later than age 35. If designated for flight training, the student must be able to complete all commissioning requirements prior to age 26½.
Cadets must pursue work leading to at least a bachelor's degree and be willing to sign a formal agreement at the beginning of the advanced course or upon initiation of a college scholarship. The agreement, an enlistment into the Air Force Reserve, obligates the student to remain in the ROTC program, accept a commission and serve the required period in the Air Force upon graduation. Cadets must also demonstrate proficiency or successfully complete courses in mathematical reasoning and English composition before commissioning.
Four-Year Program. This program begins with the General Military Course (GMC) and offers coursework within the lower division. GMC students not on Air Force ROTC scholarship incur no military obligation. Each candidate for commissioning must pass each GMC course with a grade of C or getter and pass the requisite lab. Students must score appropriately on an Air Force aptitude test, pass a medical examination and be selected by a board of Air Force officers. If selected, the student then enrolls in the Professional Officer Course (POC), the last two years of the Air Force ROTC curriculum. Students attend a four-week field training course at an Air Force base normally between the sophomore and junior years. All students in the POC receive a tax-free stipend of $150 a month. Upon successful completion of the POC and the requirements for a degree, the student is commissioned in the Air Force as a second lieutenant.
Two-Year Program. The basic requirement for entry into the two-year program is that the student has two academic years of college work remaining, either at the undergraduate or graduate level, or a combination of both. Applicants seeking enrollment in the two-year program must pass Air Force aptitude and medical examinations and be selected by a board of Air Force officers. After successfully completing a six-week field training course at an Air Force base, the applicant may enroll in the Professional Officer Course (POC). Upon completion of the POC and the college requirements for a degree, the student is commissioned as a second lieutenant. All students in the two-year program receive a tax-free stipend of $150 a month.
One-Year Program. This program is designed for students in selected majors who are completing their junior year. The designated majors are announced annually. Cadets in the one-year program complete the Professional Officer Corps (POC) in approximately 15 months, which includes a 6-week field training encampment. Students attend encampment prior to entering the program. Students receive Air Force ROTC scholarship benefits of tuition, payments of fees and books, and a tax-free stipend of $150 per month.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS
Air Force ROTC awards scholarships at the freshman, sophomore and junior levels. They are only provided for the preprofessional track leading to a commission in the Air Force. They are available to qualified cadets in the one-year, two-year and four-year programs. Scholarships are given on a semester basis.
Full-time enrollment in the University or a consortium institution and the Aerospace Studies program is a requirement for scholarship eligibility. Scholarships cover full tuition, fees and books. Scholarship cadets also receive a tax-free stipend of $150 a month.
Air Force ROTC students who accept a scholarship must agree to successfully complete at least one semester of college instruction or the equivalent in a major Indo-European or Asian language before commissioning. Scholarship recipients also are required to successfully complete an English composition course prior to entry into the junior year.
Four-year scholarships also are available to high school students. High school students interested in making application should contact the Unit Recruiting Officer within the department. Initial four-year scholarship packages must be postmarked by December 1 prior to enrollment.
ADJUNCT PROGRAMS
Field Training. Two Field Training courses are offered, either of which is normally completed during the summer between the sophomore and junior years. One covers a four-week period for students in the four-year program; the other lasts six weeks and is designed for two-year program applicants. Transportation, lodging, meals and approximately $150 per week are provided by the Air Force during Field Training.
Leadership Laboratory. Those students pursuing the preprofessional track will participate a minimum of one hour per week during every semester of enrollment. The objective is to provide a laboratory environment where each student receives an opportunity to learn and develop leadership and management abilities. Cadets plan, organize and carry out the entire cadet program with only minimal guidance from the staff advisers.
Professional Development Program. Students enrolled in the junior and senior years of Air Force ROTC may volunteer to attend a two- or three-week orientation program at an Air Force base. This is an opportunity to observe and experience the working environment of an active Air Force facility and to obtain specific career information. Transportation, lodging, meals, and approximately $200 per week are provided by the Air Force during participation in this voluntary program.
Flight Screening. Cadets designated to enter Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training after graduation participate in the Flight Screening Program between their junior and senior years unless they already have a private pilot's license. Each cadet receives 14 hours of instruction taught by Air Force personnel at no expense to the student. This training also includes ground school instruction.
Participation in Army ROTC enhances the education of both men and women by providing unique leadership and management training, along with practical experience in these areas. It helps students develop many of the qualities basic to success in the Army, or in civilian careers. Students earn a college degree and an officer's commission at the same time. The program is designed to complement the student's major area of study; participation in Army ROTC is compatible with all major areas of study. The Basic Course and the Advanced Course comprise the Military Science curriculum.
ADVANCED COURSE
The Advanced Course provides instruction in military history, advanced tactics, techniques of effective leadership, and military ethics and professionalism. It is normally taken during the junior and senior years. Students successfully completing the Basic Course, who have demonstrated the potential to become officers and meet Army physical and academic standards, are eligible to enroll in the Advanced Course. Students receive a taxfree stipend of $150 per academic month and are required to attend a paid six-week summer camp at Fort Bragg, NC, between their junior and senior years. In addition to Military Science courses, students must complete HIST 2120 American Military History. Nursing students may enter the Advanced Course without Basic Course credit.
Nursing Summer Camp. Nursing students enrolled in the Advanced Course attend a two-part summer camp between the junior and senior years. This consists of three weeks of basic military and leadership skills training at Fort Bragg, followed by three weeks of practical nursing training. The nurse intern training may be at Fort Bragg or another major Army Medical Center nationwide.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Two- and three-year scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis, providing full tuition and educational fees, a specified amount for books and supplies, and a tax-free stipend of $150 per academic month. Students do not have to be enrolled in Army ROTC to apply and incur no obligation by applying. Application timeframe is December to February each year. Special consideration is given to students in nursing, engineering and physical sciences. Four-year scholarships are available to students who apply while in high school or prior to enrollment.
COMMISSION REQUIREMENTS
To obtain a commission in the Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve, a student must successfully complete the Advanced Course, be recommended by the Professor of Military Science, and complete work leading to at least a baccalaureate degree.