Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC)

Colonel Paul M. Kucharek, Chair
380 ROTC, (801) 422-2671

Admission to Degree Program

Students must be accepted by the department into the program.

The Discipline

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is an educational program designed to provide students the opportunity to become Air Force officers while completing requirements for an undergraduate or graduate degree. Four-year and three-year programs are available for both men and women.

Career Opportunities

Officer in the United States Air Force.

General Information

Textbooks, Uniforms, and Allowance. All textbooks, uniforms, and uniform accessories are furnished by the Air Force, in addition to the tax-free allowance of $450 to $500 per month furnished to those in the Professional Officer Course (POC) program.

Air Force ROTC Scholarship Program. All current scholarship information can be found at http://afrotc.com/scholarships/.

Field Training. All cadets must attend a field training camp in order to enter the Professional Office Corps (last two years). Cadets in the full four-year program will attend field training after the completion of their second (AS 200) year. Cadets who begin the program with less than 4 years remaining before graduation will attend Field Training after their first year in the program.

This training gives an increased understanding of the Air Force mission, and operations to include expeditionary (deployed) operations. Cadets receive practical experience in leadership and management while residing on an Air Force base. Additionally, cadets are provided hands-on training in combatives, weapons qualifications, squad tactics, and contingency operations. Medical care, housing, food, and uniforms, as well as transportation to and from the training base, are provided; approximately $500 in pay is received for four-week training.

Extracurricular Activities. Each Air Force ROTC student will be able to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including the Arnold Air Society, the color guard, and the honor guard. Selected cadets may also participate in summer programs such as the career-field shadow program or airborne training (parachute jump school).

LDS Missions. Students who desire to serve a Church mission should do so after their first or second semester. This will facilitate entrance into the advanced course. Scholarship students may have their scholarship held while they fulfill a mission as long as they do so before attending AS 200 (second year) classes. Consult with detachment cadre prior to initiating any mission plans.

Fifth-Year Cadets. Four-year program students in Air Force ROTC who are in a five-year university program are allowed a year of completed status after their senior AFROTC courses. Out-of-phase students and those who will be student teaching should consult with the department chair.

Discipline. Disciplinary training in the cadet corps is formulated and administered by the student officers. Air Force ROTC students are civilians and are not subject to military law.

Veterans. A veteran seeking a commission through Air Force ROTC may have part or all of the freshman and sophomore program waived. Allowances are paid in addition to G.I. Bill benefits.

Program Requirements

Four-Year Program

The more popular and preferred program is the traditional Four-Year Program. Interested freshmen register for aerospace studies in the fall semester, enrolling in aerospace studies courses in the same manner as for other college courses. There is no military obligation for the first two years of Air Force ROTC unless on an Air Force ROTC scholarship. During this time students learn more about the Air Force and the historical development of air power. After completing the first two years, known as the General Military Course (GMC), students may compete for entry into the last two years, the Professional Officer Course (POC). If accepted, students will attend a four-week summer field training encampment between their sophomore and junior years before entering the POC. Cadets in the POC study leadership, management, and national defense policy while receiving a nontaxable subsistence allowance of $450 for juniors and $500 for seniors each month.

Three-Year Program

Students entering the program as sophomores can "dual enroll" in both the Aeros 100 and 200 academics simultaneously. If accepted, students will attend a four-week field training the next summer.

Qualifications

1. Be a United States citizen.
2. Be a full-time student.
3. Be eighteen years of age, or seventeen years of age with parent's or legal guardian's consent.
4. Be physically qualified.
5. Be of good moral character.
6. Be in good academic standing.
7. Be interviewed and selected by a board of Air Force officers.
8. Complete all commissioning requirements as follows:
   1. Pilot or navigator candidate: Complete before age twenty-nine so as to enter undergraduate pilot/navigator training before age thirty.
   2. Scholarship recipient: Complete before age thirty-one in eligible year of commissioning.
   3. Nonscholarship recipient: Complete before age thirty-five.
   4. Successfully pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.

Required Courses

1. General Military Courses: complete the following:
   Aeros 100, 101, 110, 111, 200, 201, 210, 211.
2. Professional Officer Courses: complete the following:
   Aeros 300, 301, 310, 311, 400R, 401R, 410, 411.