Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Air Force ROTC

Overview

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) provides a program of leadership development which prepares college men and women for service as commissioned officers in the United States Air Force. After graduation, they assume active duty positions in both flying and non-flying specialties. To accomplish this, the Department of Aerospace Studies recruits, selects, retains, and commissions officer candidates as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force. AFROTC:

• Provides ethics and values education, stressing the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.
• Prepares cadets to be commissioned as second lieutenants through a curriculum which develops leadership and management skills and provides opportunities to use these skills in a variety of practical applications.
• Provides an understanding of how to lead and influence small organizations, with a strong emphasis on personal integrity, honor, and individual responsibility. The techniques of effective leadership and quality management are stressed to achieve mission accomplishment.
• Enhances the cadets' understanding of the role of the military in society and provides an in-depth orientation to history and tradition of the Air Force and how the Air Force serves the nation. This goal is reinforced by summer hands-on leadership training and career orientation opportunities at Air Force bases around the country.
• In conjunction with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, provides programs and experiences which increase self-confidence, self-discipline, accountability, physical stamina, poise, and other traits essential to the development of a leader of character who is prepared to serve the nation or the commonwealth both in and out of uniform.

The curriculum and leader development programs of the Department of Aerospace Studies are mentally and physically challenging. Cadets learn basic military skills and participate in a demanding physical conditioning program starting in the freshman year. The program moves progressively from followership to leadership experiences and culminates with the senior class cadets planning, organizing, and administering all leadership training for the cadet group. On-campus instruction is conducted both in the classroom by Air Force officers and in the field environment by both officer and cadet leaders. Semiannual visits to Air Force bases expand the cadets' knowledge of Air Force operations and life-style. A demanding summer field training encampment prior to the junior year prepares the cadet for acceptance into the commissioning track.

Air Force ROTC offers four-, three-, and two-year tracks. Four- and three-year track cadets must complete 8 semester hours of AFROTC academics prior to a four-week summer encampment. The two-year track cadets complete a six-week summer encampment where they receive the freshman and sophomore academic courses in addition to the normal four-week field training course of instruction. Students who have Junior ROTC, other-service ROTC, national guard, reserve, or active duty military experience may request credit and advanced placement.

Scholarships

Air Force ROTC offers four-, three-, and two-year scholarships which are based on merit, not need. Though scholarship awards vary, most pay all tuition, books, and approved university fees. High school seniors who are interested in the four-year or guaranteed three-year scholarships must apply at www.afrotc.com by Dec. 1 of their senior year. Non-scholarship cadets may apply for three- and two-year scholarships during their freshman and sophomore years. All students who are contracted into the AFROTC program (includes all scholarship winners and those juniors and seniors holding a commissioning contract) receive a tax-free stipend of up to $500 per month while in school.

Virginia Tech requires membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets to be enrolled in ROTC. All freshman and sophomore cadets, as well as contracted junior and senior cadets, receive a special Air Force uniform allowance to offset the cost of cadet uniforms. The Corps of Cadets also provides need- and merit-based scholarships for deserving cadets.

Membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and completion of four years of Air Force ROTC may qualify a student to receive a minor in leadership. The leadership progression program of the Corps of Cadets and the leadership education inherent in the AFROTC program in combination allow the student to earn this leadership minor -- an academic achievement only available at Virginia Tech. Contact the Rice Center for Leader Development, 540-231-9455, for information on how to apply for the leadership concentration.

Air Force ROTC builds leaders and offers every student who successfully completes the program a job upon graduation. The basic requirements for commissioning are: award of a degree from Virginia Tech including 24 hours of AFROTC; be a U.S. citizen of good moral character; meet medical and physical standards; achieve passing scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test; and willingly accept a four-year service commitment.

Undergraduate Courses (AS)

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