Students who enroll as cadets in the Air Force Officer Education Program, which is known nationally as the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC), successfully complete the program and receive a University degree are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Air Force.

Career Opportunities

Men and women can serve in a wide range of technical fields such as meteorology, research and development, communications and electronics, engineering, transportation, logistics, and intelligence as well as in numerous managerial and training fields such as administrative services, accounting and finance, personnel, statistics, manpower management, education and training, investigation, and information services. There are also opportunities in the pilot, navigator, space operations, and missile career fields. Advanced education or technical training for these career areas may be obtained on active duty at Air Force expense.

Four-Year, Three Year, and Two-Year Programs

Students may choose one of three program options as described in the general introduction to Military Officer Education Programs. The four-year and three-year program options include a summer four-week field training course at an Air Force base between the sophomore and junior years. Students electing to take the three-year program will be required to take the basic course sequence in one year instead of two years. No military obligation is incurred during the freshman year for scholarship recipients and none during the freshman or sophomore years for non-scholarship recipients.

Application for the two-year program should be made by November 1 of the student's sophomore year. Students must attend a six-week field training session prior to entering the Professional Officer Course. Once they attend the first class, these students incur an obligation to serve in the United States Air Force.

Financial Benefits and Scholarships

For a detailed description of the available financial benefits and scholarships, consult the appropriate sections in the general introduction to the Military Officer Education Programs.

Course of Study

Students enroll in one course in Aerospace Studies (AS) during each term of participation in the program for a total of 16 credit hours.

• Basic course sequence (first and second year): Aerospace Studies 101, 102, 201, 202         (4 hours).
• Advanced course sequence (third and fourth years): Aerospace Studies 310, 311, 410, 411 (12 hours).

This sequence of courses attempts to develop an understanding of the global mission and organization of the United States Air Force, of the historical development of air power and its support of national objectives, of concepts of leadership, management responsibilities and skills, of national defense policy, and of the role of the military officer in our society.

Flying Activities

Cadets who are chosen for pilot training, based on the physical and mental requirements, will receive up to 50 hours of dual and solo flight instruction under the supervision of an Air Force introductory flight course usually between their junior and senior years.

Military Obligation

After being commissioned, graduates of the program will be called to active duty with the Air Force in a field usually related to their academic degree program. The period of service is four years for non-flying officers, eight years for navigators after completion of navigator training, and ten years for pilots after completion of flight training.

Air Force Officer Education Course Listings

(Subject = AERO)
Course descriptions are found on the College of Engineering web site at http://courses.engin.umich.edu/

101. The Air Force Today
Prerequisite: none. I (1 credit)

102. The Air Force Today
Prerequisite: AS 101. II (1 credit)

201. Evolution of U.S. Air Power
Prerequisite: AS 102. I (1 credit)

202. Evolution of U.S. Air Power
Prerequisite: AS 201. II (1 credit)

310. Air Force Leadership and Management
Prerequisite: AS 202. I (3 credits)

311. Air Force Leadership and Management
Prerequisite: AS 310. II (3 credits)

410. National Security Forces in Contemporary American Society
Prerequisite: AS 311. I (3 credits)

411. National Security Forces in Contemporary American Society
Prerequisite: AS 410. II (3 credits)

Note: A Leadership Laboratory (0 credit), meeting for one-and-one-half hours each week, accompanies each of the above-listed courses.