Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC) / Special Program
Objectives
Air Force ROTC is conducted at approximately 600 colleges and universities throughout the United States to select and train men and women to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Air Force. Most graduates who enter the Air Force through Air Force ROTC are assigned to positions consistent with their academic major. Other graduates who wish to do so may qualify to become pilots and navigators. Men and women who complete graduation requirements and the Professional Officer Course receive commissions and enter active duty as second lieutenants. Officers who qualify may take graduate training prior to beginning their military duties. The Lewis University program is operated in cooperation with the Department of Aerospace Studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Coursework may be taken at both Lewis University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Four-Year Program
Air Force ROTC offers both four-year and three-year commissioning programs for male and female students. The four-year program consists of the four-semester General Military Course (GMC) and the four-semester Professional Officer Course (POC) as listed below. Students usually start this program as first-year students but may begin in their second year by enrolling in both first year- and second-year classes. Students who are not on scholarship may withdraw from the GMC at any time. Participants in the POC are selected from qualified volunteer applicants. An Air Force ROTC four-week field training encampment, held at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, is required for POC students. This requirement typically is completed during the summer between the second and third years. The major areas of study during field training include junior officer training, aircraft and crew orientation, career orientation, survival training, base functions, and the Air Force environment.
Three-Year Program
The three-year program consists of a five-week summer field training encampment and the four-semester Professional Officer Course. Participants in this program are selected from qualified volunteer applicants. The program is designed for students with fewer than three, but at least two years remaining. The five-week field training is held at an Air Force base and is a prerequisite for the POC. The major areas of study are the same as those in the four-year program with the addition of the General Military Course academic curriculum. Upon successful completion of the five-week program, which includes the GMC academic curriculum, transfer credit of three semester hours will be applied toward the completion of the Air Force ROTC minor. Interested students should contact the Department of Aerospace Studies during the fall term of their second year.
Scholarship Opportunities
Scholarships are available to qualified students in two, three, or four-year awards. These scholarships may pay tuition and fees, textbook allowance, and a monthly subsistence allowance. All cadets receive a monthly stipend of $350 per month as freshmen and up to $500 per month as seniors. Scholarships are favored toward those who major in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Qualified students desiring operational, technical/scientific, nontechnical (business), nursing or health-related (medicine, optometry) options should contact the Department of Aerospace Studies.
Program Requirements
I. General Military Course (GMC)
This course of study examines the role of U.S. military forces in the contemporary world, with particular attention to the United States Air Force and its organization and mission. Required classes include:
II. Professional Officer Course (POC)
This course of study provides an examination of the broad range of U.S. civil-military relations, the environmental context in which U.S. defense policy is formulated and implemented, and the principles and practices of leadership and total quality management as they relate to the U.S. Air Force. Students may take any of these courses without entering the Air Force ROTC program: