Air Force ROTC/Aerospace Studies

Air Force ROTC is a program that prepares you to become an Air Force officer. It's a challenge. It's an opportunity. It's a head start on a lifetime of success within the Air Force and in everything you choose to do. Air Force ROTC provides you with a challenging program to hone your time management, physical fitness and analytical skills-and helps you push yourself to achieve your goals.

What is the Purpose of Air Force ROTC?

The Air Force ROTC mission is to commission second lieutenants through the campus program offered at North Dakota State University. Additionally, NDSU's Department of Aerospace Studies offers this program for students at Concordia College, Mayville State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM), University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) and the University of North Dakota (UND). In addition, Park University, Central Michigan University, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University students at the Grand Forks Air Force Base may participate in the program. Students enrolled in Air Force ROTC earn college credits that can be used to fulfill elective requirements or to obtain a minor in aerospace studies. All full-time college or graduate students enrolled at the above named schools can pursue an Air Force commission.

What Is an Air Force Commission?

An Air Force commission is your ticket to work in top professional and management jobs in the United States Air Force. Only college graduates can obtain an Air Force commission, which is granted by the President of the United States.

Does a Flying Profession Interest You?

The Air Force owns the most modern aircraft in the world, and has the jobs available for pilots, navigators and air weapons controllers. Those who meet the demanding physical, medical and academic qualifications and are selected as pilot candidates, will attend Air Force pilot training as their first active duty assignment.

Does a Technical or Management Career Interest You?

Air Force ROTC graduates have opportunities in more than 250 specialized fields where their education and training can be utilized. These specialties include physicists, space scientists, journalists, doctors, dentists, meteorologists, engineers, security and intelligence specialists, nurses and many others.

The General Military Course

The four-year program begins with the General Military Course (GMC). It takes about three to four hours a week. Here you'll learn the mission and structure of the Air Force and take a look at military life. You will study the strategies, doctrines and missions of aerospace power from balloons to today's use of space vehicles. You will learn about Air Force career opportunities, educational benefits and life and work as an Air Force officer.

The Professional Officer Course

The Professional Officer Course (POC) is a two-year course taken during the junior and senior years. You'll begin this course with an in-depth look at leadership styles and their applications. You'll analyze the role of the armed forces in today's American society. You'll examine a broad range of American domestic and international military relationships and the environmental context in which American national security policy is developed and carried out. The class is combined with the Leadership Lab where leadership and management theory are applied. You'll take part in group discussions, case studies and individual and group problem-solving. Cadets also participate in creating the vision and strategic plan for the cadet corps. You earn three credits each term for the academic courses. You must apply for the POC as a sophomore and only selected students are allowed to enroll in courses.

The Curriculum

The Air Force ROTC education program provides pre-professional preparation for future U.S. Air Force officers. It is designed to develop men and women who can use their education as commissioned officers on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. In order to receive a commission, Air Force ROTC students must complete all requirements for a degree in accordance with University rules and regulations, as well as complete the following courses specified by the Air Force:

Earn While You Learn

All contracted cadets earn a stipend of $300-$500 per month depending upon academic year in which the student is enrolled. This stipend is tax free. Contract cadets also earn $450 per semester for books.

Scholarships

These days, a college education comes at a high price. Many students are stuck working their way through college, or taking out loans they'll spend the next 20 years of their lives paying back. Air Force ROTC can help you to overcome the financial hardships associated with college, and when you complete your degree you've got a guaranteed career after school. Air Force ROTC one- to four-year college scholarships are available on a competitive basis to high school and college students. Scholarship recipients are selected using the whole person concept. This includes objective factors (grade point average and SAT/ACT scores) and subjective factors (interview evaluation). The AFROTC Scholarship Program can provide full tuition, lab fees and money for books.

Two-year Program

The Air Force ROTC two-year program and the last two years of the four-year program are the same at the Professional Officer Course level. However, the entry procedure differs. Entrance into the Professional Officer Course is highly competitive and you must successfully complete a six-week extended field training unit. The additional two weeks of field training prepares you for entry into Professional Officer Course. But, you are not committed to the Air Force until you return to school in the fall and make a decision to enroll in Air Force ROTC. If you are a transfer student, sophomore or prospective POC cadet, you need to apply early in the fall in order to complete all necessary actions for the POC and field training selection process.

Optional Summer Program

You will have the opportunity to volunteer for Professional Development Training (PDT) Programs. If selected, you spend varied amounts of time during the summer at an Air Force base. An active duty Air Force unit sponsors you and provides an excellent career orientation. You spend time with young officers (on the job and in social settings) and see, firsthand, what an Air Force officer does. Other PDT opportunities include free-fall parachute, glider and combat survival schools offered by the Air Force Academy. You can return to field training as a cadet training assistant, go to the Pentagon to see how the Air Force Headquarters operates or even go to a foreign country for a cultural immersion program.

Obligation

If you're a nonscholarship student, you incur no obligation to the Air Force during your freshman and sophomore years of school or during summer field training. You are able to keep many options open while you take an in-depth look at the Air Force. The length of your active duty commitment after graduation is determined by the program you pursue. This commitment is normally four years for nonflying officers and longer for flying officers.

Guaranteed Job/Salary/Benefits

Students who successfully complete all Air Force ROTC curriculum and degree requirements enter active duty as a Second Lieutenant. The Air Force offers a benefits package that is hard to beat. You can expect:

• highly competitive salary and allowance package,
• tax-free government housing and food allowances,
• 30 days of vacation with pay each year,
• unlimited, full pay sick leave,
• medical care furnished at no cost,
• dental care furnished at no cost.

Contact Information

AFROTC Detachment 610
Dept. #5287
North Dakota State University
Bentson Bunker Building 101
Fargo, ND 58108-5287

Tel: (701) 231-7371
Fax: (701) 231-5159
Email: NDSU.afrotc@ndsu.edu
Web: http://www.ndsu.edu/afrotc

Office of Admission

North Dakota State University
Ceres 114
Dept 5230, PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050

Tel: (701) 231-8643
Fax: (701) 231-8802
Email: NDSU.Admission@ndsu.edu
Web: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/prospective_students/

(02/10)