Reserve Officers' Training Corps: AIR FORCE ROTC


NOTE: This document was generated from the 1995-1997 UIUC Programs of Study. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but be advised that requirements may have changed since this book was published. Errors may have also been introduced in the conversion to a WWW document. Thus for items of importance, it might be wise to seek confirmation in the paper version or from a live human being.


The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an elective program that provides professional military training for participating students. The program is a consecutive series of elective courses, leadership laboratories, and field training experiences designed to prepare young men and women for leadership positions as commissioned officers in the U.S. Air Force. The curriculum, however, is applicable to success in any field.

For qualified applicants, Air Force ROTC offers two-, three-, and four-year programs leading to a commission as an Air Force officer. Three- and four-year program students complete the general military course, field training, and the professional officer course. Two-year program students complete an extended field training encampment and the professional officer course. Financial support is provided both by state and federal scholarships and by a subsistence allowance of $150 a month.

Aerospace studies courses are open to all registered students, upon consent of the Department of Aerospace Studies, even if they are not enrolled in any of these programs and do not wish to pursue a commission.

General Military Course

The educational program for the first two years in Air Force Aerospace Studies consists of AFAS 111, 112, 121, and 122. These 1-hour courses are designed to give students basic information on air power history and the role of the U.S. Air Force in the defense of the free world. All required aerospace studies textbooks and necessary uniforms are provided free. The general military course is open to all registered students at the University of Illinois without advance application and does not obligate students to the Air Force in any way.

Field Training

Air Force ROTC field training is offered during the summer months at selected Air Force bases throughout the United States. Students in the four-year program participate in four weeks of field training, usually between their sophomore and junior years. Students applying for entry into the two-year program must successfully complete six weeks of field training prior to enrollment in the professional officer course. The Air Force pays all expenses associated with field training.

The major areas of study in the four-week field training program include junior officer training, aircraft and air crew orientation, career orientation, survival training, base functions, Air Force environment, and physical training. The major areas of study included in the six-week field training program are essentially the same as those conducted at four-week field training plus the general military course and leadership laboratories.

Professional Officer Course

The third and fourth years of Air Force aerospace studies instruction, consisting of AFAS 231, 232, 241, and 242, are designed to develop skills and attitudes vital to the professional officer. Students completing the professional officer course are commissioned as officers in the U. S. Air Force upon college graduation. All students in the course receive a nontaxable subsistence allowance of $150 per month during the two-semester academic year. Students wanting to enter the program should apply early in the spring semester of their sophomore year in order to begin this course the following fall semester. Final selection of students rests with the professor of aerospace studies. Each member of the course must:

-- Be a citizen of the United States.

-- Be a full-time student at the University.

-- Have at least two years remaining at the University as an undergraduate and/or graduate student upon entry to the program.

-- Pass an Air Force physical examination.

-- Be able to complete all requirements for commissioning before reaching age 26\up4 1 \'da\dn0 2 for a flying candidate or age 30 for a nonflying candidate.

-- Complete summer field training (four-week or six-week).

-- Achieve a qualifying score on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.

-- Complete Rhetoric 105 or its equivalent and a college-level mathematics course before graduation.

-- Execute a written agreement with the U.S. government to complete the course, accept a reserve commission in the U.S. Air Force upon graduation, and serve four years on active duty after graduation. Pilot candidates agree to serve eight years, and navigators six years, on active duty after completion of flying training.

-- Enlist in the Air Force Obligated Reserve Section; this enlistment is terminated upon acceptance of a commission.

-- Possess and maintain a quality grade-point average meeting the requirements of the student's college.

-- Not be a conscientious objector, nor possess other disqualifying characteristics to a commission as established by law or the Department of Defense. Talk with the AFROTC recruiter to see if you qualify.

Leadership Laboratory

The Air Force requires all qualified officer candidates pursuing a commission to participate in a leadership laboratory. The leadership laboratory is not a University course and no University credit is awarded for participation.

Instruction is conducted within the framework of an organized cadet corps with a progression of experiences designed to develop each student's leadership potential. The leadership laboratory involves the study of Air Force customs and courtesies, drill and ceremonies, career opportunities, and the life and work of an Air Force junior officer. Students develop leadership in a practical, supervised laboratory, which typically includes field trips to Air Force installations throughout the United States. This laboratory is restricted to individuals enrolled in the precommissioning programs only.

Air Force ROTC College Scholarship Program

This program provides scholarships to selected students through participation in the Air Force ROTC. During their participation in the program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, students receive $150 per month along with paid tuition, fees, laboratory expenses, and required textbooks.

In order to be eligible for this scholarship, a student must:

-- Be a citizen of the United States.

-- Be at least 17 years old on the date of enrollment and younger than age 25 on June 30 of the estimated year of commissioning.

-- Pass a physical examination administered by a physician of the U.S. Air Force.

-- Be selected by a board of Air Force officers.

-- Have no moral objections or personal convictions that will prevent bearing arms and supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. An applicant must not be a conscientious objector.

-- Achieve a qualifying score on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.

-- Successfully complete four-week or six-week AFROTC Summer Field Training.

-- Maintain a quality grade-point average.

-- Enlist in the Air Force Reserve. This enlistment is terminated by acceptance of a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.

-- Execute a written contract with the U.S. government agreeing to complete the Air Force ROTC program, to attend summer field training at the specified time, to accept a reserve commission in the Air Force upon graduation, and to serve four years on active duty after graduation.

High school students should apply for this scholarship late in their junior year or early in their senior year. High school students may get applications from their guidance counselors or from Air Force ROTC, Detachment 190, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 223 Armory Building, 505 East Armory Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820, (217) 333-1927. Completed applications must be received no later than December 1 of the year before the student intends to enter college.

For students already enrolled in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3 1/2-, 3-, 2 1/2, 2 -, and 2-year scholarships are available. Applications can be submitted through the Air Force ROTC administration office, 223 Armory Building.

State Air Force ROTC Scholarships

For information regarding Illinois Air Force ROTC Scholarships, see ROTC Scholarships.

Additional Information

Further inquiry concerning the Air Force ROTC program at the University should be directed to Air Force ROTC, Detachment 190, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 223 Armory Building, 505 East Armory Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820, (217) 333-1927.


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