The first two years of the Air Force ROTC four-year program, the General Military Course (GMC), consist of one hour of classroom work and two to three hours of leadership laboratory each week.  The General Military Course is an opportunity for students to try out the program with no obligation, unless on scholarship.  Freshman year focuses on providing cadets with a solid understanding of the Air Force’s organization, officership and professionalism, military customs and courtesies, and officer career opportunities.  Sophomore year classes provide cadets with the necessary background in air and space history.  This historical understanding is provided within the framework of continued emphasis on the Air Force core values and officership.

After completing General Military Course requirements, if you wish to compete for entry into the last two years of the program, the Professional Officer Course (POC), you must do so under the requirements of the POC selection system. This system uses qualitative factors, such as grade point average, unit commander evaluation and aptitude test scores to determine if you have officer potential. If selected, you must successfully complete a summer two-week Field Training Unit at an assigned Air Force base before entering the Professional Officer Course.

In the Professional Officer Course (POC), you apply what you have learned in the General Military Course and at Field Training Unit.  Students must qualify for entry into the POC after attending a two-week Field Training Encampment. Cadets take a three credit hour course each fall and spring semester and two to three hours of leadership laboratory each week. In class, emphasis is placed on group discussions and cadet presentations. Classroom topics include management, communication skills and national defense policy. As a POC cadet, you actually conduct the leadership laboratories and manage the unit’s cadet corps. The cadet corps is based on the Air Force organizational pattern of flight, squadron, group and wing. And once you’ve enrolled in the Professional Officer Course, you’re enlisted in the Air Force Reserve and assigned to the Obligated Reserve Section. This entitles you to a monthly $450-$500 nontaxable subsistence allowance during the academic year.

LLAB is a zero credit hour laboratory required for all cadets each term. The number of hours for LLAB each week is determined by whether you’re a General Military Course (GMC) or Professional Officer Course (POC) cadet. LLAB consist of training sessions designed to acclimate cadets to the military environment and to develop their leadership skills. You’ll develop your demonstration of command, effective communication, physical fitness and knowledge of military customs and courtesies. LLAB is an excellent environment to improve your verbal communication, planning and organizational skills. You’ll also gain valuable hands-on management experience with your peers and take road trips to Air Force bases.

Physical Training is essential to becoming a good leader and a great Airman in the Air Force. The Air Force has high standards of its cadets and future officers with physical training being one of those. At a minimum, cadet must attend two PT sessions a week. Times vary by semester and take cadets’ class schedules into consideration. PT sessions are important in preparing cadets for Field Training while providing a sense of unity within the detachment. From day one to the day you commission, you will work side by side with your fellow cadets through rigorous workouts or team sports, all of which provide cadets with knowledge and confidence about their physical abilities. The goal of this training is not only to improve your short term performance but to instill a lifestyle that consists of a disciplined body and mind. For details on Air Force ROTC fitness standards, click here.

Air Force ROTC cadets who compete well and are selected will attend a two-week Field Training Unit during the summer at Maxwell Air Force base. This is accomplished prior to entering the Professional Officer Corps (POC), generally between the sophomore and junior years. At field training, cadets receive junior officer training, survival training, weapons familiarization, physical training and familiarization with the organization and function of an Air Force base. It is a rigorous program that provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate fundamental management skills and prepares you for field training.