Degree Programs …

This section contains the degree program requirements of the Community College of the Air Force.  Degree programs are developed by Air Force technical experts and civilian or military consultants and reviewed by the Dean of Academic Affairs, Commandant, Policy Council and Board of Visitors.  The programs are designed to provide students with knowledge, skills and theoretical background for enhanced performance as technicians and noncommissioned officers.

 

The Associate in Applied Science Degree
The associate in applied science degree is offered in the following broad career areas:
  • Aircraft and Missile Maintenance
  • Allied Health
  • Electronics and Telecommunications
  • Logistics and Resources
  • Public and Support Services

Degree Completion Requirements

Degree programs consist of a minimum of 64 semester hours with requirements typically as follows:
  Sem Hours
Technical Education 24
Leadership, Management, and Military Studies 6
Physical Education 4
General Education 15
     Oral Communication 3
     Written Communication 3
     Mathematics 3
     Social Science 3
     Humanities 3
Program Elective 15
Total 64

* Note: The Paralegal degree requires 18 SH of general education (addition of a 3 SH general education elective) and 12 SH of program elective. Leadership, management and military studies; physical education; general education; and program elective requirements are standard for all programs.  Exceptions may be required to satisfy certification or other programmatic recognition.

A student must hold the journeyman (5) level in the appropriate AFSC at time of program completion.  Attaining the journeyman level is waived for a student in occupational specialties that do not have journeyman levels (3N2X1, 3S1X1, 7S0X1).

A student must complete all degree requirements before separating, retiring or becoming a commissioned officer.

Residency Requirement (16 semester hours)

A student must have a minimum of 16 SH of resident CCAF credit applied to his or her degree program to graduate.   The 16 SH residency requirement is only satisfied by credit earned for coursework completed in an affiliated school or through internship credit awarded for progression in an Air Force occupational specialty.

Technical Education Requirement (24 semester hours)

Twenty-four semester hours are required to fulfill the technical education requirement.  Twelve semester hours must be applied in the technical core area with the remaining 12 applied in either the technical core or the technical elective areas.  Refer to individual academic degree programs for specific technical education requirements.  A student can check with the CCAF counselor or advisor for advice regarding specific degree requirements and information regarding transfer credit.  Requests to substitute comparable courses or to exceed specified semester-hour values in any subject or course are approved by the Academic Programs Division.  To learn more visit Program Codes.

Technical education requirements are generally satisfied by entry-level and advanced degree-applicable courses at affiliated schools and through internship.  However, additional technical education requirements may be satisfied by application of courses accepted in transfer, testing credit, independent study or correspondence, certification, licensure, or registry.

The following criteria are used to apply courses accepted in transfer to the technical education requirement:

Must be from an accredited institution or a recognized candidate for accreditation.
  • Must be from an accredited institution or a recognized candidate for accreditation. 
  • Must be taught by faculty who meet the minimum faculty professional preparation requirements of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  • Must be listed and identified in the offering institution’s general catalog.
  • Must be collegiate course work relevant to the technical requirement.
  • Must have been completed with the equivalent of a “C” grade or better.
  • Must not be developmental, preparatory, remedial, refresher or review.
  • Must not duplicate or significantly overlap another course or test applied to the degree program.

Courses that are closely aligned by definition to the subject areas listed below may apply toward fulfilling specific technical elective requirements in selected degree programs.
Algebra-Based Physics. Generally a sequence of courses for engineering students not pursuing a major or minor in physics or a technical program. Topics generally include mechanics, fluids, thermodynamics, wave motion, sound, light, electricity, magnetism, relativity, and atomic and nuclear structure. Prerequisites generally are high school algebra and trigonometry.

Calculus. Normally includes study of limits, continuity, derivatives, techniques of differentiation, curve sketching, integrals, fundamental theorem of calculus, exponential and logarithmic functions, basic techniques of integration, and applications of the integral.

Calculus-Based Physics. Generally a sequence of courses for engineering, physics and technical majors or minors. Topics usually include mechanics, fluids, thermodynamics, wave motion, sound, light, electricity, magnetism, relativity, and atomic and nuclear structure. Operational and mathematical analyses (differential and integral calculus) are stressed. Corequisite or prerequisite is calculus.

College Algebra. Normally includes, but is not limited to, the real number system, functions and relations, binomial theorem, matrices and determinants, logarithms, equations, sequences and series, and mathematical induction. Prerequisite is generally 2 years of high school algebra or its equivalent.

Computer Science. Hands-on use of computers in today's work environment. Use of desktop computers; concepts of mainframe computers; techniques of word processing, databases and spreadsheets; development of programming skills in Ada, Basic, FORTRAN, etc; concerns of virus prevention and detection; and data security. Computer history, hardware design, computer maintenance and management of computer systems are not acceptable.

General Biology. Normally includes study of fundamental principles of living organisms. Includes cell or subcellular structure, reproduction, heredity and development.

General Chemistry. Normally includes study of composition, structure, properties of and changes in matter, and accompanying energy phenomena as well as fundamental laws and theories including atomic and molecular structure.

General Psychology. Introduction to the major areas of psychology. Normally includes history of psychology, factors in development of the individual, human capacities and abilities, emotions and their control, and the learning process.

General Sociology. Introduction to the major areas of sociology. Normally includes nature and meaning of culture, social control and deviance, groups and associations, social institutions, social processes, ethnic relations, and social change. Emphasis is on man as a participant in society.

Human Anatomy and Physiology. Normally includes study of digestive, metabolic, nervous, muscular, endocrine, respiratory, circulatory and reproductive systems; and their application to health and hygiene.

Statistics. Basic statistical theory and application. Topics normally include descriptive statistics, probability, binomial and normal distributions, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, correlation and simple regression, and nonparametric methods.

Technical Math. Normally includes study of applied mathematics that relates to problem solving and applications in a related technology. The level of difficulty must be equal to or higher than college algebra, trigonometry or calculus.

Trigonometry. Normally includes study of analytical trigonometry and applications to include trigonometric functions, solution of triangles and trigonometric form of complex numbers.
Leadership, Management & Military Studies Requirement (6 semester hours) The leadership, management and military studies (LMMS) requirement may be satisfied by applying professional military education, civilian courses accepted in transfer and/or by testing credit.  However, the preferred method of fulfilling the LMMS requirement is through attending an airman leadership school, the NCO academy and/or the Air Force Senior NCO Academy.The following are the criteria to apply civilian courses to the LMMS requirement:
  • Must be from an accredited institution or a recognized candidate for accreditation.
  • Must be taught by faculty who meet the minimum faculty professional preparation requirements of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  • Must be listed and identified in the offering institution’s general catalog.
  • Must emphasize the fundamentals of management and management of human resources.  Examples of acceptable courses are Principles of Management, Personnel Management, Human Resource Management, Principles of Supervision and Organizational Behavior.  Examples of unacceptable courses are Small Business Management, Managerial Accounting, Financial Management, Labor and Management Relations, and other specialized management and/or business courses.
  • Must have been completed with the equivalent of a “C” grade or better.
  • Must not be developmental, preparatory, remedial, refresher or review.
  • Must not duplicate or significantly overlap another course or test applied to the degree program.
Physical Education Requirement (4 semester hours) Completing basic military training satisfies the 4-semester-hour physical education requirement.   Civilian courses do not apply to this requirement.
General Education Requirement (15 semester hours) The general education requirement is satisfied by applying courses accepted in transfer or by testing credit. The following are the criteria to apply courses to the general education requirement:
  • Must be from an accredited institution or a recognized candidate for accreditation.
  • Must be taught by faculty who meet the minimum faculty professional preparation requirements of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  • Must be listed and identified in the offering institution’s general catalog as satisfying the institution’s freshman and sophomore general education graduation requirement designed for transfer.
  • Must have been completed with the equivalent of a “C” grade or better.
  • Must not be developmental, preparatory, remedial, refresher or review.
  • Must not duplicate or significantly overlap another course or test applied to the degree program.
  • Must not be a special topic or problem, workshop, or similar course.
  • Must not be narrowly focused on skills, techniques and procedures peculiar to a particular occupation.
Courses required to satisfy the general education requirement are as follows:

Oral Communication 3

Speech. Courses that prepare students to organize oral presentations to persuade, debate, argue or inform in a clear, concise and logical manner. Emphasis must be on content and delivery. Group and interpersonal communication courses are not acceptable. Enlisted PME courses do not satisfy this requirement. (Click here for more information.)

 

  
Written Communication 3

English composition. Applicable communication courses must satisfy the delivering institution's writing and composition requirement for graduation. Business communication and technical writing courses are not acceptable. Higher-level writing and composition courses may be applied as a program elective. Enlisted PME courses do not satisfy this requirement. (Click here for more information.)

 

  
Mathematics 3

Intermediate algebra or a college-level mathematics course that satisfies the delivering institution's mathematics requirement for graduation. Courses such as accounting, business mathematics, computer mathematics, statistics (taught outside the mathematics department), history of mathematics, and mathematics for elementary and secondary teachers are not applicable. Three semester hours of mathematics are required for graduation. However, if an acceptable mathematics course is applied as a technical or program elective, a natural science course may be substituted for mathematics.

 

  
Social Science 3

Courses from the following disciplines are acceptable: anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, government, history, political science, psychology and sociology designed to impart knowledge, develop skills, and identify goals concerning elements and institutions of human society.

 

  
Humanities 3

Courses in fine arts (criticism, appreciation, historical significance), foreign language, literature, philosophy and religion are acceptable. Applied courses that teach how to play a musical instrument, perform a dance routine, or sculpt or draw an art form are not acceptable.

 

  


General Education Goal and Learning Outcomes

The goal of the CCAF General Education requirement is to stimulate critical, innovative thinking and intellectual curiosity by providing graduates the foundational skills, knowledge and attitudes expected of informed and responsible citizens.   Graduates will integrate, synthesize and apply knowledge in written and oral communication, mathematics, the social sciences and humanities.

Upon completion of this program students will be able to:
  1. Write with clarity and precision for diverse audiences and understand and interpret the written expression of others.
  2. Organize and deliver oral presentations to persuade, debate, argue or inform in a clear, concise and logical manner.
  3. Understand and apply fundamental mathematical concepts and reasoning in problem solving.
  4. Appreciate and value human diversity, individual differences, societies and the many expressions of culture.
  5. Apply critical thinking skills as versatile problem solvers with enhanced mental agility and adaptability.
Note: Degree-specific program goals and learning outcomes can be found under the Degree Programs section.
Program Elective Requirement (15 semester hours)

The following will satisfy the program elective requirement:
  • Courses applicable to the technical education, LMMS or general education requirements.
  • Natural science courses that meet the general education requirement application criteria.  Courses in biological, physical and earth space science are acceptable.  Appropriate natural science courses are freshman and sophomore courses that satisfy the delivering institution’s natural science requirement for graduation.  Such courses as science for elementary and secondary teachers, health, nutrition, and hygiene are not acceptable.
  • Foreign language credit earned at the Defense Language Institute or through the Defense Language Proficiency Test.
  • A maximum of 9 SHs of CCAF degree-applicable technical course credit otherwise not applicable to the program of enrollment.