AU DL Master's Course Descriptions

ACSC Online Master's Degree
Detailed Course Descriptions

Orientation Course - (Noncredit)

The Orientation Course (OC) provides an overview of the entire online master’s degree program, including US Air Force educational methodologies, policies, curriculum, research requirements; and key principles and concepts that students will encounter throughout their academic experience. The course includes an introduction to small-group dynamics, communication and critical-thinking skills, the technology employed within the program, student responsibilities and requirements, and additional services that are available to enhance student success.

Leadership in Warfare - (3 Semester Hours)

The Leadership and Warfare (LW) course analyzes factors that guide military leaders’ actions in establishing and maintaining an effective leadership environment. The course also seeks to educate and inspire students to reach their full leadership potential by studying great commanders and their conduct of warfare and current problems of command in contemporary joint operations. Through these studies, students gain a unique understanding of the specific leadership challenges that leaders face in guiding people and organizations through crises and environments of change.

Air, Space, and Cyberspace Power Studies - (3 Semester Hours)

The Air, Space, and Cyberspace Power Studies (AP) course enhances students’ understanding of military theory by introducing perspectives on war fighting with specific emphasis on air, space, and cyberspace power. It looks specifically at the development of air, space, and cyberspace power and examines the organizations and strategies that have been involved in their employment. In addition, the course analyzes the role these elements might play in future operations.

International Security Studies - (3 Semester Hours)

The International Security Studies (NS) course provides a foundation for understanding the international security environment, its implications for the United States, and how the United States both shapes and responds to this environment. The course also examines the instruments of power (IOP) and how these are wielded by both state and nonstate actors to affect the international environment. In addition, the course examines the US national strategic decision-making process, examining how the actors and systems translate policy into action through the use of the IOPs.

Warfare Studies - (3 Semester Hours)

The Warfare Studies (WS) course introduces students to the canon of military theory, focusing on such issues as the nature of war, the levels of war, the range of military operations, military strategy, and operational art. It looks specifically at traditional forms of warfare but also examines such alternative forms as guerilla warfare, insurgency, counterinsurgency, and other forms of warfare. Through this study students apply the lessons of military theory and their understanding of warfare to operational challenges facing both today’s and tomorrow’s US military.

Regional/Cultural Studies - (3 Semester Hours)

The Regional/Cultural Studies (CS) course introduces students to regional and cultural factors and discusses how these factors motivate actors within the international security environment. Through this course, students grasp the important role of culture in determining operational success. Students are also exposed to the unique ways in which their own cultural perspectives influence both their outlook and interaction with other societies. Through this experience, students come to understand the unique security challenges and opportunities posed by culture and how best to respond to ensure success.

Research/Electives I and II - (3 Semester Hours)

The Research Electives I (RE 5610) course complements ACSC’s core curriculum, providing an opportunity for students to begin investigating topics of particular interest in a rigorous fashion under the direction and guidance of a subject-matter expert. Through this program, students develop their ability to define an issue succinctly, conduct thoughtful, logical, and critical research and analysis; and create well-supported research proposals that will serve as the intellectual basis for the scholarly research papers produced in Research Electives II.

The Research Electives II (RE 5611) course complements ACSC’s core curriculum, providing an opportunity for students to complete investigating topics of particular interest in a rigorous fashion under the direction and guidance of a subject-matter expert. Through this program, students refine their ability to define an issue succinctly, complete thoughtful, logical, and critical research and analysis; and synthesize well-supported conclusions and recommendations that serve as the foundation for a scholarly research paper of potential benefit to today’s war fighters. Research Electives I (RE 5610) is a prerequisite for this course.

Practice of Command - (3 Semester Hours)

The Practice of Command (LC) course provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their personal philosophy on the art and craft of command, honing that philosophy through interaction and the study of responsibilities and challenges unique to commanding an Air Force squadron. The course introduces students to the resources available to assist squadron commanders with their duties and stresses how important it is for commanders to meld their personal philosophies on command with the unique requirements of their situation and their responsibilities to service, mission, people, and themselves.

Joint Forces - (3 Semester Hours)

The Joint Forces (JF) course presents the joint and service doctrinal perspectives that guide joint force commanders and their staffs as they seek to achieve assigned theater security objectives. The course provides an overview of joint force organizational structures and the framework within which joint forces are created, employed, and sustained. It also examines each of the military services, exploring their capabilities and limitations. In addition, the course analyzes the ways in which joint force commanders integrate service and functional component command support to achieve success at the operational level of war.

Joint Planning - (3 Semester Hours)

The Joint Planning (JP) course introduces students to the complexities and requirements of joint planning. Through the course, students will study pertinent doctrine and the joint operation planning process, analyze the challenges joint force commanders face in attaining unified action, and examine ways in which operational art and design are applied to achieve objectives. Additionally, students examine planning considerations across the range of military operations. The course culminates with students synthesizing what they have learned to create key elements of a campaign plan. This course is a prerequisite to the Joint Air and Space Operations (JA 5510) course.

Joint Air and Space Operations - (3 Semester Hours)

The Joint Air and Space Operations (JA) course introduces students to the people, processes, and products involved in planning, directing, and executing joint air operations in support of joint force commanders’ campaign plans. The course focuses specifically on the importance of the JFACC, looking at the doctrinal responsibilities of that position and the actors, processes, and products that comprise the JFACC’s air operations center. Equipped with this understanding, students analyze the employment of air and space power across the full range of military operations. Joint Planning (JP 5510) is a prerequisite for this course.

Expeditionary Leadership in Intercultural Environments - (3 Semester Hours)

The Expeditionary Leadership in Intercultural Environments course provides an understanding of regional factors that affect national foreign policy and explores global, regional, and cultural issues associated with participating in joint and coalition operations. It stresses the importance of cultural awareness and intercultural competence when dealing with the peoples of regions likely to require US military assistance. The course also examines deployment-specific leadership issues focusing on warrior ethos, including mental and physical preparation, military bearing, and self-discipline.

Foundations of Officership - (3 Semester Hours)

The Foundations of Officership course addresses followership, regarded as a critical element of leadership and officership, followed by an examination of skills related to effective spoken and written communication in the context of the twenty-first century Air Force. Through this course, students develop broad perspectives of current issues and associated tools aimed at enhancing professional competence beyond individual specialties; increase their value to their units by understanding and being able to apply interoperability; develop skills necessary to lead, follow, and manage; and become better “Wingmen,” caring for peers and subordinates alike.

Organizational Leadership - (3 Semester Hours)

The Organizational Leadership course is designed to develop officer organizational and management skills to better support and lead change in complex institutional structures. The course focuses on basic organizational theory and communications, change management, strategies for continuous improvement, and resource stewardship. It enhances officers’ ability to deal with the financial, informational, technological, and human resource issues that may affect mission capabilities, while utilizing appropriate methods to identify opportunities, implement viable solutions, and measure the impact of outcomes. Further, this course advocates a commitment to continuous improvement, necessary to ameliorate processes, products, and people, while meeting the needs of internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish Air Force mission requirements efficiently.

Team Building Leadership - (3 Semester Hours)

The Team Building Leadership course examines command from the perspective of officers in formal leadership billets. The course explores building leaders, motivation, force development, mentoring, organizational design and decision-making, power and authority, morality and ethics, leading change, organizational culture, and communication. It examines the composition, function, and purpose of the flight, in the context of the roles, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of officers in leadership positions. Academic content and practical examples are integrated with activities from operational fields to leverage officers’ education, training, and experience in order to equip them with new or enhanced skill sets including the ability to inspire, develop, and take care of diverse groups of individuals while leading them to mission success.

For further information:
E-mail the Distant Learning Master's Coordinators

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