Air Force Institute of Technology

The Air Force Institute of Technology   (AFIT) is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is located on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

Overview
A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT has been offering degrees since 1956 and was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to provide continuing specialized education to select officer and enlisted U.S. military personnel and civilian employees at the graduate level. Previous names for AFIT include the Air School of Application and the Air Corps Engineering School.

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) serves a similar purpose. The United States Army currently does not have a similar institution, choosing instead to send its members to either NPS, AFIT or civilian institutions. NPS and AFIT should not be confused with Command and Staff colleges or War Colleges, which concentrate instead on staff functions, civil-military affairs, tactics and strategy.

Under a recent joint agreement between the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, and codified by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, AFIT and the Naval Postgraduate School have realigned their academic programs to reduce duplication, and both schools will be under the oversight of a common oversight panel. As an example of the consolidation, Navy officers are sent to learn aeronautical engineering at AFIT, while the Air Force officers learn meteorology at the Naval Postgraduate School.

On 8 May 2012, AFIT formally welcomed its first civilian Director and Chancellor during an appointment of leadership ceremony. Dr. Todd Stewart served for 34 years with the United States Air Force retiring in 2002 at the rank of Major General.

AFIT's three resident schools include:
 * The Graduate School of Engineering and Management offers graduate programs leading to Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in engineering, applied science, and management disciplines. The Graduate School has six departments:
 * Aeronautics and Astronautics
 * Electrical and Computer Engineering
 * Engineering Physics
 * Mathematics and Statistics
 * Operational Sciences
 * Systems Engineering and Management
 * The School of Systems and Logistics teaches more than 80 professional continuing education courses in acquisition management, logistics management, contracting, systems management, software engineering, and financial management delivered to warfighters around the globe via customer focused delivery modes including resident, on-site, and online courses.
 * The Civil Engineer School develops and delivers civil engineer and environmental professional continuing education and provides consultation in support of U.S. air and space forces.

After a long history of program disasters starting with the founding of the U.S. Air Force, the AFIT finally established an acquisition center of excellence in 2012.

Graduate School of Engineering and Management
AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management is a graduate-only, research–based institution and the sole degree granting element of AFIT. The Graduate School focuses on studies and research that are relevant to the Air Force mission as well as the needs of the defense establishment as a whole.

Students
The Graduate School enrolls over 700 full-time graduate students. The student body consists primarily of Air Force officers, but is rounded out by members of the other four U.S. Armed Services, select enlisted Airmen, international students from coalition countries, U.S. Government civilians, and civilians (U.S. citizens) not affiliated with the Government. Selection of officers for graduate education is fully funded by their service and is based upon outstanding professional performance as an officer, promotion potential, and a strong academic background. Admission of non-Government affiliated civilians is based on academic preparation and requires U.S. citizenship.

Faculty
The faculty is drawn from prestigious academic institutions and are highly respected scholars in their disciplines. The faculty body consists of approximately a 50–50 mix of military and civilian members all of whom hold a Ph.D. in their fields. The faculty to student ratio is typically 1 to 6 in the master’s degree programs.

Accreditation
AFIT is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, Illinois 60602-2504 to offer degrees to the doctorate level. Eight engineering programs in the Graduate School of Engineering and Management are accredited at the advanced level by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Master’s Degree Programs
Note: programs identified with an asterisk (*) are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (http://www.abet.org)
 * Aeronautical Engineering*
 * Air Mobility
 * Applied Mathematics
 * Applied Physics
 * Astronautical Engineering*
 * Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction
 * Computer Engineering*
 * Computer Science
 * Cost Analysis
 * Cyber Operations
 * Cyber Warfare
 * Electrical Engineering*
 * Engineering Management*
 * Environmental Engineering and Science*
 * Industrial Hygiene
 * Information Resource Management
 * Logistics
 * Logistics and Supply Chain Management
 * Materials Science
 * Nuclear Engineering*
 * Operations Analysis
 * Operations Research
 * Optical Science and Engineering
 * Research and Development Management
 * Space Systems
 * Systems Engineering*

Doctoral Degree Programs

 * Aeronautical Engineering
 * Applied Mathematics
 * Applied Physics
 * Astronautical Engineering
 * Computer Engineering
 * Computer Science
 * Electrical Engineering
 * Logistics
 * Materials Science
 * Nuclear Engineering
 * Operations Research
 * Optical Science and Engineering
 * Space Systems
 * Systems Engineering

Academic Calendar
The Institute operates year-round on a quarter calendar which includes the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer terms. The quarters are 10 weeks in length plus a week for examinations. Typically, the Fall term begins in late September and ends in mid-December; the Winter term begins in early January and ends in mid-March; the Spring term begins in late March and ends in mid-June; and the Summer term begins in late June and ends in early-September.

Cost
The educational expenses for full-time military students assigned to AFIT are paid by their respective uniformed service. For tuition-paying students, the approximate cost is $3,900 per quarter for full-time enrollment (based on 12 quarter hours and a tuition rate of $325 per quarter hour). The tuition for distance learning students is $360 per hour.

Civilian Institution Programs
AFIT's Civilian Institution Programs support Air Force educational requirements through graduate and professional continuing education and research at civilian universities, hospitals, research centers, and corporations.

Notable AFIT Alumni

 * George W.S. Abbey – Former Director Johnson Space Center
 * Brigadier General Russell J. Anarde, USAF, Ret.
 * Captain Milburn G. Apt – The first pilot to achieve Mach 3
 * General George T. Babbitt, Jr., USAF, Ret.
 * Brigadier General Rosanne Bailey, USAF, Ret.
 * David Barish – Developer of the Paraglider
 * Lieutenant General Ted F. Bowlds
 * Brigadier General Cary C. Chun
 * Lieutenant General Roger G. DeKok, USAF, Ret.
 * Lieutenant General William J. Donahue, USAF, Ret.
 * General Jimmy Doolittle- Doolittle Raider
 * Lieutenant General Hans H. Driessnack, USAF, Ret.
 * Colonel Arnold L. Franklin Jr. USAF, Ret – In April 1986, as the 493rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Franklin led the USAF raid on Libya.
 * Dr. Russell Merle Genet – Pioneered the world’s first fully robotic observatory
 * Lt Col George E. Hardy, USAF, Ret – Tuskegee Airmen
 * Brigadier General Harold R. Harris, USAF, Ret.
 * General Robert T. Herres, USAF, Ret.
 * General Charles R. Holland, USAF, Ret.
 * Robert P. Johannes – One of the developers of the control configured vehicle (CCV) concept
 * Lt Col Frank A. Kappeler, USAF, Ret – Doolittle Raider
 * General George Kenney, USAF, Ret.
 * Major General Donald L. Lamberson, USAF, Ret. – Considered the father of lasers in the Air Force
 * Major General Louis G. Leiser, USAF, Ret.
 * Donald S. Lopez, USAF, Ret. – Deputy Director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
 * Lieutenant John A. Macready – American Test Pilot and Aviator
 * Lieutenant General Forrest S. McCartney, USAF, Ret.
 * Lt Col Harry C. McCool, USAF, Ret – Doolittle Raider
 * Lt John A. Macready, USAF, Ret – American test pilot and aviator
 * General Bernard Schriever, USAF, Ret.
 * General Lawrence Skantze, USAF, Ret.
 * Major General Joseph K. Spiers, USAF, Ret.
 * Lieutenant General James W. Stansberry, USAF, Ret.
 * Lieutenant General William E. Thurman, USAF, Ret.
 * Major General Jerry White (Navigators), USAF, Ret.
 * Colonel Richard V. Wheeler, USAF, Ret. – American Test Pilot and Aviator
 * Michael Wynne – Former Secretary of the Air Force
 * Brian P Mayer
 * Edgar Myers, III
 * David A Flosi

Current Military Leaders

 * General William L. Shelton, USAF
 * Lieutenant General Andrew E. Busch, USAF
 * Major General Timothy A. Byers, USAF
 * Major General Bruce A. Casella, USA
 * Major General Dwyer L. Dennis, USAF
 * Major General Joseph P. DiSalvo, USA
 * Major General Jim H. Keffer, USAF
 * Major General Susan K. Mashiko, USAF
 * Major General Wendy M. Masiello, USAF
 * Brigadier General Daryl L. Hauck, USAF
 * Brigadier General James E. "Woody" Haywood, USAF
 * Brigadier General Scott W. Jansson, USAF
 * Brigadier General Randy A. Kee, USAF
 * Brigadier General Richard A. Klumpp Jr., USAF
 * Brigadier General Kenneth J. Moran, USAF

NASA Astronauts

 * Kevin A. Ford
 * Michael E. Fossum
 * William Anders
 * Guion Bluford
 * Mark N. Brown
 * Roger B. Chaffee
 * Gordon Cooper
 * Albert H. Crews
 * Donn F. Eisele
 * John M. Fabian
 * Gus Grissom
 * James D. Halsell
 * Steven Lindsey
 * Richard Mullane
 * Donald H. Peterson
 * Major General Robert A. Rushworth, USAF, Ret.

Current Civilian Senior Leaders

 * Eileen A. Bjorkman
 * Dr. L. Wayne Brasure
 * Kevin W. Buckley
 * Bruce A. Busler
 * Charles G. "Chuck" Carpenter
 * Mark A. Correll
 * Dr. Daniel DeForest
 * Dr. Mark A. Gallagher
 * James F. Geurts
 * Michael M. "Mike" Hale
 * Robert Scott Jack II
 * Dr. Brian A. Maher
 * Dr. Charles L. Matson
 * Richard W. McKinney
 * David C. Merker
 * Dr. Billy W. Mullins
 * Dr. David F. O'Brien
 * Gary A. O'Connell
 * Charles N. "Pete" Peterson
 * Dr. Steven K. Rogers
 * Dr. David E. Walker
 * Joseph D. "Dean" Yount

Changing Names for a Growing Institute

 * Air School of Application 1919 – 1920
 * Air Service Engineering School 1920 – 1926
 * Air Corps Engineering School 1926 – 1941
 * Army Air Forces Engineering School 1944 – 1945
 * Army Air Forces Institute of Technology 1945 – 1947
 * Air Force Institute of Technology 1947 – 1948
 * United States Air Force Institute of Technology 1948 – 1955
 * Institute of Technology, USAF 1955 – 1956
 * Air Force Institute of Technology 1956 – 1959
 * Institute of Technology 1959 – 1962
 * Air Force Institute of Technology 1962 – present