Aerospace Studies
Program adviser: Lester Oberg and Greg Jeong [spring 2024]; Lester Oberg and Nathan Luchini [fall 2024 & spring 2025] airforce@yale.edu; afrotc.yalecollege.yale.edu
Aerospace Studies is the academic component of the Yale Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 009. Typically, students pursue the Aerospace Studies curriculum in tandem with AFROTC program requirements, including military leadership preparation and physical training. After completing all Air Force ROTC requirements and Yale College academic degree requirements, cadets commission as officers into the Air Force or Space Force upon graduation from Yale College, serving in a variety of military specialties such as aviation, intelligence, logistics, and medicine. The Aerospace Studies program and the AFROTC prepare students to excel as Air Force and Space Force leaders and to operate effectively in a dynamic military environment.
For additional information about Yale’s Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps program, visit the program website.
Courses for Nonmajors
Enrollment in Aerospace Studies courses is not limited to cadets; courses are open to any Yale student.
Academic Requirements
The Aerospace Studies core curriculum introduces topics such as the profession of arms, military history, military communication, national security, and the philosophy of warfare. The Department of Aerospace Studies presents this content in the context of military leadership to prepare students for active duty service. Most Aerospace Studies courses count for enrollment credit only; they do not count toward the thirty-six course credits required for the Yale bachelor's degree. USAF 411 and USAF 414 do count toward graduation credit.
Students in the AFROTC program must successfully complete eight USAF courses total, typically taking one course per semester, in addition to the requirements of their Yale College major. The Department of Aerospace Studies offers these courses: USAF 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401, 402, 411, and 414. When the Department of History offers HIST 221, Military History of the West since 1500, cadets may use it to fulfill the one term of the 200-level AFROTC requirement (USAF 202) and also count it toward the bachelor’s degree. Cadets become involved in the management of their own cadet wing through a mandatory two-hour leadership laboratory each week.
Credit/D/Fail No course taken Credit/D/Fail may be counted toward the program in Aerospace Studies.
The educational training program of Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 009 at Yale emphasizes student involvement and the development of leadership skills. Enrollment in Aerospace Studies (USAF) courses is not limited to cadets; courses are open to any Yale student. The Air Force provides all uniforms, textbooks, and supplies. Classes are conducted as seminars and call for active student discussion.
Cadets become involved in the management of their own cadet wing through a mandatory two-hour leadership laboratory each week. They are also assigned corps positions, with increasing responsibility over their four years. In addition, students in the program participate in physical training, leadership projects, visits to Air Force bases, orientation flights, and normal college extracurricular activities. Cadets can expect to dedicate six to eight hours a week to the program.
After completing all Air Force ROTC and academic degree requirements, cadets on scholarship and those in the Professional Officer Course accept a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force and Space Force, with a minimum active-duty service commitment of four years.
Aerospace Studies courses typically offered include:
- USAF 101, Heritage and Values of the U.S. Air Force I
- USAF 102, Heritage and Values of the U.S. Air Force II
- USAF 201, Team and Leadership Fundamentals I
- USAF 202, Team and Leadership Fundamentals II
- USAF 301, Leading People and Effective Communication I
- USAF 302, Leading People and Effective Communication II
- USAF 401, National Security, Leadership Responsibilities and Commissioning Preparation I
- USAF 402, National Security, Leadership Responsibilities and Commissioning Preparation II
- USAF 411, Foundations of American Airpower
- USAF 414, Ethics and the Profession of Arms
The following Yale College course also meets requirements for the Air Force ROTC program:
- HIST 221, Military History of the West since 1500
For additional information about the AFROTC program at Yale, visit the Yale Air Force ROTC website, or send questions to AFROTC Detachment 009. More general information about the AFROTC is available on the national Air Force ROTC website.