The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and st ...

and provider of professional and continuing education for the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

and is part of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

. It is in

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur W ...

, near

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

. AFIT is a component of the Air University and

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Trainin ...

Overview

Founded in 1919 and degree-granting since 1956, the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is the Air Force's graduate school of engineering and management as well as its institution for technical professional continuing education. AFIT is located at

(WPAFB), Dayton, Ohio. Dayton's heritage and industrial base in aeronautics and aviation, coupled with the close proximity to the

Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, p ...

(AFRL) and the

National Air and Space Intelligence Center The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) is the United States Air Force unit for analyzing military intelligence on foreign air and space forces, weapons, and systems. NASIC assessments of aerospace performance characteristics, ca ...

(NASIC) provide a scientific and engineering research and educational experience focused on producing future leaders of the Air Force. A component of Air University and

, its primary purpose is to provide specialized education to select

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," ...

and enlisted U.S. military personnel and civilian employees. 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 U.S. Air Force, retiring in 2002 at the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. On 28 January 2015, AFIT welcomed its first Provost and Vice Chancellor Dr. Sivaguru S. Sritharan former Dean of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

Academics

AFIT's four 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 Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

management, contracting, systems management,

software engineering Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development. A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ' ...

, 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. * School of Strategic Force Studies manages the overall execution of nuclear (via the Nuclear College at (

Kirtland Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the ea ...

) & cyber PCE (via AFIT at Wright-Patterson AFB). The school provides responsive & relevant continuing education courses to more than 2,000 Air Force & DOD students annually. AFIT has seven research centers funded by a number of federal agencies with interdisciplinary scope and international footprint representing a number of game changing scientific areas for the United States Air Force and the Department of Defense: ** Autonomy & Navigation Technology Center (ANT) ** Center for Directed Energy (CDE) ** Center for Cyberspace Research (CCR) and the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center of Excellence (CyTCoE) ** Center for Operational Analysis (COA) ** Center for Space Research & Assurance (CSRA) ** Center for Technical Intelligence Studies & Research (CTISR) ** Scientific Test & Analysis Techniques in Test & Evaluation (STAT T&E) ** Nuclear Expertise for Advancing Technologies (NEAT) Center

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. AFIT's Aeronautics & Astronautics Department has graduated nine U. S. astronauts including Guy Bluford (PhD 1978), first African-American astronaut. Since graduate degrees were first granted in 1956, AFIT has awarded 19,619 master's and 898 doctor of philosophy degrees. It is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

Students

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) enrolls over 700 full-time graduate students. The student body consists primarily of Air Force and Space 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. A substantial number of AFIT graduates are assigned to AFRL and NASIC upon graduation from AFIT. Many of the AFIT student thesis projects are influenced directly or indirectly by AFRL, NASIC, NRO and other Air Force and defense agencies.

Faculty

The faculty body consists of approximately a 50–50 mix of military and civilian members all of whom hold a PhD in their fields. The faculty to student ratio is typically 1 to 5 in the master's degree programs.

Accreditation

AFIT is accredited by

the Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

of the

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It ...

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 The ABET (incorporated as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.) is a non-governmental organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied and natural sciences, computing, engineering and enginee ...

(ABET).

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 $4,512 per quarter for full-time enrollment (based on 12 quarter hours and a tuition rate of $376 per quarter-hour). AFIT is tuition-waived for civilian employees and military members of the Air Force or Space Force.

Civilian Institution Programs

Through its Civilian Institution Programs, AFIT also manages the educational programs of officers enrolled in civilian universities, research centers, hospitals, and industrial organizations. Air Force students attending civilian institutions have earned more than 12,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees in the past twenty years.

Notable AFIT alumni

* George W.S. Abbey – Former Director of the

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late ...

* Brigadier General Russell J. Anarde, USAF, Ret. * Captain

Milburn G. Apt Milburn Grant "Mel" Apt (April 9, 1924 – September 27, 1956) was a U.S. Air Force test pilot, and the first man to attain speeds faster than Mach 3. He was killed after separating from the Bell X-2 in his escape capsule during the record-sett ...

– 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 Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness o ...

* Lieutenant General Ted F. Bowlds * Brigadier General

Cary C. Chun Brigadier General Cary C. Chun (born August 23, 1963) is a retired senior officer of the United States Air Force. He served as the Deputy Commander, Operations and Interagency Integration, Joint Functional Component Command for Space, United ...

* Lieutenant General

Roger G. DeKok Roger G. DeKok (January 10, 1947 – April 23, 2003) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. Personal life DeKok was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics. DeKok earne ...

, USAF, Ret. * Lieutenant General

William J. Donahue William J. "Bill" Donahue is a retired lieutenant general for the United States Air Force who transformed networks and communications during his long career. He retired in May 2000 as the director of communications and information at Air Force ...

, USAF, Ret. * General

Jimmy Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...

Doolittle Raid The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japan ...

er * Lieutenant General

Hans H. Driessnack Hans Helmuth Driessnack (August 11, 1927 – October 16, 2006) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, in which he served as a fighter pilot and later, Comptroller of the Air Force. Early life and education Driessnack wa ...

, 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 Doctor Russell Merle Genet (born 1940) is an American astronomer, who specializes in photometric observations and probing of very short-period eclipsing binary stars. Between 1964 and 1968 he worked as a rocket scientist for Space and Missile S ...

– Pioneered the world's first fully robotic observatory * Lt Col George E. Hardy, USAF, Ret –

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army ...

* Brigadier General

Harold R. Harris Harold Ross Harris (December 20, 1895 – July 28, 1988) was a notable American test pilot and U.S. Army Air Force officer who held 26 flying records. He made the first flight by American pilots over the Alps from Italy to France, successfully ...

, USAF, Ret. * General

Robert T. Herres Robert Tralles Herres (December 1, 1932 – July 24, 2008) was a United States Air Force officer who served as the first vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Early life and education Herres was born on December 1, 1932, in Denver, wher ...

, USAF, Ret. * General

Charles R. Holland Charles R. Holland (born January 21, 1946) is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the commander of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. As commander, he was responsible for all ...

, USAF, Ret. *

Robert P. Johannes Robert P. Johannes (born May 1934 in Moline, Illinois) is an aeronautical engineer noted primarily as one of the developers of the control configured vehicle (CCV) concept.Holloway, R.B., Burris, P.M. and Johannes, R.P. (1970''Aircraft Performance ...

– One of the developers of the control configured vehicle (CCV) concept * Lt Col Frank A. Kappeler, USAF, Ret –

er * General

George Kenney George Churchill Kenney (August 6, 1889 – August 9, 1977) was a United States Army general during World War II. He is best known as the commander of the Allies of World War II, Allied Air Forces in the South West Pacific Area (command), Sout ...

, 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 John Arthur Macready (October 14, 1887 – September 15, 1979) was an American test pilot and aviator. He was the only three-time recipient of the Mackay Trophy, receiving the trophy three consecutive years. Macready won the MacKay Trophy thr ...

– American Test Pilot and Aviator * Lieutenant General

Forrest S. McCartney Forrest Striplin McCartney (March 23, 1931 – July 17, 2012) was a United States Air Force lieutenant general and former director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center. McCartney was born in Fort Payne, Alabama. He graduated from Gulf ...

, USAF, Ret. * Lt Col Harry C. McCool, USAF, Ret –

er * Lt

, USAF, Ret – American test pilot and aviator * General

Bernard Schriever Bernard Adolph Schriever (14 September 1910 – 20 June 2005), also known as Bennie Schriever, was a United States Air Force general who played a major role in the Air Force's space and ballistic missile programs. Born in Bremen, Germany, Schr ...

, USAF, Ret. * General Lawrence Skantze, USAF, Ret. * Major General

Joseph K. Spiers Joseph K. Spiers (born 1937) is an aerospace engineer and retired United States Air Force general, reaching the rank of major general during his military career. Spiers was born in 1937, in Tarboro, North Carolina. He received a Bachelor of Sci ...

, USAF, Ret. * Lieutenant General

James W. Stansberry James Wesley Stansberry (December 29, 1927June 28, 2010) was a United States Air Force lieutenant general and commander of the Electronic Systems Division, Air Force Systems Command, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Early life and educat ...

, USAF, Ret. * Lieutenant General William E. Thurman, USAF, Ret. * Major General

Jerry White (Navigators) Jerry E. White (born June 11, 1937) is a retired United States Air Force major general, author and former leader of the Christian parachurch organization, the Navigators. Military career White entered the Air Force in 1959 as a graduate of ...

, USAF, Ret. * Colonel Richard V. Wheeler, USAF, Ret. – American Test Pilot and Aviator * Lt Col

Archie Williams Archie Franklin Williams (May 1, 1915 – June 24, 1993) was an American U.S. Air Force officer, athlete, and teacher. He was the winner of the 400 meter run at the 1936 Summer Olympics. As recorded on his birth certificate, his name is Archie a ...

, USAF, Ret. – Gold medal winner of the 400 m sprint – 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin *

Michael Wynne Michael Walter Wynne (born September 4, 1944) is an American politician and business executive and was the 21st United States Secretary of the Air Force. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked for and received his resignation (and that of Chief ...

– Former Secretary of the Air Force * Dr.

Steven M. Cron Steven M. Cron is a retired Michelin product research engineer and co-inventor of the Tweel. Cron began his engineering education with a BS Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1984. In 1985, he completed an ...

- retired

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and ...

engineer and co-inventor of the

Tweel The Tweel (a portmanteau of ''tire'' and ''wheel'') is an airless tire design developed by the French tire company Michelin. Its significant advantage over pneumatic tires is that the Tweel does not use a bladder full of compressed air, and ...

Current military leaders

* Lieutenant General Joseph P. DiSalvo, USAF * Lieutenant General John E. Wissler, USMC * Major General William T. “Bill” Cooley, USAF * Major General Dwyer L. Dennis, USAF * Major General Scott W. Jansson, USAF * Major General (S) John M. Pletcher, USAF * Brigadier General Roy-Alan C. Agustin, USAF * Brigadier General Kenneth T. Bibb Jr., USAF * Brigadier General Eric T. Fick, USAF * Brigadier General Gregory M. Gutterman, USAF * Brigadier General David W. Hicks, USAF * Brigadier General Linda S. Hurry, USAF * Brigadier General Carl E. Schaefer, USAF * Brigadier General Donna D. Shipton, USAF * Brigadier General Brad M. Sullivan, USAF

NASA astronauts

* Kevin A. Ford *

Michael E. Fossum Michael Edward Fossum (born December 19, 1957, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) is a former American astronaut, engineer, and thChief Operating Officer of Texas A&M University at Galveston He flew into space on board the NASA Space Shuttle missions ...

William Anders William Alison Anders (born 17 October 1933) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) major general, former electrical engineer, nuclear engineer, NASA astronaut, and businessman. In December 1968, he was a member of the crew of Apollo 8, t ...

Guion Bluford Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. (born November 22, 1942) is an American aerospace engineer, retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut in which capacity he became the second person of African descent to ...

Mark N. Brown Mark Neil Brown (born November 18, 1951) is an American engineer, retired colonel in the United States Air Force and former NASA astronaut. Brown spent a total of ten days in space, over two Space Shuttle missions. Personal life Brown was born N ...

Gordon Cooper Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. (March 6, 1927 – October 4, 2004) was an American aerospace engineer, test pilot, United States Air Force pilot, and the youngest of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first human spa ...

Albert H. Crews Albert Hanlin "Al" Crews Jr. (born March 23, 1929), (Col, USAF, Ret.), is a former American chemical and aeronautical engineer, and U.S. Air Force astronaut. Early life and education He was born on March 23, 1929, in El Dorado, Arkansas. He grad ...

Donn F. Eisele Donn Fulton Eisele (June 23, 1930 – December 1, 1987) (Colonel USAF) was a United States Air Force officer, test pilot, and later a NASA astronaut. He occupied the command module pilot seat during the flight of Apollo 7 in 1968. After ...

John M. Fabian John McCreary Fabian (born January 28, 1939) is a former NASA astronaut and Air Force officer who flew two Space Shuttle missions and worked on the development of the Shuttle's robotic arm. He later led the Air Force's space operations. Person ...

Gus Grissom Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was an American engineer, pilot in the United States Air Force, and member of the Mercury Seven selected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) as Project Merc ...

* James D. Halsell *

Steven Lindsey Steven Wayne Lindsey (born August 24, 1960) is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. Lindsey served as Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office from September 2006 until October 2009. Early life and education Lindsey was born on Aug ...

* Richard Mullane *

Donald H. Peterson Donald Herod Peterson (October 22, 1933 – May 27, 2018) was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. Peterson was originally selected for the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program, but, when that was canceled, he ...

* Major General

Robert A. Rushworth Robert Aitken "Bob" Rushworth (October 9, 1924 – March 18, 1993) was an American United States Air Force major general, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War pilot, mechanical and aeronautical engineer, test pilot and astronaut. He was one o ...

, USAF, Ret.

Current civilian senior leaders

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

Former names

* 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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Air Force Institute of Technology Military education and training in the United States Staff colleges

Institute of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of t ...

Universities and colleges in Ohio Engineering universities and colleges in Ohio Naval Postgraduate School Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Educational institutions established in 1919 Education in Dayton, Ohio Education in Montgomery County, Ohio 1919 establishments in Ohio