The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 which grants two year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in association with Air University.

The CCAF is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

 through Air University.

History

In the early 1970s, the Air Force decided to attempt to gain accreditation and recognition for Air Force training programs. Representatives of the Air Training Command

Air Training Command

Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...

 (ATC), Air University, and the United States Air Force Academy

United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

 held numerous conferences in 1971 to discuss increased training for Air Force non-commissioned officers (NCOs). These conferences, in turn, recommended the foundation of an Air Force community college. On November 9, 1971, Gen John D. Ryan

John Dale Ryan

General John Dale Ryan was the seventh Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, General Ryan served in a dual capacity...

, Air Force Chief of Staff, approved the establishment of the Community College of the Air Force. The Secretary of the Air Force approved the plan January 25, 1972, and the college was officially established on April 1, 1972, at Randolph AFB, TX

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

.

Until the mid-1970s, the CCAF offered only certificate programs. It became apparent that CCAF standards exceeded the minimum requirements of associate degree programs in civilian community colleges. Therefore, in 1975 the Air Force sought degree-granting authority for the college from Congress. President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-361 on July 14, 1976 authorizing the AETC commander to confer the associate degree.

Following an evaluation in October 1976, the Commissioner of Education

Commissioner of Education

The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the National Bureau of Education, a former unit within the Department of the Interior in the United States...

 certified degree-granting authority in January 1977. The college awarded its first AAS degree in April 1977.

When the Commission on Occupational Education Institution charter was limited in 1975 to non degree-granting institutions, the CCAF began seeking accreditation from the SACS Commission on Colleges. The Commission on Colleges accredited the CCAF on December 12, 1980. In 2004, Air University became accredited by the SACS Commission on Colleges to award associate and master’s degrees. CCAF now shares in Air University’s regional accreditation. CCAF was separately accredited by SACS from 1980-2004.

Currently the CCAF is only open to airmen, but Congressman Sestak added language to the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act

National Defense Authorization Act

The National Defense Authorization Act is the name of a United States federal law that has been enacted for each of the past 48 fiscal years to specify the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense.-See also:...

 to open admission to all branches.

Academics

The program combines the technical education offered by Air Force schools with a core of general education from regionally accredited civilian institutions, and management education from Air Force or civilian sources.

The CCAF offers Associates of Applied Science degrees in five broad career areas:

• Aircraft and Missile Maintenance
• Allied Health
• Electronics and Telecommunications
• Logistics and Resources
• Public and Support Services

Within those 5 broad areas, the CCAF currently offers 67 specific degree programs.

AU-ABC program

In June 2007 Air University announced a new program where four year colleges accept the entire value (60 credits) of the CCAF Associates degree towards a Bachelor degree, requiring only 60 more credits (typically upper division, core classes). This program is called the Air University Associate-To-Baccalaureate Cooperative. It has been publicized as a convenient way for an Airman to complete their 4 year degree. It has also served to boost the desirability of a CCAF degree, as there is a notion among the enlisted members that a CCAF Associate degree only holds value in the Air Force community. As of October 2009 the AU-ABC program included 42 civilian colleges and universities offering 209 bachelor's degree programs. Thirty-six of the ABC schools hold regional accreditation

Regional accreditation

Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...

, and six hold national accreditation through the Distance Education and Training Council

Distance Education and Training Council

The Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education institutions.- History :...

. For additional information on accreditation please refer to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation

Council for Higher Education Accreditation

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...

 (CHEA) or U.S. Department of Education websites.