Community College of the Air Force

By: University of Maryland Global Campus (formerly UMUC)

The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is the only degree-granting institution of higher learning in the world dedicated exclusively to enlisted personnel. It offers enlisted Airmen the opportunity to earn a two-year Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree that pertains to your Air Force career.  Through CCAF, airmen take general education requirements at partner academic institutions to fulfill the AAS degree requirements.  These partner institutions are part of the General Education Mobile Program described below:

General Education Mobile (GEM) Program:

• GEM is a partnership between the Community College of the Air Force and civilian academic institutions.  Currently, 115 institutions, consisting of a mix of 2-year and 4- year for-profit and not-for-profit schools, partner with CCAF in the GEM program. 

• GEM offers General Education courses to meet CCAF associate in applied science degree requirements

• Courses are offered in a distance learning format:  anytime, anywhere

• Many educational institutions also offer these courses in a F2F and/or hybrid format either at Air Force Education Centers across the globe

• GEM is delivered via the Air Force Virtual Education Center (AFVEC)

• GEM students can conveniently search for schools that meet their needs and preferences

• Students contact the GEM school directly to enroll in General Education courses 

• Addition detail concerning the GEM program is available on the Air Force Virtual Education Center (afvec.us.af.mil/afvec/public/GEMPlans.aspx)

Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree

The CCAF associate in applied science degree is offered in the following broad career areas:

• Operations

• Logistics

• Medical

• Support

Degree Completion Requirements

Degree programs consist of a minimum of 64 semester hours with requirements as follows: 

• Technical Education (24 Semester Hours)

• Leadership, Management & Military Studies (6 Semester Hours)

• Physical Education (4 Semester Hours)

• General Education (15 Semester Hours)

  • Communication (6 Semester Hours**)

    • **Written Communication (6 Semester Hours)
      ​or 

    • ** Oral Communication (3 Semester Hours)
      and

    • **Written Communication (3 Semester Hours)

  • Mathematics (3 Semester Hours)

  • Social Science (3 Semester Hours)

  • Humanities (3 Semester Hours)

• Program Electives (15 Semester Hours)

We encourage all enlisted air force personnel to immediately visit the education center at their assigned duty station to speak to a CCAF counselor and learn about the partnering academic institutions that offer general education courses online as well as onsite that meet CCAF academic requirements.