LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
In today's Air Force, education is no longer the exception to the rule for enlisted personnel, but the standard. Now education centers work with colleges to help personnel complete their degree quicker and easier than ever before.
One such center is the 633rd Force Support Squadron Education Center, which works with more than 40 colleges and in more than 200 degree programs. This allows Airmen not only to receive their associate' s degree from the Community College of the Air Force but also earn their bachelors, masters and even doctorate by utilizing CLEP test, DANTES, and programs such as the Air University Associate-to-Baccalaureate Cooperative.
"We take a different look at education here at Langley because we stress 'what is your back up plan'," said Crystal Jenkins, a 633 FSS/Force Support Development and Education guidance counselor. "You don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, are you going to retire from the Air Force, be med boarded or separated? The Air Force has provided you money, on base schools, DANTES, CLEP testing, the CCAF, and the AU-ABC program to help you establish your back up plan and your future."
Presently the Air Force is the only Department of Defense organization that offers an associate degree while learning someone's Air Force Specialty Code. If someone has never completed a college course or taken advanced placement test such as DANTES and CLEP, they will automatically receive four college credit hours once completing basic training. From there, they will earn college credit after graduation from technical school and professional military education. Once this is complete the member could receive their CCAF by completing as few as five college courses. They could finish it even faster if they've completed courses.
"The typical bachelor's degree consists of about 121 college credit hours but under certain AU-ABC schools, you could earn your bachelors degree in as little as 75 credit hours", said Ms. Jenkins. "It's not the schools responsibility to tell Airmen they are eligible for the AU-ABC program, but by talking to the education center someone could avoid taking the additional 40 credit hours."
For those Airmen that are frequently deployed, leave for extended temporary duty assignments or work long hours, there are colleges that provide course on CD-Rom, the internet and even by mail. Generally they have a time limit of one year to be completed.
For more information, contact the 633 FSS/FSDE Center at 764-2962 or 764-2963.