USM Partners with Air Force Program to Help Airmen Earn Degrees

Mon, 09/09/2019 - 07:58am | By: Van Arnold

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has partnered with the Community College of the Air Force General Education Mobile Program to help airmen complete their academic requirements for an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Participation in the program enables airmen to complete up to 15 credit hours of their general education requirements in a single block of five online courses at USM that may be applied directly to a student’s Associate in Applied Science degree at the Community College of the Air Force, or ultimately an undergraduate degree at USM.

By earning the general education requirements in a single block of courses from one institution, Air Force military students benefit from greater continuity and are able to thus rapidly earn their degrees. Through this online program, students can continue their education without interruption, regardless of deployment, travel or family commitments.

“We are excited about the prospects of encouraging and supporting our Air Force service members in their pursuit of a higher education degree. We are avid supporters of the Keesler Air Force community and look forward to engaging with all our Air Force service members along with their families, said Michael McGee, Outreach Coordinator for Veteran and Military Affairs at USM.

The Community College of the Air Force is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force which grants an Associate of Applied Science Degree in collaboration with Air University. The Community College of the Air Force serves approximately 300,000 active, guard, and reserve enlisted personnel, making it the world's largest community college system.

The General Education Mobile Program exists as a partnership between the Community College of the Air Force and civilian academic institutions designed to help Air Force Service Members fulfill their general education requirements in a mobile, nontraditional classroom format.

GEM offers General Education courses to meet Community College of the Air Force degree requirements and is presented in a distance learning format. The partnership established between the Air Force and USM is designed to provide online freshman/sophomore level general education courses that will help satisfy requirements for Community College of the Air Force credit.

The GEM program eases student course selection and registration via single-point access on the Air Force Virtual Education Center. Furthermore, GEM facilitates student planning across the entire general education curriculum and motivates students to complete courses on a self-paced timeline. It is important to note that the focus of this education initiative is placed upon freshman and sophomore level academic coursework. 

Air Force service members interested in completing their Community College of the Air Force academic requirements via online USM coursework should contact the USM Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families at www.usm.edu/military-veterans or call 601-264-4620.  USM is a nationally recognized Military Caring University and provides the most complete services for college students across the State of Mississippi.