Cadets enrolled in the Professional Officer Course attend class four hours a week and participate in a weekly leadership laboratory lasting from one to two hours. In the Professional Officer Course, cadets apply what they have learned in the General Military Course and at field training encampments. Professional Officer Corps cadets conduct the leadership laboratories and manage the unit's cadet corps. Each unit has a cadet corps based on the Air Force organizational pattern of flight, squadron, group, and wing. Professional Officer Course classes are small.
Emphasis is on group discussions and cadet presentations.
Classroom topics include management, communication skills, and the national defense policy. Once enrolled in the Professional Officer Course, all cadets are enlisted in the Air Force Reserve and assigned to the Obligated Reserve Section. However, the entry procedure differs. Entrance into the Professional Officer Course is highly competitive and two-year applicants must be selected through the selection system described above. The additional two weeks of field training for the two-year applicants prepare them for entry into the Professional Officer Course.