page_title: Air University (United States Air Force)
section_title: Officer Professional Military Education
hierarchical_section_title: Air University (United States Air Force) / Schools and Centers / Officer Professional Military Education
caption_attribution_description: English: United States Air Force Air War College emblem. Made with Photoshop.
context_page_description: Air University is a professional military education university system of the United States Air Force. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Master's Degrees.
context_section_description: The Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education (Spaatz Center) unifies the continuum of Air Force officer professional military education.  Activated on 29 Apr 2008, the Spaatz Center is named in honor of the Air Force's first Chief of Staff, General Carl A. Spaatz. The Spaatz Center was disestablished in 2017.
  Squadron Officer School
  
  The Squadron Officer School (SOS) in-residence program is a 6.5-week course for USAF captains.  The course is structured around four primary areas (1) leadership, (2) building highly-effective teams, (3) logical and ethical reasoning in decision making, and (4) multi-domain joint warfare.  
  Air Command and Staff College
  Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is a 10-month master's level resident program that prepares field grade USAF, U.S. Army and USMC officers in pay grade O-4 and USN / USCG officers in pay grade O-4, their international counterparts, and U.S. civilian equivalents, for positions of higher responsibility within the military and other government agencies.  Often referred to as "Intermediate Level Education" (ILE), Intermediate Level Professional Military Education (Intermediate Level PME) or Phase I Joint PME, ACSC is also available via "distance learning," primarily a CD-ROM enabled correspondence course.
  Air War College
  Air War College (AWC) is a 10-month resident course for USAF, U.S. Army and USMC Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels (pay grades O-5 and O-6), USN and USCG Commanders and Captains (pay grade O-5 and O-6), their international counterparts, and Department of Defense and Department of the Air Force civilian equivalents (GS-14/GM-14, GS-15/GM-15).  AWC prepares students to lead in a joint, interagency and multi-national environment at the strategic level of military operations.  Also known as "Senior Developmental Education" (SDE), Senior Level PME, or (since 2010) Phase II JPME, AWC is also available at the Pentagon and selected active USAF installations as a 10-month seminar program paralleling the academic year and course content of the resident course.  It is also available via "distance learning" as a correspondence course typically requiring 18 to 24 months to complete.
  The Secretary of the Air Force's annual National Security Forum (NSF) conducted for select influential civilian leaders in business, industry, state and local government, law, academia, media, and the clergy is administered and hosted by the AWC.
  International Officer School
  The International Officer School (IOS) is a seven-week course designed to provide international officers an enhanced understanding of the United States and prepares them for attending Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and/or the Air War College.
caption: Air War College emblem
exif: {}