Air Force Institute of Technology

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Air Force Institute of Technology


Established:	1919
Type:	graduate school, professional and continuing education
Commandant:	Brig. Gen. Paula Thornhill
Location:	Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
Website:	www.afit.edu/

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Force. It is located on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Considered a component of Air University, AFIT has been offering degrees since 1956 and was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to provide continuing specialized education to select officer and enlisted US military personnel and civilian employees at the graduate level. Previous names for AFIT include the Air School of Application and the Air Corps Engineering School.

The Naval Postgraduate School serves a similar purpose for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The U.S. Army does not have a comparable school; Army officers study at the Naval Postgraduate School or AFIT.

Under a recent joint agreement between the Air Force and Navy, and codified by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, AFIT and the Naval Postgraduate School have realigned their academic programs to reduce duplication, and both schools will be under the oversight of a common oversight panel. As an example of the consolidation, Navy officers are sent to learn aeronautical engineering at AFIT, while the Air Force officers learn meteorology at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Its components include:

The Graduate School of Engineering and Management which offers degrees in Cost Analysis, Logistics Management, Engineering Management, Information Resource Management, aeronautical engineering, applied mathematics, astronautical engineering, computer engineering, computer systems, electrical engineering, operations research, optics, engineering physics, nuclear engineering & meteorology.
The School of Systems and Logistics teaches courses in acquisition, logistics, and software engineering.
The Civil Engineer and Services School teaches continuing education courses in civil engineering, environmental engineering, and Air Force Services.
The Office of Civilian Institution Programs which manages Air Force personnel pursuing graduate degrees at civilian universities, hospitals and research centers.