Education Needed to Be in the Air Force
- You must have at least a high school diploma to enlist. This is to ensure a base of education and intellect that is required to perform many of the technical jobs within the Air Force. In addition to a high school diploma, enlistees will be required to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which measures intellectual strengths to match enlistees to a field of service. You can enlist with a GED, but the odds of acceptance are lower, with only 1 percent of recruits falling into this category annually. You also must score at least 65 on the ASVAB or have enough qualifying college credits.
- The Air Force requires that all of its commissioned officers earn a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Officers organize and lead enlisted airmen as well as perform specialized jobs, such as piloting aircraft. All pilots are required to be officers. If you're attending college and plan to become an Air Force officer, enroll in the nearest Reserve Officer Training Corps program. ROTC confers a commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation. If you've graduated, apply to Officer Training School, a 12-week Air Force officer bootcamp.
- If you are seeking to become part of the Air Force's health care field, you must be certified and working in the fields or have a degree in health or science. Qualified undergraduates can attend medical school with financial assistance from the Air Force and graduate as an officer and a doctor or nurse. Health professionals seeking to join the Air Force attend Commissioned Officer Training, a five-week course which familiarizes them with military life and commissions them as Air Force officers upon graduation.
- If you have college credits or even a college degree but want to enlist rather than earn a commission, the Air Force offers advanced enlistment up to the rank of E-3. The higher rank of E-3 brings with it increased pay and increased responsibility. However, it rewards enlistee's higher level of education over enlistees out of high school.