CAP/USAF correspondence courses for credit

I'm planning to join the Civil Air Patrol soon, and in the information they give to potential recruits, they state that CAP members can take Air Force correspondence courses. I'm curious- are there any of these courses that can be transferred and used for college credit?

 

Yes, many of the Air Force correspondence courses can be used to gain college credit. These are the courses that have an American Council on Education (ACE) endorsement. I have received 58 semester hours so far by doing these courses.

AFIADL
www.au.af.mil/au/afiadl

AFIADL Course Catloag
www.au.af.mil/au/afiadl/curriculum/course.htm

ACE Military Guide
www.militaryguides.acenet.edu/index.htm

 

Are you joining as a cadet, or senior member? I was a CAP cadet in jr.high/high school a loooong time ago.

 

Civilian courses

What courses can civilians take? Thanks. Hille

 

Typically the only courses CAP members are allowed to take are those that relate to the mission of CAP. This is mainly search and rescue and leadership development. There are not a whole lot to choose from those topics for correspondence courses.

Of course, it was a while since I was in CAP. Things might have changed.

 

re: CAP DL courses for credit

The best source of information on CAP is the KnowledgeBase

http://capnhq.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/capnhq.cfg/php/enduser/home.php

The many courses offered by AFIADL (ECI) are available to CAP members.

Here's what the Community College of the Air Force says about credits

Most, but not all correspondence courses available through AFIADL carry college credit. This includes CDCs, Specialized Courses (SC), and Professional Military Education courses (PME). Courses are reviewed by several civilian-accrediting agencies before credit is awarded to a course. The amount of hours varies between courses. Transcripts for completed courses are available from the Community College of the Air Force. Transcript request forms can be obtained at your base education office or on-line at http://www.au.af.mil/au/ccaf/.
You can also visit www.militaryguides.acenet.edu.

Note that the ACE only RECOMMENDS credit. It's up to you to find a school that will actually give you credit.

There was a previous discussion about graduate credit for d/l advanced Professional Military Education: Air Command and Staff College and Air War College which CAP members are eligible for.

The ACE recommends 27 graduate credits for each of these. However, few colleges will accept that many graduate credits. Members of this board guided me to Mountain State University. With care, a program could be established in which all 27 units would be applied to their Interdisciplinary Masters degree of 36 credits.

http://www.mountainstate.edu/majors/onlinecatalogs/graduate/programs/IDS.aspx

 

The Civil Air Patrol members can take courses and get a transcript from AFIADL (Air University). Civil Air Patrol members cannot take courses from the Community College of the Air Force or get a transcript from the Community College of the Air Force unless they are also active duty Air Force, Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve members.

http://level2.cap.gov/index.cfm?nodeID=5895

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Civil Air Patrol & The Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning (AFIADL)

http://level2.cap.gov/index.cfm?nodeID=5824

Hundreds of Air Force educational opportunities are available to CAP members through AFIADL -- technical training, career development courses, and other professional military education subjects. AFIADL makes available to CAP members a huge menu of professional development courses.

Do you want to learn about Air Force command and control? Security forces? Engineering? Finance? Meteorology? Through CAP's partnership with AFIADL, you can investigate almost any subject that affects the Air Force mission.

Whether you are a cadet officer curious about an Air Force career field, or an adult who wants to strengthen your own skills for civilian life and CAP service, you are sure to find interesting professional development opportunities through AFIADL.

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CAPR 50-4 17 AUGUST 2002
AFIADL is the USAF correspondence school. Its courses are available to all senior members and cadets who have received the Billy Mitchell Award or higher. Instruction includes professional military education and specialized courses in a wide variety of technical and non-technical subjects. CAP regulations and manuals which govern specific education and training programs also cover testing requirements, e.g., CAPR 50-17, CAP Senior Member Professional Development Program, CAPP 8, Unit Test Control Officer ECI Course. The closed-book tests are centrally controlled and ordered through AFIADL. NOTE: Students must use their Social Security Number (SSN) on all correspondence with AFIADL.

 

Can CAP Senior Member Patrons take courses or only those active in a unit?

 

re: patron member

Patron members cannot.

 

Thanks for your help. I'm planning on joining as a senoir member, since I'm too old to be a cadet. (All I have left before joining is fingerprinting.)
They want me to train to be the Squadron PAO, which promises to be interesting.
I'm not sure if I can fulfill my TESC Science requirement by taking a USAF Meteorology course, or the Yeager Aerospace Education Achievement award.

(In other news, i've taken and passed the three CLEP literature exams and the Information Systems and Computer Applications exams...)

 

There will be no college credit for the Yeager Aerospace Education Achievement award.

AFIADL
WEATHER JOURNEYMAN BY CORRESPONDENCE
ACE Evaluated: In the lower-division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 3 semester hours in meteorology and 2 in weather equipment (radar).

TESC should take the AFIADL course.

 

Thanks for the help!

I've just paid my membership fees, and I still have to take the introductory exams.

I have two more questions-
1. According to the ACE guide, it covers 3 units in meteorology- but is this equivalent to meteorology 101? (I.E. Can I jump right in?)
2. Do I get college credit for PAO training? (The ACE guide does mention that I can get 1 semester hour of credit for being a PAO technician, though I'm not sure if this is only by taking the USAF correspondence course.)

And does TESC accept FEMA credit?

 

You can take courses as soon as you can get your Commander to sign the form and send it to AFIADL. They will mail you the books.

You cannot get credit for becoming a Civil Air Patrol PAO technician. You can only get credit for some Air Force AFIADL courses.

No one excepts FEMA Independent Study course better than TESC.

 

I apologize for bumping the thread, but I do have an important update for those in CAP (like me) who want to gain college credit from the USAF. As of early this year, USAFIADL (or whatever new term they're using) has ceased offering the CAP training courses. In addition, said courses can no longer be taken via the CAP wings or squadrons. CAP members CAN continue to request courses from USAF that they are allowed to take (i.e. any that are not rank or clearance restricted). However, said courses must be taken at a USAF- approved testing facility (the nearest of which is a ways away...).

In case you were wondering about me, I didn't take the Weather Journeyman course, but I did take the CAP Senior Officer Course (two SH in Communications, one SH in leadership, two SH in military history- none of which aid my planned major (History- rather ironic for the last bit)) and the CAP PAO Technician course (one unit in special topics in Radio/TV broadcasting- again not for my major). Still, TESC took the courses!

I'm hoping to take the new Squadron Officer School (thanks to the rules change, I was unable to complete it- got some nice reading material, though), and hope to take the Air Command and Staff College and Air War College sometime.