AU-ABC Program Degrees

Air University-Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative Program (AU-ABC)

Air University-Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative Program (AU-ABC) is an initiative between Air University and civilian higher-education institutions, including Empire State College, to offer bachelor's degree programs via distance learning that are relevant to an individual’s Air Force career field.

The AU-ABC Program has three categories:

• Category I: Programs designed for Airmen with a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) associate in applied science (AAS) degree.  These CCAF graduates are guaranteed that no more than 60 semester hours (SH) of additional credit will be required to complete a baccalaureate degree.
• Category II: Programs designed primarily for Airmen who are currently enrolled in a CCAF AAS degree program.  Partnering institutions will identify prerequisite coursework (no more than three courses/nine SH) the CCAF student needs to complete as part of their CCAF General Education and Program Elective requirements.  These courses would simultaneously fulfill both the CCAF AAS and AU-ABC degree requirements.  Upon completion of his/her CCAF degree, the student would be guaranteed that no more than 60 SH of additional credit will be required to complete an AU-ABC baccalaureate degree; provided the student completed the specific prerequisite coursework.
• Category III: Programs which require CCAF AAS graduates to complete more than 60 SH of credit beyond the AAS but meet all other AU-ABC specifications. (Note: The degrees in this category must still link to one or more CCAF AAS programs and have exceptional value for the Air Force).

Students will be able to go to one centralized website, the Air Force Virtual Education Center, for their educational needs, including approved degree programs offered through the AU-ABC program.  Since SUNY Empire State College requires 124 semester credits for bachelor's degree programs, Air Force students would typically need only 60 additional credits beyond their CCAF degree program to complete bachelor's degree requirements in the same or similar concentration.

All Empire State College AU-ABC programs meet the following criteria:

• meet specific accreditation standards
• deliver instruction via distance learning
• maximize application of military credit
• relate degree programs to one or more Air Force specialties
• offer exceptional value for the Air Force.

Air University–Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative Program degrees offered through Empire State College include:

Bachelor of Science in community and human services, BS CHS, Fire Service Admin (PDF 67kB)- matched to CCAF A.A.S. degrees in fire science (91FY), emergency management (91MY), and explosive ordnance disposal (4VRC).

Note: The degree program is provided as a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader version 2.0 or higher to use the file. If you are unable to open a file on this page, please contact military.programs@esc.edu to have a copy sent to you.

Additional concentrations are available and matched to specific AFSCs, but are not currently part of the AU-ABC program.

For more information about Empire State College's AU-ABC programs contact us.

To learn more about the Air Force AU-ABC program see your military education counselor or visit the Air Force Virtual Education Center on the Air Force portal.