USNCC worked with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to provide a naval-relevant degree program focused on those who maintain aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

“We’re excited to further the lifelong learning process of the naval aviation community,” said USNCC’s President Randi R. Cosentino, Ed.D. “These Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen will develop a set of skills and earn credentials that set them up for success for the rest of their lives.”

This degree includes the Naval Studies Certificate, a five-course, fifteen-credit program based on naval sciences courses taught in the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval ROTC programs. These 15 credits are applied to the associate degree programs and count towards the required courses for the degree. The courses include Naval Ethics and Leadership; Modern Naval History; Naval Force Design and Concepts; Civilian and Military Organization, Policies, and American Government; and the certificate capstone course Introduction to Geopolitics. 

The Aviation Maintenance degree is completed completely online and has an established pathway to a four-year degree in Aviation Maintenance or Aeronautics with little to no loss of credit. Included in the degree is the ERAU Part 65 Certificate. This program helps prepare students who have experience working on military aircraft for the airframe and powerplants license exam through the FAA.

“We want to see how a degree program like this impacts a unit on a large scale,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael Hensley, USNCC’s senior enlisted leader, about the Aviation Maintenance degree. “When you have many people growing their education together, that’s when you can see the impact education has on the unit.”

“We are very pleased to welcome service men and women from the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard to the Associate of Science in Aviation Maintenance program,” said John Watret, Ph.D., chancellor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus. “The opportunity we have to provide excellent instruction to students eager to be part of a field that is vital to the health and growth of the aviation industry will be so impactful. We are keen to begin.”

Active duty enlisted Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen and Coast Guard Reservists can fill out an application on the USNCC website, www.usncc.edu. The first courses will start in May 2023.  

The United States Naval Community College is the official community college for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. To get more information about the USNCC, go to www.usncc.edu. Click on the student interest form link to learn how to be a part of the USNCC Pilot II program.