Military Academies & Colleges

Our students not only become the future leaders of the United States Air Force or Space Force, but also of the nation. These eventual officers are forged out of tradition, innovation and through our core values. Our mission is to educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the U.S. Air Force and Space Force in service to our nation. At the U.S. Air Force Academy, our rigorous academic program balances Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) with the arts and humanities. Our robust core curriculum places cadets at the intersection of these disciplines, generating opportunities to cultivate and apply creative and complex problem-solving abilities.

As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Naval Academy students are midshipmen on active duty in the U.S. Navy. They attend the academy for four years, graduating with bachelor of science degrees and commissions as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates serve at least five years in the Navy or Marine Corps.

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point's mission is "to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army." West Point's role in our nation's history dates back to the Revolutionary War, when both sides realized the strategic importance of the commanding plateau on the west bank of the Hudson River. General George Washington considered West Point to be the most important strategic position in America.

The roots of today's Coast Guard were established in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers and the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton proposed the formation of the Revenue Marine, a seagoing military service that would enforce customs and navigation laws, collect tariffs, hail in-bound ships, make inspections and certify manifests.

The Academy represents federal involvement in maritime training that is more than a century old. Since the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, the U.S. Government has initiated various programs to train its citizens for service in the merchant marine. The United States Merchant Marine Academy, dedicated in 1943, represents the realization of these efforts. Our mission is to educate and graduate leaders of exemplary character who are inspired to serve the national security, marine transportation, and economic needs of the United States as licensed Merchant Marine Officers and commissioned officers in the Armed Forces.

While not an official military academy, the Citadel is a military college. The Citadel is a landmark in Charleston and South Carolina that is noted for its educational reputation as well as its rich history. Founded in 1842, The Citadel has an undergraduate student body of about 2,300 students who make up the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.

The Citadel is best known nationally for its Corps of Cadets, which draws students from about 45 states and a dozen countries. The men and women in the Corps live and study under a classical military system that makes leadership and character development an essential part of the educational experience.