Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-83
§9414 United States Air Force Institute of Technology: Degree Granting Authority; Faculty, Reimbursement and Tuition; Acceptance of Research Grants
Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle D— Air Force and Space Force › Part III— TRAINING › Chapter 951— TRAINING GENERALLY › § 9414
Summary
Lets the commander of Air University award degrees to students of the Air Force Institute of Technology when the Institute’s faculty recommend them and Air Force rules are followed. A degree can only be given if the Secretary of Education recommends approval under the federal policy for agency degree-granting and if the Institute is accredited by the proper civilian accrediting body as the Secretary of Education decides. When the Department of Defense seeks degree authority or changes to it, the Secretary of Defense must send the Armed Services committees the Institute’s self‑assessment when it goes to the Education Department’s advisory committee, the Education Secretary’s recommendations and reasons, and an explanation if an accrediting body refuses to accredit any degree. The Secretary of the Air Force can hire civilian faculty as needed within Department of Defense limits and must set rules for their jobs and pay (pay rules not governed by chapter 53 of title 5 but limited by section 5373 of title 5). The Secretary must assign Space Force members as instructors to teach Space Force‑related subjects, and the yearly number of Space Force instructors must be at least (Space Force members ÷ (Space Force + Air Force members)) × total instructors. The Army, Navy, and Department of Homeland Security pay for instruction of their own people sent to the Institute. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard members may attend only if space is available, and enlisted members pay only the costs the Secretary finds appropriate. Civilians from other military departments, other DoD parts, or other federal agencies must pay tuition, which their employer must cover. The Institute keeps these payments to cover instruction and must record them. The Secretary of the Air Force may allow the Institute’s director to accept competitive research grants from organizations that exist mainly for scientific, literary, or educational purposes; the Secretary must set up an account to manage those funds, may use appropriations to help pursue grants as allowed by law, and must write rules for how grants are handled.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §9414
Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force, the commander of the Air University may, upon the recommendation of the faculty of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology, confer appropriate degrees upon graduates of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology who meet the degree requirements.
(b)A degree may not be conferred under this section unless—
(1)the Secretary of Education has recommended approval of the degree in accordance with the Federal Policy Governing Granting of Academic Degrees by Federal Agencies; and
(2)the United States Air Force Institute of Technology is accredited by the appropriate civilian academic accrediting agency or organization to award the degree, as determined by the Secretary of Education.
(c)(1)When seeking to establish degree granting authority under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives—
(A)a copy of the self assessment questionnaire required by the Federal Policy Governing Granting of Academic Degrees by Federal Agencies, at the time the assessment is submitted to the Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity; and
(B)the subsequent recommendations and rationale of the Secretary of Education regarding the establishment of the degree granting authority.
(2)Upon any modification or redesignation of existing degree granting authority, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report containing the rationale for the proposed modification or redesignation and any subsequent recommendation of the Secretary of Education on the proposed modification or redesignation.
(3)The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report containing an explanation of any action by the appropriate academic accrediting agency or organization not to accredit the United States Air Force Institute of Technology to award any new or existing degree.
(d)(1)The Secretary of the Air Force may employ as many civilian faculty members at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology as is consistent with the needs of the Air Force or the Space Force and with Department of Defense personnel limits.
(2)The Secretary shall prescribe regulations determining—
(A)titles and duties of civilian members of the faculty; and
(B)pay of civilian members of the faculty, notwithstanding chapter 53 of title 5, but subject to the limitation set out in section 5373 of title 5.
(e)(1)The Secretary shall detail members of the Space Force as instructors at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology to provide instruction in areas that support the mission of the Space Force.
(2)The number of members of the Space Force detailed by the Secretary to the United States Air Force Institute of Technology as instructors during an academic year shall be equal to or greater than the product of—
(A)the total number of members of the Space Force divided by the total number of members of the Space Force and the Air Force; and
(B)the total number of instructors at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology.
(f)(1)The Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of Homeland Security shall bear the cost of the instruction at the Air Force Institute of Technology that is received by members of the armed forces detailed for that instruction by the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Homeland Security, respectively.
(2)Members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard may only be detailed for instruction at the Institute on a space-available basis.
(3)In the case of an enlisted member of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard permitted to receive instruction at the Institute, the Secretary of the Air Force shall charge that member only for such costs and fees as the Secretary considers appropriate (taking into consideration the admission of enlisted members on a space-available basis).
(4)(A)The Institute shall charge tuition for the cost of providing instruction at the Institute for any civilian employee of a military department (other than a civilian employee of the Department of the Air Force), of another component of the Department of Defense, or of another Federal agency who receives instruction at the Institute.
(B)The cost of any tuition charged an individual under this paragraph shall be borne by the department, agency, or component sending the individual for instruction at the Institute.
(5)Amounts received by the Institute for the instruction of students under this subsection shall be retained by the Institute. Such amounts shall be available to the Institute to cover the costs of such instruction. The source and disposition of such amounts shall be specifically identified in the records of the Institute.
(g)(1)The Secretary of the Air Force may authorize the Director and Chancellor of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology to accept qualifying research grants. Any such grant may only be accepted if the work under the grant is to be carried out by a professor or instructor of the Institute for a scientific, literary, or educational purpose.
(2)A qualifying research grant under this subsection is a grant that is awarded on a competitive basis by an entity referred to in paragraph (3) for a research project with a scientific, literary, or educational purpose.
(3)A grant may be accepted under this subsection only from a corporation, fund, foundation, educational institution, or similar entity that is organized and operated primarily for scientific, literary, or educational purposes.
(4)The Secretary shall establish an account for administering funds received as research grants under this section. The Director and Chancellor of the Institute shall use the funds in the account in accordance with applicable provisions of the regulations and the terms and condition of the grants received.
(5)Subject to such limitations as may be provided in appropriations Acts, appropriations available for the Institute may be used to pay expenses incurred by the Institute in applying for, and otherwise pursuing, the award of qualifying research grants.
(6)The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for the administration of this subsection.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 9314[Uncodified].Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1151, 68 Stat. 1006.
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 9414 was renumbered section 9484 of this title.
Amendments
2025—Pub. L. 119–60, § 559(a)(1), added section catchline and struck out former catchline “Degree granting authority for United States Air Force Institute of Technology”. Subsecs. (e) to (g). Pub. L. 119–60, § 559(a)(2), (3), added subsec. (e) and redesignated former subsecs. (e) and (f) as (f) and (g), respectively. 2021—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 116–283 inserted “or the Space Force” after “needs of the Air Force”. 2019—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–92 substituted “Director and Chancellor” for “Commandant” in pars. (1) and (4). 2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 9314 of this title as this section. 2008—Pub. L. 110–417, § 543(h)(1), amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section consisted of subsecs. (a) to (d) relating to conferral of degrees, civilian faculty, costs of instruction, and research grants at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology. Subsec. (e)(4), (5). Pub. L. 110–417, § 544, added pars. (4) and (5). 2006—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–163 added subsec. (d). 2003—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–136, § 533(b)(1), (c), inserted heading, designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted “The Commander” for “When the United States Air Force Institute of Technology is accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation association or authority, the Commander” and “the United States Air Force Institute of Technology” for “that Institute”, and added par. (2). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 108–136, § 533(b)(2), inserted heading. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 108–136, § 533(a), added subsec. (c). 1998—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 105–261 substituted “section 5373” for “section 5306(e)”. 1990—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 101–509 substituted “5306(e)” for “5308”. 1986—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 99–661 struck out “rates of basic” before “pay of civilian”. 1985—Pub. L. 99–145, § 504(a)(2)(A), struck out “: degrees” after “Technology” in section catchline. Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 99–145, § 504(a)(1), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of
Amendments
and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.
Effective Date
of 2008 AmendmentAmendment by section 543(h)(1) of Pub. L. 110–417 applicable to any degree granting authority established, modified, or redesignated on or after Oct. 14, 2008, for an institution of professional military education referred to in such amendment, see section 543(j) of Pub. L. 110–417, set out as a note under section 2163 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1990 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 101–509 effective on such date as the President shall determine, but not earlier than 90 days, and not later than 180 days, after Nov. 5, 1990, see section 529 [title III, § 305] of Pub. L. 101–509, set out as a note under section 5301 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Civilian Members of Faculty of Air Force Institute of Technology on November 8, 1985Subsec. (b)(2) of this section not applicable to persons who, on Nov. 8, 1985, were civilian members of the faculty of the Air Force Institute of Technology, were being paid a rate of basic pay under the General Schedule, and elected under procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force to continue to be paid under the General Schedule, see section 504(c) of Pub. L. 99–145, set out as a note under section 5102 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 9414
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 18, 2026
Release point: 119-83