in the master's degree programs. Accreditation AFIT is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to offer degrees to the doctorate level. Eight engineering programs in the Graduate School of Engineering and Management are accredited at the advanced level by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Academic calendar The institute operates year-round on a quarter calendar which includes the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer terms. The quarters are 10 weeks in length plus a week for examinations. Typically, the Fall term begins in late September and ends in mid-December; the Winter term begins in early January and ends in mid-March; the Spring term begins in late March and ends in mid-June; and the Summer term begins in late June and ends in early-September. Cost The educational expenses for full-time military students assigned to AFIT are paid by their respective uniformed service. For tuition-paying students, the approximate cost is $4,512 per quarter for full-time enrollment (based on 12 quarter hours and a tuition rate of $376 per quarter-hour). AFIT is tuition-waived for civilian employees and military members of the Air Force or Space Force. Civilian Institution Programs Through its Civilian Institution Programs, AFIT also manages the educational programs of officers enrolled in civilian universities, research centers, hospitals, and industrial organizations. Air Force students attending civilian institutions have earned more than 12,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees in the past twenty years. Notable AFIT alumni George W.S. Abbey – Former Director of the Johnson Space Center Brigadier General Russell J. Anarde, USAF, Ret. Captain Milburn G. Apt – The first pilot to achieve Mach 3 General George T. Babbitt Jr., USAF, Ret. Brigadier General Rosanne Bailey, USAF, Ret. David Barish – Developer of the paraglider Lieutenant General Ted F. Bowlds Brigadier General Cary C. Chun Lieutenant General Roger G. DeKok, USAF, Ret. Lieutenant General William J. Donahue, USAF, Ret. General Jimmy Doolittle- Doolittle Raider Lieutenant General Hans H. Driessnack, USAF, Ret. Colonel Arnold L. Franklin Jr. USAF, Ret – In April 1986, as the 493rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Franklin led the USAF raid on Libya. Dr. Russell Merle Genet – Pioneered the world's first fully robotic observatory Lt Col George E. Hardy, USAF, Ret – Tuskegee Airmen Brigadier General Harold R. Harris, USAF, Ret. General Robert T. Herres, USAF, Ret. General Charles R. Holland, USAF, Ret. Robert P. Johannes – One of the