Introduction
Starfleet Academy is the starting block for all Starfleet personnel: from the humblest Non Commissioned Officer to the Commander-in-Chief Starfleet. Starfleet Academy is split into 7 schools: Beginner training, Command, Engineering, Science, Medical, Security and Special Services. The Academy is based in San Francisco, overlooking the bay, but is actually spread over the majority of the Federation worlds. The Commandant of the Academy is presently Commandant T'Lora, ex. of the starship Endeavour. Each school has its head of school, although the most famous of guests tend to frequent the Command school.
Beginner Training
Cadets are selected by a vigorous sequence of testing and selection that covers the full range of physical and psychological traits and skills. The testing from school age [see notes on Education in the 23rd Century] is taken into account for departmental selection, followed by all subsequent performances and testing right up to and including the testing for Academy entrance. The candidates linguistic, numerical, physical and mental abilities are all examined, along with the personality of the candidate in order to select the candidate that is joining for the right reasons, is going to fit in and be happy in the life of a member of Starfleet and to ensure that the candidate will not only complete the training but be able to survive the pressures and dangers of deep space.
Candidates are given tours of all of their prospective departments and assignments in order that they may experience what it is that they are about to choose as a way of life, let alone a career. Having made sure that the candidate knows what is in store, the candidates are tested for final selection at the San Francisco campus. Candidates are given stringent medical and physical tests, coupled with interviews and an examination of their behaviour in the Starfleet environment. The successful candidate is selected shortly after to arrive at the entrance school with their change of casual clothes ready for the training that lies ahead.
Upon arrival along with the other cadets in the same class, the cadet is given a room and is also measured up for and provided with their general all-purpose jump-suit. By this time the cadet will know which branch that they have chosen as their career and will begin their four-year honours degree-equivalent course. All cadets will be together for the core course training which for the first 5 weeks will be the physical training.
Physical training at Starfleet Academy consists of long marches, gym work and a wide selection of sports. By the end of the four years, it is not uncommon for the cadet to be proficient in a dozen or more sports. Every year there is the Academy Marathon that takes place on Danula II, a hot, arid M-class planet within the Federation. During all of this initial physical exercise, the cadet is expected to familiarise themselves with the rules and regulations of the Starfleet and to learn how to keep their uniform and equipment in pristine condition. Cadets will regularly have their kit and quarters inspected in order to ensure that they learn discipline and the necessary mindset to perform their job at their best. At first glance, the initial training would not seem too dissimilar to the boot camps and military training facilities of 20th Century Earth, but this is due to the desired outcome of a well-disciplined and effective Starfleet Officer and the ancient military officers is not that different.
After the initial physical training, Starfleet Training Command must ascertain the leadership potential of the Officer Cadets. Although only the Command division cadets are initially going straight into command-oriented areas of operation, all Starfleet officers by definition must possess leadership skill and be able to use them in an effective manner. From weeks 5 - 11 of the 1st year, Starfleet cadets are separated into teams of up to 10 cadets. Each of these flights will be under the supervision of an experienced 4th year cadet. This cadet will operate as their Flight Commander and will supervise the next area of training which is the induction course on leadership. All styles of leadership are covered: autocratic, democratic and by committee. The strengths and weaknesses of all these styles will be discussed. This will lead onto time and personnel management tasks that will examine how well cadets can manage the resources at their disposal in the most effective manner. As the cadet becomes more experienced in the art of leadership, so the level of difficulty and intricacy of the tasks that they will be required to perform will increase. The exercises will move from the classroom to both the simulators and the external environment. Each exercise is monitored by the Flight commander and the instructors of the Academy. The cadets are fully briefed and de-briefed for each and every task and thorough and honest feedback provided on their performance. Constructive guidelines are also given to the cadets in order to highlight where and how they can improve their performance. Every opportunity is given for the cadet to demonstrate the skills they possess.
Week 12-13 sees the cadet given practical testing that thoroughly tests the leadership skills that they have been given over the last few weeks. The cadets will be placed in a field environment and given various leadership tasks to perform. The performance of the cadet will be vital at this stage, failure will almost certainly result in the cadet resitting the module and may well end the road for some cadets [33% of cadets withdraw from training in the first year].
Weeks 14 - 17 see the cadets trained in general service knowledge. Basic Starfleet History, Starfleet Regulations as well as an overview of the Starfleet and it's place in the United Federation of Planets are given to the cadet in a series of lectures and seminars. The cadets also demonstrate their oral skills prowess by giving a presentation on the topic of their choice. Cadets are now encouraged to behave as junior officers, as opposed to cadets. Cadets by now will follow their own personal fitness routine, designed to best suit their individual needs.
Specialisation
Week 18 sees the cadets split up for their individual specialist training. The physical and command aspects of their training will now continue at a steady pace for the next four years, but they will now have the specialist training lectures and seminars incorporated into their schedules. Now the cadets will have to cope with their particular subject courses and the out-of-hours requirements attached therein. At this point there are just five schools open to the cadets: Sciences, Engineering, Security, Medical and Special Services. the sixth option, Command School, is only open to the finest of the cadets in Year Three.
Sciences College.
Sciences College is located in the Hawking Building of the Starfleet Academy campus. The sciences division covers all aspects of sciences including: Biological, Chemical, Physics, Archeology, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, to name but a few. The head of the Sciences College is currently Commander Suran. Commander Suran is the Vulcan former sciences officer of the U.S.S. Lexington.
Engineering College.
This is located in the newly-refurbished Zephram Cochrane Building. The Engineering College covers all aspects of engineering including Theories, Concepts, Technologies and Applications. The current Head of Engineering School is Captain Thoresen, formally of Starfleet Research and Development.
Medical College.
This is the Starfleet Academy arm of the much-larger Starfleet Medical. Starfleet Medical College has a smaller presence at the academy campus than the size of course would imply. Starfleet Medical training takes eight years - twice as long as the usual Starfleet academy training course. Most Medical graduates are aged in the 26 year-old range. Medical College also supplements the other colleges by training cadets in the vital skills of First Aid and Battlefield Trauma Treatment. The facilities at the college have recently been updated to the latest standard, as ordered by Admiral McCoy, current Head of Starfleet Medical. Doctor (Captain) Isana Turani is the current Head of Starfleet Medical's Training division at Starfleet Academy. The college covers all aspects of medical operation from First Aid to complicated neurosurgery, gene therapy and biotechnology. Medical College has the reputation of being one of the wilder colleges on campus. Whether it is the result of the longer course, or just of the resourcefulness of medical students, but they certainly have the reputation as party animals. The social and sexual conquesting that goes on in the medical college halls is legendary. Most cadets at some point or another wish they were involved in the social life of Starfleet Medical College. Some of the more resourceful or lucky ones find other means of entry into this wild social life of the medics. Medical school is perhaps one of the most unforgiving of the schools, as you are taught to save lives - something that never gives you a second chance.
Security College.
This is located in the Surak Building [often unofficially called the "School of the Red-Shirters"]. This School teached the Security Division cadet all he or she will ever need to know about security. From physical instruction in unarmed combat to the use of every defensive piece of equipment in the Starfleet arsenal. All aspects of security theory and combat strategy are taught, from small unit tactics to starships combat manoevres. Security College has often been cited as the second hardest school in the Academy after the Command College, due to the physical and mental demands that are simultaneously placed on the cadet. In security school there is rarely a second chance. The current Head of Security College is Lt. Commander Matsui Yoshida, formally the Security Chief aboard the U.S.S. Achilles.
Special Services College.
This college is often referred to as the "School of the Miscellaneous". This school covers those fields that cannot be classified under the other schools. Fields taught at this school include: Cooks, Barbers, Beauticians, Musicians, Entertainers, P.T Instructors, and Laundry personnel. Lt. Commander Shereena Dalmaya is currently the Head of this school, the Chief P.T. instructor for the Academy. The school of Special Services is one of the largest schools in the Academy, if only for the wide area that it covers. The school contains the best equipped gymnasium in the Academy and boasts the best sporting facilities in the Federation. All cadets use these facilities, but it is the Special Services school that actually owns them, using them for the teaching of Physical Instruction. All sports are covered in these facilities including football, rugby, gymnastics, martial arts of all types and track-and-field sports. It has been argued by more than one cadet in the past that "this is the School that knows how to party!", and indeed the Annual School Ball at the School of Special Services does boast the best home-grown music and well-presented, dance-crazy cadets. This school teaches all the finer aspects of etiquette, and most Starfleet Officers spend some time here when brushing up on their manners and self-presentation. this is so that they may be respectable in all diplomatic situations.
The Launching Pad
The favourite watering hole of Starfleet Cadets is The Launching Pad. This establishment serves beverages from across the Federation and is always a focus for singing, drinking, Dom Jot, group meetings and the odd moment of quiet contemplation during "periods of social stresses and development of personality" (kinder terms used for relationships, falling in love and being dumped... all parts of Academy life..). the Launching Pad is a place where all cadets will end up at some time during their four year training. Many famous cadets have passed through this bar, and more famous cadets are sure to follow them. The Launching pad offers an escape from the vigours and rigours of life at the Academy and offers a chance to unwind and think about other things for a while...
Command College
Command College - place of dreams realised and of dreams destroyed. It has been said on many an occasion that "No one joins Starfleet to just be a commander - only to be a Captain". Command College is the destination in the minds of most cadets - some would say of all. The Third Year of Starfleet Academy sees all of the potential Command College recruits placed in the main lecure theatre and addressed by the commandant and one or more senior captains of Starfleet. Past lecturing Captains have included Robert April, Christopher Pike, James T. Kirk, Spock, "Achilles" Stirling and Hikaru Sulu. All have shared their insights of command with the cadets. All have warned that the success rate in the Command College is low, the courses are deliberately hard and the attrition rate is much, much higher than anywhere else in Starfleet Academy.
Command College cadets must prove that they have a higher-than-average ability to lead a group. It is one thing to say that Starfleet officer cadets must have a leadership ability, but command division cadets are the prospective captains of the future. These individuals will be polaced in positions of high responsibility from their first days out of the Academy. Command College cadets are given a great deal of respect- and rightly so - as these cadets must prove themselves worthy of the uniform that they wear to a greater degree than others (as could be argued). Command College cadets take the centre seat in the Bridge simulator and are cast into the fires of command responsibility as they learn that the buck stops with them.
One of the most famous things about the Academy is the Bridge simulator. This simulator was based on the time-honoured Constitution class starship bridge layout, but was recently upgraded to Excelsior-class standards to reflect the new century. The bridge simulator is where all Command College cadets get to find out how they really handle the pressure, especially in the infamous Kobayashi Maru simulation. To date, Captain James T. Kirk is the only person to ever beat this simulation. This is the crucible in which the captains of tomorrow are forged. The simulator is so real, that the only way to be more real than the simulator would be to make the simulated damage actually fatal. The simulator is programmed with a set of standard simulations, as well as programmable aspects that can generate new mission for the starship commanders to face, matching the current environments encountered in the Federation, it's borders and the depths of virgin, unexplored space.
Further information on extra-curricular training:
Starfleet Academy team-building training aboard the J-Class Sloop Inspiration.
Starfleet Academy Nova Squadron Display Team.
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