User:FruitLoop/Sandbox/Starfleet Academy

While founded in 2140s to train United Earth Starfleet personnel, Starfleet Academy became the primary service academy of the Federation Starfleet as of 2161. The Academy's official motto is Ex Astris, Scientia which translates to from the stars, knowledge in Old Earth Latin. Noncommissioned officers do not attend Starfleet Academy, but rather study specialized fast track programs at the Starfleet Technical Services Academy on Mars.

History

Though Starfleet has been around since the days of United Earth, the Academy began its commitment to excellence in 2161 at the founding of the Federation. It was charged with preparing the member species to serve in Starfleet and to shape them into worthy Federation representatives who would explore the frontiers of space. Today the Academy continues the same traditions established more than two centuries ago, traditions of duty, honor, and above all, truth.

Beginnings

Naturally, the Academy began at the beginning of Starfleet itself. Part of the Federation Charter formed Starfleet shortly after the end of the Earth-Romulan War and the establishment of the Romulan Neutral Zone. A combination of explorers, diplomatic corps, and defense force, Starfleet was the most ambitious organization ever began by the founding members. Its mission, "to boldly go where no one has gone before", embodied Starfleet's member's collective ideals of peacefully exploring the galaxy and meeting new races and ideas. The Academy was founded to bring this idea to life.

San Francisco has been selected as the host city for the Starfleet Headquarters, thus placing the Academy at San Francisco as well. Earth possessed the most extensive shipbuilding and dry-dock facilities after the Earth-Romulan War and these were perfect for establishing Starfleet as soon as possible. Earth's environment was also the most suitable for the various races to live and work together, being cold enough for the Andorians and warm enough for the Vulcans and construction began immediately.

Before the campus was finished and the first cadets trained, Starfleet included officers and volunteers from the Federation's original member worlds. Officers from the Tellarite Defense Force were working with graduates of the Andorian Military Institute and the old Earth Starfleet. Each world donated ships and personnel to form the initial fleet.

Each race also provided different preparation for its personnel. The first Starfleet crews and ships varied widely on levels of training and technology. Officers used equipment that was sometimes unfamiliar to them and worked with new races they've never seen, all struggling to create something greater in the whole than they were alone. The Vulcans did not take part initially, having difficulties dealing with more emotional species in the chaotic environment of a starship. Starfleet's first years were the most challenging of diversity and misunderstanding, one its officers met with openness, discipline, and patience.

The Academy itself assumed the task of taking these varied species and teaching them to work together. This was accomplished by creating a uniform training schedule that provided the skills they needed to succeed. The first cadets trained on equipment and starships provided by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers at the San Francisco Starfleet Yards.

The training program promoted trust, cooperation, and acceptance among the various races. Starfleet was one of the first areas where the founders of the Federation met and worked together. Over time the Academy's proven success helped bring the first Vulcan cadets to Starfleet and has since attracted new cadets from more than a hundred different species. It continues to provide a place of acceptance of new peoples and new ideas, helping integrate them into the Federation's most esteemed institution--Starfleet.

Later Years

SFA's history reflects the history of the Federation itself. As the Federation continued to grow and change, so too did the Academy. The core values of the Academy remained the same, but its techniques and curriculum continued to adapt, reflecting the demands of new cultures and species that were joining the Federation, and the new technologies they shared. One example was the Betazoids, who were telepathic and were outstanding counselors. Telepathy courses were added to account for this, allowing both the Betazoids to develop it further, and the other students to hear it if they had the psi ability and the capability to be taught.

Starfleet personnel developed and discovered many other innovations, giving the Academy access to the cutting edge of scientific and technological advances, and cadets often trained on vessels such as Constitution-class, Sovereign-class and Vesta-class vessels before they were released into service.

After several disastrous first contacts, new courses were introduced, such as Prime Directive and First Contact. With the installment of the Prime Directive, it became a mandatory course for cadets at the Academy. This directive served to protect the Federation and also expanded its frontiers. Eventually the Federation and Klingon Empire made peace and the Academy accepted its first Klingon cadet in 2357. Over the years, many other species had first cadets into the Academy, including the Ferengi.

Over the years, Starfleet's curriculum expanded to incorporate more sciences, the anatomies of more aliens, and advances in starship tactics and strategy. Advancements made in the field were sent back to the Academy to be taught to the next generation of officers. Starfleet Academy has also learned to protect itself from dangers in the classroom such as accidents aboard training ships and in the field with the GAC.

Following its retirement in 2277, the first USS Enterprise was listed as a training vessel for the Academy, and many other famous vessels have followed the same path as this esteemed starship. It is a great honor for a starship to be an Academy vessel as cadets must be taught to be the best. Each ship is commanded by an Academy faculty members who then instruct and aid the cadets in working on the systems "Battles" are staged between training ships to aid the cadets in learning combat as much as possible. However, nothing can prepare them for the self-sacrifice and courage they must bring to a real battle, such as those in the various wars including the Dominion War. Many freshly-graduated officers died in that war as well as many veterans, a statistic Starfleet is still trying to recover from.

The Academy grew with Starfleet and the Federation and facilities were expanded and satellite campuses added over the years to include new advanced schools, particular the Medical and Advanced Engineering Schools. The main campus has expanded to meet the needs of a larger student body, with new dormitories and classrooms but has also benefited from the latest technology such as holosuite simulators that provide cadets with opportunities to train safely under simulated field conditions.

Along the way Starfleet Academy was always at the forefront of techniques in education, research, sciences, technology, and the arts of strategy, diplomacy and leadership. Many of the foremost leaders in Federation history served as faculty members for the Academy such as Spock, Kirk, and Pike. The Academy provides research facilities for noted scholars to advance their work while they pass on their knowledge and experience to Starfleet cadets. Aas each new species and planet joined the Federation, the Academy brought many of their finest representatives into Starfleet, fulfilling its ideal of the motto, Ex Astris, Scientia: "From the Stars, Knowledge".

The Academy has graduated millions of officers since its founding, from more than one hundred different species, all learning to work together for a common goal. Many of these officers have become key figures in Federation history, discovering new worlds and civilizations, winning wars in defense of the Federation, expanding the frontiers of science, and embodying Starfleet's core values of honor, truth, and duty. It remains one of the Federation's most important institutions and teaches future generations of Starfleet officers the skills that empower them to follow in their predecessors' footsteps, upholding the ideals of Starfleet and the Federation. The Academy Superintendent and the faculties carry the responsibility of ensuring the cadets under their supervision become the finest officers they can.

Locations

The headquarters of the Starfleet Academy is located in the Presidio San Francisco adjacent to Starfleet Headquarters. The actual training facilities, its many annexes, satellite locations, associated schools and training ranges are scattered throughout the galaxy. Each location boasts similar features such as parade grounds, student housing, test facilities, admissions building, academics buildings, research laboratories, athletic center, recreational facilities, student services building, chapel, instructor housing, dining halls, wellness centers, student commons, sports complex, gallery, amphitheatre, lecture theatres, holodecks, athletic fields and dedicated shuttle pads. Most campuses require a pass for leave campus, as well as a curfew.

Starfleet Academy's main campus can be found on Earth, just south of the Academy's headquarters in Sausalito, California. Additional Annexes of note are the Beta Aquilae II Annex in the Beta Aquilae system, the Beta Ursae Minor II Annex in the Beta Ursae Minor system and the Psi Upsilon III Annex in the Psi Upsilon system. Additional training grounds for supplemental or post graduate education include the Sol system such as the Academy Flight Range on Mimas, the Relva VII Testing Center or one of the post-graduate campuses such as the Starfleet Medical Academy, Starfleet Command School, Starfleet Marine Corps Academy and the Advanced Tactical Training School.

Admission

Potential candidates are required to apply to Starfleet Academy in order to be considered for admission. Non-Federation citizens require a command level officer to sponsor their application in order to be eligible for entry level testing. Once the application has been accepted, candidates undergo a battery of competitive exams, including a rigorous psychological review before a portion of the top applicants are moved on to the next stage of preparatory programs. Should an applicant fail to pass the required exams with sufficient scores, the candidate may reapply the following year and repeat the process a total of three times. If a cadet fails to pass the entry level exams after three attempts, they are barred from further attempts without the expressed permission of a board of education. The minimum age for enrollment for human candidates is 16 without a parent's consent.

A six week preparatory program follows in which the candidates are physically, emotionally and mentally prepared to face the rigors of being a Starfleet Officer. Often compared to basic training that old Earth military used to condition potential soldiers, the prep program includes orientation, individual and team exercises, frequent drills, medical and dental examinations, a physical fitness test and several personal courses on managing the aspects of civilian life that will be left behind should a candidate pass on to the third phase of admission: the entrance exam.

The entrance exam is a comprehensive computerized test that not only sets the basis of a candidate's placement scores, but limits the initial training that a student can apply for. In order to deviate from this course, a student must secure the written permission of a department head or retest in the specific area and rank an appropriate score for consideration. This test may be attempted twice, after which a board of education must grant the candidate permission to attempt the test one final time. Failure to pass with scores high enough to transfer into a desired field does not block a candidate from the Academy. It simply limits what classes may be chosen. The test can be retaken once per school semester for consideration into higher level classes or to branch off into different specializations.

Once the entrance exam has been taken, a student is then free to enroll in classes as approved by placement tests or as prescribed by an academic advisor. The very end of a student's fourth year is rounded out with their three month long cadet cruise, after which they are assigned to post or continue on with post graduate studies. For most candidates this is just the beginning of four, five, six or eight years spent at the Starfleet Academy or one of its post-graduate colleges.

Academy Life

Studying

Many students participate in multi-racial varsity team sports sponsored by the Academy including baseball, boxing, martial arts, pareses squares, track and field, swimming and wrestling. A number of sports clubs have become traditional standbys in and around the athletic fields, such as the Marathon Club and the European Swordsmanship Club. arts

Training Vessels

USS Valiant, USS Republic, USS Moray, USS Windward

Notable Courses

• General Courses
  • Classic Human Studies
  • Classic Klingon Studies
  • Classic Vulcan Studies
  • Diagnostics
  • Earth History
  • Elementary Latin
  • Ethics in the 24th Century
  • Federation History
  • Federation Law
  • Finite Mathematics
  • First Contact
  • General Physics
  • History of Starfleet
  • Intergalactic Literature
  • Interspecies Protocol
  • Logic
  • First Aid
  • First Aid II
  • Moral and Ethical Issues
  • Peoples and Cultures of the Federation
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Politics and Society
  • Museum Studies
  • Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos
  • Perspectives on Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
  • Public Speaking
  • Prime Directive
  • Self Defense
  • Simulated Scenarios: Special Topics
  • Survival Strategies Ground Element
  • Survival Strategies Shipboard
  • Systems and Theories of Rhetoric
• Counseling Courses
  • Post-Traumatic Psych
  • Psychotherapy
  • Semiotics
  • Telepathic Historiography
• Diplomatic Courses
  • Argumentation
  • Diplomatic Protocol
  • Interspecies Protocol II
  • Interstellar Political Organization
  • Klingon Politics
  • Xenoculture
  • Xenoettiquette
• Engineering Courses
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Basic Warp Design
  • Civil Engineering
  • History of Technology
  • Warp Theory
  • Material Engineering
  • Matter/Energy Fabrication
  • Mechanics
  • Multidimensional Calculus
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Optronic Systems Engineer
  • Plasma Physics
  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Relativistic Mechanics
  • Replication Sciences
  • Robotics
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Starship Engineering
  • Warp Engineering
  • Warp Physics
  • Technoanthropology
• Flight Control Courses
  • Astrography
  • Avionics
  • Basic Helm
  • Helm Control
  • Navigation
  • Small Craft Piloting
  • Subspace Mechanics
• Intelligence Courses
  • Cryptology
  • Forensics
• Operations Courses
  • Collaborative Computing
  • Communication Systems
  • History of Technology
  • Matrix Translation Programming
  • Multidimensional Calculus
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Starbase Engineering
  • Transporter Theory
• Tactical Courses
  • Historical Perspectives on Military Tactics
  • Intrasystem Peacekeeping Protocol
  • Self-Defense II
  • Starship Combat
  • Tactical Analysis
• Security Courses
  • Anatomical and Forensic Pathology
  • Forensics
  • Internal Security
  • Self-Defense II
  • Unarmed Combat I
  • Zero-G
• Marine Courses
  • Combat Strategy
  • Deomolitions
  • Historical Perspectives on Military Tactics
  • Marksmanship
  • Medic
  • Ranged Combat
  • Ranged Combat II
  • Self-Defense II
  • Self-Defense III
  • Small Unit Tactics
  • Small Unit Tactics II
  • Unarmed Combat I
  • Unarmed Combat II
• Medical Courses
  • Anatomy
  • Biochemistry
  • Biochemical and Molecular Biology
  • Exocellular Biology
  • Humanoid Anatomy
  • Immunology
  • Klingon Physiology
  • Medic
  • Medic II
  • Medical Laboratory Sciences
  • Medical Moral and Ethical Issues
  • Microbiology
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Principles of Exobiology
  • Prinicples of Genetics
  • Virology
• Science Courses
  • Ancient Literature and the Formation of Culture
  • Ancient Philosophy
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Astrotheory
  • Astrophysicas
  • Astrosciences
  • Biological Oceanography
  • Botany
  • Chemistry
  • Communications and Social Order
  • Comparative Xenobiology
  • Cultural and Social Anthropology
  • Elemenary Temporal Mechanics
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Exoarchaeology
  • Exoanthropological Field Research
  • Exobiology
  • Exochemistry
  • Hydrology
  • Linguistic Analysis
  • Linguistics
  • Matrix Translation Programming
  • Microbiology
  • Multiculturalism
  • Multidimensional Calculus
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Paleoclimate Analysis
  • Principles of Biology
  • Principles of Exobiology
  • Principles of Geology
  • Probability Mechanics
  • Protosceinces
  • Quantative Methods for Historians
  • Quantative Chemistry
  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Relativistic Mechanics
  • Phonology
  • Sociobiology
  • Sociolinguistic Survey
  • Stellar Cartography
  • Subspace Geometry
  • Temporal Mechanics
  • Terraforming Theories and Impact
  • World Ethnography
  • Xenoculture
  • Zoology