Department of Military Science
Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
The U. S. Army sponsors the Department of Military Science for those students seeking to obtain a commission as an officer in the Active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. The department is staffed with skilled professional commissioned and non-commissioned officers with a variety of leadership experiences. The curriculum is part classroom and part hands-on with students actively participating in leadership roles. Textbooks and other required materials are furnished to the student at no charge.
Benefits and Career/Job Placement
The Department of Military Science offers two, three, and four year scholarships for qualified students. You can major in any field you choose. As a Scholarship Cadet, your scholarship will either pay for your room and board or your tuition and fees. All Scholarship Cadets receive a book allowance and a monthly stipend based on their year in school. (Freshmen $300, Sophomores $350, Juniors $450, and Seniors $500).
Non-scholarship Cadets can contract their junior year and receive a monthly stipend and pay for attending the Cadet Leader Course.
Students who are serving in the Army Reserve or National Guard while attending school can participate in the Simultaneous Membership Program and contract their sophomore year. This program offers enlisted Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers the opportunity to commission as a Second Lieutenant when they graduate with a bachelor's degree. Simultaneous Membership Program Cadets receive the monthly stipend through ROTC and their tuition is paid by their Reserve Force benefits.
As a newly commissioned active duty Second Lieutenant, your yearly pay and benefits include:
- Base Pay $34,516.80
- Basic Allowance for Housing Average: $15,660.00 (Non-taxable)
- Basic Allowance for Subsistence: $2,911.20 (Non-taxable)
- Full Health Care Coverage
- Yearly salary: $53,088.00
Basic Course
The basic course consists of ten semester hours (six lectures and four hour labs) and covers general military subjects. It is open to all full-time students enrolled in a four-year baccalaureate degree program or two-year graduate program and requires no obligation to the U. S. Army. Military Science courses 1215, 1215L, 1216, 1216L, 2225, 2225L, 2226, and 2226L comprise the basic course. It is optional for students to also enroll in 4419 or 4429 unless they are contracted and then it is a mandatory part of the basic course. Students that are veterans or members of the National Guard or Army Reserve may be exempted from the basic course at the discretion of the Professor of Military Science.
Cadet Initial Entry Training
Students who desire to enroll in the advanced course but were unable to complete the basic course may attend the Cadet Initial Entry Training Course (2420) at Ft. Knox, Kentucky during the summer. The course lasts for thirty days. Students will receive pay, transportation, housing, meals, and medical care while in attendance.
Advanced Course
The advanced course consists of twenty-four semester hours (twelve lecture, nine lab, and three internship hours) and completion of the Cadet Leader Course. The advanced course is open only to students that have completed the basic course, the Cadet Initial Entry Course, or that have received an exemption from the Professor of Military Science. Students enrolled in the advanced course must be contracted or ready to contract. Required courses are 3231, 3231L, 3232, 3232L, 3415, 4225, 4245, 4245L, 4429, 4795, and 4795L. Subjects include training in leadership, management, physical fitness, and general military subjects. The Cadet Leader Course (3415) at Ft. Knox, Kentucky lasts for five weeks. Nurses may also participate in the Nurse Summer Training program (3416) during which time they will spend three weeks training at an Army medical facility. Students will receive pay, transportation, housing, meals, and medical care while in attendance. Upon successful completion of the advanced course, students will receive a commission to Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, Army Reserve, or National Guard. They will also be eligible for a minor in Military Science.
