What is ROTC?

Army ROTC is an elective curriculum you take along with your required college classes. It gives you the leadership training and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive environment. You will have a normal college student experience like everyone else on campus, but when you graduate, you will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. At that point, you will have a wide range of interest areas you can specialize in, called branches.

Learn more about Branches and Specialties at the official Army website.

For more detailed information and specific contact information, visit the Virtual Branching Office website.

Who Are We Looking For?

Those who succeed in the Army ROTC program are students who excel and want something more out of the college experience. Generally, these students are scholars who keep their grades up, athletes who are physically strong, and leaders who have a great desire to learn. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA each semester to be in ROTC.  Students are required to meet or exceed all Army Standards prior to appointment and comissioning as an Army Officer.  For example, future Army Officers must be a United States Citizen, complete the Army ROTC Program of Instruction, pass a Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board Qualified Physical, gain a Secret or Top Secret security clerance, pass the Army Combat Fitness Test and meet Army Body Composition Standards in accordance with AR 600-9, a Bachelors Degree must be conferred, and Cadets must all take a urinalysis with a negative result prior to earning their comission as an Army Second Lieutenant.  

How Does This Work?

Army ROTC courses are divided into the Basic Course and the Advanced Course.

The Basic Course comprises elective courses that you can participate in during your Freshman (Courses: Fall MISC 101, Spring MISC 102) and Sophomore (Courses: Fall MISC 200, Spring MISC 201) undergraduate years without any obligation to join the Army. Any student with an interest in ROTC or leadership opportunities within higher education may participate in these courses to satisfy elective course credits within their degree works. As a student in the Basic Course, you will have many opportunities to develop yourself as a future leader of your organization, your community, and your country.

The Advanced Course comprises courses that must be taken by ROTC Cadets in order to graduate and commission as a United States Army Officer. Students who decide to contract with ROTC take these courses during their Junior (Courses: Fall MISC 301, Spring MISC 302) and Senior years (Courses: Fall MISC 401, Spring MISC 402) or a Fifth Year (Courses: Fall MISC 498, Spring MISC 499) or during their two years as a graduate student. These courses are not open for non-contracted students to take as an elective for their degree works; students must be contracted within Army ROTC to commission as a United States Army Officer in order to take these courses and must take courses in sequence to fulfill prerequisite requirements. A student must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent resident with eligibility to receive U.S. citizenship upon graduation.

Army ROTC students who enter the Army ROTC Advanced Course or receive an Army ROTC scholarship must agree to complete a period of service with the Army by contracting as a Cadet within the Department of Military Science.

• You can serve full time in the Army for three years (four years for scholarship winners)
• Selected Cadets may choose to serve part time in the U.S. Army Reserve or Army National Guard while pursuing a civilian career

ROTC is an experience that you can't get anywhere else, and your leadership skills will be challenged every day. Contact our Recruiting Operations Officer within the Department of Military Science for more specific details on your Army ROTC service commitment.