Academic Programs Catalog

To enroll in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, the student must:

1. Be of good moral character.
2. Be a citizen of the United States. (Foreign nationals may enroll by special request.)
3. Be enrolled as a full–time student at Michigan State University.
4. Execute an oath of loyalty to the United States.
5. Not be a conscientious objector.

Additional requirements exist for Advanced Course participation. Contact the Department of Military Science for specific information.

The department provides students with Army uniforms and equipment required for military training. Students also receive all textbooks required for Military Science classes from the department. Upon graduation or dis-enrollment, students must return all materials and equipment to the department.

The ROTC program offers four-year, three-year, and two-year scholarships to qualified students. An Army ROTC scholarship can provide all or most of the tuition and fees at Michigan State University.  The scholarship also provides an allowance for text books. Scholarship students also receive a monthly allowance for up to ten months per year ranging from $300 to $500. Scholarship students must meet university admissions criteria.

The Basic Course, normally completed in the freshman and sophomore years, provides the student with a general knowledge of the military's role in our society, and the missions of the Army.  It is possible for a sophomore to complete the Basic Course in one year through prior arrangement with the department. Non-scholarship students incur no military obligation for participating in or completing the Basic Course. Successful completion of the Basic Course is a prerequisite for enrollment in the ROTC Advanced course.  Additionally, selected sophomores and juniors can also qualify for the Basic Course by completing ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox, KY in the summer, or through prior military service, either active or reserve.

The Advanced Course is the professional phase of the ROTC program. The Advanced Course includes courses in leadership skills, training and personnel management, ethics, military justice, and military tactics. Students must complete a military history course through the Department of Military Science or through another approved list of MSU approved courses. Military Science IV students must complete a department approved staff ride during their final year of studies. Finally, all Advanced Course cadets must meet the Army standards for physical fitness and height/weight requirements. All Advanced Course students must attend a four–week Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, KY.  Students normally attend the Advanced Camp the summer between their junior and senior years.

Upon satisfactory completion of the Advanced Course requirements and the awarding of the bachelor's degree, the student is eligible for a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, the U.S. Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard.

Selected students participating in the ROTC program may attend Airborne, Air Assault, Sapper Leader Course, Mountain Warfare, or Northern Warfare training. Additionally, selected students have the opportunity to participate in a Project Global Officer, Nurse Summer Training Program, or Cadet Troop Leadership Training in which they perform the duties of an officer at an Army installation. Non–scholarship students in the Advanced Course may elect to serve as officer trainees in local National Guard and Army Reserve units, thereby receiving additional training, experience, and financial support while attending college.

 

Students with previous collegiate military training may receive transfer credit for corresponding Military Science courses completed satisfactorily in a senior division ROTC unit in another college or university. Students with prior military service may enroll for Advanced Course training. See www.armyrotc.msu.edu.