Reserve Officers Training Corps

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The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) programs are elective programs for students who desire commissions in the armed forces. The objective is to develop professional officers who have varied educational backgrounds in major fields of interest and have the professional knowledge and standards needed for future growth. Although the aim in each service is the same, the individual programs differ because of varying responsibilities assigned newly commissioned officers and differing plans of continuing education.

Program benefits are available only to students who meet the requirements and standards of the particular branch of the armed forces sponsoring the ROTC unit. Each armed services/ROTC program has its own requirements and standards.

Students who satisfy the requirements for baccalaureate degrees become eligible for commissions on completion of the applicable ROTC program. ROTC programs are undertaken concurrently with baccalaureate degree studies, with the following provisions:

• Certain courses approved by the appropriate ROTC department chairman may be substituted for ROTC courses to fulfill ROTC program requirements.

• An ROTC educational program must incorporate the course work that leads to a commission. In addition, any student may take ROTC courses as free electives. Although there is no fixed limit to the number of ROTC courses that can count toward a baccalaureate degree, at least six credit hours of courses in ROTC may be counted as general elective credits in the appropriate baccalaureate program. Only the student’s curriculum and faculty adviser limits the number of ROTC credit hours applied to a degree. However, an ROTC course should not replace a humanities and social sciences core course (unless the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences accepts a specific course for this purpose). Also an ROTC course should not replace a technical elective (unless a specific course is accepted for this purpose by the student’s department chairperson).
• Cross-Registration: The home institution may limit the number of credit hours and/or grades to be applied. Refer to home institution catalog.

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