Military Science/ROTC

The U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program is offered at Mount St. Mary’s in partnership with the military science department at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. Graduates of the program are commissioned as Army officers with the rank of second lieutenant. ROTC graduates typically serve four years active duty with the U.S. Army. Cadets can apply for service with the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard in lieu of active duty service.

Military science courses are designed to acquaint students with the military and its role in society, build good citizens, and prepare advanced students for future service as military officers. All freshman and sophomore military science courses are taught at Mount St. Mary’s, while junior and senior courses are usually taught at McDaniel College. Freshman and sophomore military science courses make up the ROTC Basic Course. The Basic Course is open to all Mount students. Students can complete the first two years of ROTC without obligating themselves to military service. Junior and senior military science courses make up the ROTC Advanced Course. The Advanced Course is open only to cadets preparing to be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard upon graduation from college.

All ROTC cadets attend periodic leadership laboratories designed to provide experiential learning in military skills such as rappelling, rifle marksmanship, first aid, patrolling, radio communications and water survival. ROTC Advanced Course cadets receive additional leadership training during five-week ROTC summer camps. All Advanced Course cadets attend the Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) at Fort Lewis, Wash., between their junior and senior years. Advanced Course cadets who enter the two-year ROTC commissioning program at the end of their sophomore year also attend the Leaders Training Course (LTC) at Fort Campbell, Ky., during the summer between their sophomore and junior years.

Students can compete for two-, three- or four-year ROTC scholarships. ROTC scholarships pay full tuition and fees (housing and board fees are not included); $1,200 per year for books; and a monthly stipend during the academic year. Stipend amounts are $300 per month for freshmen, $350 per month for sophomores, $450 per month for juniors and $500 per month for seniors. Students can apply for an ROTC scholarship during their senior year in high school or during their freshman or sophomore year in college.

All ROTC scholarship cadets, along with non-scholarship cadets who enroll in the ROTC Advanced Course, incur a military service obligation following graduation. Non-scholarship cadets enrolled in the Advanced Course receive a $450 per month stipend during their junior year and a $500 per month stipend during their senior year.

Mount ROTC cadets can participate in the Ranger Platoon. The Ranger Platoon is a cadet-led organization that specializes in adventure training such as rappelling, patrolling, mountain operations and river operations. Once a year the Ranger Platoon competes against other Ranger Platoon teams from other schools in a two-day event called Ranger Challenge.

Students completing the four-year ROTC commissioning program take MSCI 101, MSCI 102, MSCI 201, MSCI 202, MSCI 301, MSCI 302, MSCI 310, MSCI 401 and MSCI 402. Students completing the two-year ROTC commissioning program take MSCI 210, MSCI 301, MSCI 302, MSCI 310, MSCI 401 and MSCI 402.

Following commissioning, new Army officers serve in a variety of fields, including aviation, medical services, personnel, finance, intelligence, communications, infantry, artillery, armor, law enforcement and engineering.

For more information, call 301-447-5350 or see the ROTC battalion website at http://www.mcdaniel.edu/rotc.htm.

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