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Overview
The Department of Military Science provides a program of leader development which prepares college men and women for service as officers in the United States Army. After graduation, they serve as commissioned officers on active duty, in the Army Reserves, or in the Army National Guard. To accomplish this, the department:
- Prepares Cadets to be commissioned as Second Lieutenants through a curriculum which develops leadership skills and provides opportunities to use these skills in a variety of experiential learning environments.
- Provides an understanding of how to lead and influence small organizations, with a strong emphasis on character, personal integrity, adaptability, critical thinking, innovation, agility, ethical decision making, goal setting, and mission accomplishment.
- Offers individual training including rappelling, land-navigation, marksmanship, and, for selected students, airborne, air assault, or combat diver training. Army sponsored international programs for cultural awareness and language training as well as internships with Army units and federal agencies worldwide are also offered during the summer.
- In conjunction with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, provides programs and experiences which increase self-confidence, self-discipline, physical stamina, resilience, and other attributes essential to the development of a leader of character--one who is prepared to serve the nation or community either in or out of uniform.
The curriculum and leader development programs of the Department of Military Science are mentally and physically challenging. Cadets learn individual soldier skills and participate in physical conditioning for all four years. On-campus instruction is done both in the classroom and in the field environment. Lab training and leadership development exercises expand the general knowledge of Cadets and provide opportunities for practical leadership experience. A six-week leadership development and assessment course (Advanced Camp) is mandatory the summer between junior and senior year; the course is held at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
- Military Science I (freshmen) includes the semesters Introduction to the Army and Foundations of Leadership. Cadets learn about the U.S. Army and the Profession of Arms, with a focus on the Army Values, the Warrior Ethos, and basic leadership and Soldier skills. Later Cadets are introduced to battle drills and squad tactics, critical thinking and communications skills, as well as the Army's model for holistic health and fitness.
- Military Science II (sophomores) includes the semesters Leadership and Ethics and Army Doctrine and Decision Making. In this year, Cadets focus more on leadership and team building, with continued focus on Soldier fundamentals, and a deeper look at Army Values in the context of ethics and the law of land warfare. Later Cadets are introduced to the Army problem solving process, troop leading procedures, analytical skills, Joint and Army doctrine, and tactical skills at the platoon level.
- Military Science III (juniors) includes the semesters Training Management and the Warfighting Functions and Applied Leadership in Small Unit Operations. Cadets examine and apply the individual and collective leadership skills to lead a platoon formation (up to 40 personnel) and train on giving and receiving peer evaluations, the fundamentals of organizational training management, and how the Army operates through the Warfighting Functions (such as mission command, movement and maneuver and intelligence).
- Military Science IV (seniors) includes the semesters The Army Officer and Company Grade Leadership. This year is the final preparation for Cadets to serve as commissioned officers and builds on and reinforces all the training and education from the previous three years.
- Military Science V (fifth-year Cadets) includes a Field Study for Cadets requiring a fifth year to graduate. Cadets in their fifth year will continue to train and lead other Cadets as they prepare to be commissioned officers in the United States Army.
Army ROTC offers the conventional four-year military science program where a student enters as a freshman. A three-year program for sophomores is also available. Additionally, a two-year program is offered for juniors and graduate students in some limited cases. Placement credit may be awarded to students with prior Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps ROTC experience, students with prior or current military service, or to those students who volunteer for additional summer training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Scholarships covering full tuition and fees are available for entering freshman though a High School National Army ROTC Scholarship Board process. Applications for these scholarships are available online. Otherwise, Cadets enrolled in Army ROTC can compete for campus-based scholarships through the department's Recruiting Operations Officer. All contracted Cadets (scholarship or non-scholarship) enrolled in the junior and senior years of ROTC are paid a tax-free monthly stipend of $420.00 for 10 months during the school year. Membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is a pre-requisite for all ROTC classes. The cost of Cadet uniforms is paid by a special Army uniform allowance provided to each enrolled Cadet.
Minor in Leadership and Service
Satisfactory completion of the 26-credit military science curriculum will qualify each Cadet for a Minor in Leadership and Service awarded by the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Head: James B. Cogbill, Colonel, U.S. Army
Professor: J. B. Cogbill
Assistant Professors: D. Harrison, G. Calvert, J. Dufault, T. Spadine, and M. Jackson
Advisor: (540) 231-6401
