2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog Department of Military Science
Admission/Retention Requirements
For information about admission to this program visit the University’s Academics website.
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Honors in Military Science
For information on Honors please visit the Honors website.
Military Science Program
General Department Information
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is designed to be completed concurrently with the student’s academic degree. Students can complete the first two years of ROTC with absolutely no military service obligation. Veterans, National Guardsmen, Army Reservists, and students who complete a four week leadership course at Fort Knox, Kentucky receive constructive credit for the first two years (6 credit hours) of ROTC, and can complete the ROTC program in as few as two school years. Freshman through senior ROTC courses are offered every semester. These academic courses progress from introducing the student to the Army’s mission and organization, studying leadership principles and traits, to teaching students the duties and responsibilities required of officers in the twenty-first century. Each class has a leadership laboratory that meets once a week. At lab, freshmen through senior students train on basic military skills and receive the opportunity to develop leadership skills through hands-on application. Some of the skills learned during lab include rappelling, water survival training, rifle marksmanship, first aid and CPR, map reading and land navigation, and basic tactics.
Enrolled students in the ROTC program will also have the opportunity to compete for and participate in cultural exchange programs, military internships, and professional internships with several government agencies in the varying fields such as criminal justice, nursing, and information technology. In addition to regular on-campus training and activities, ROTC offers exciting and challenging weekend field training exercises during the school year. Trips include a staff ride, an orientation visit to Fort Knox, Kentucky, and trips to local National Guard training areas to practice marksmanship, land navigation, and tactical skills.
Financial Aid
Military Science students can receive outstanding financial aid through Federal and State Army ROTC scholarships. Federal ROTC scholarships are awarded for a four, three, or two-year period. Students compete at the national level for these scholarships. Each scholarship can pay up to the full tuition and fees each semester, provides a book allowance of $1,200 a year, and a tax free monthly living allowance of $420, depending on scholarship status.
State ROTC tuition waivers are awarded by the Professor of Military Science at Illinois State University. The Redbird Battalion awards up to forty of these scholarships each semester to students in the ROTC program.
Extracurricular Activities
Several clubs complement the ROTC academic curriculum, and help students enjoy their college experience more. Ranger Club trains intensively on military skills such as land navigation, patrolling, and rappelling. They sponsor the annual Ranger Challenge competition in which a group of ten cadets are tested on individual and team military skills. The Illinois State University Ranger Challenge team competes with other university ROTC Ranger Challenge teams from around the geographical region in an intercollegiate competition.
Rifle Club fires .22 caliber and precision air rifles weekly at an indoor rifle range. They also participate in marksmanship competitions with other university ROTC programs during the school year, with the opportunity to compete at the National Collegiate level.
The Redbird Color Guard presents the national colors at home football and basketball games, as well as other local community events.
Career Opportunities
Students who complete the ROTC program receive a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army after graduation. The student has the option of serving in the National Guard or Army Reserve as a part time career, or on active duty in the Regular Army as a full time profession. ROTC graduates can also receive a minor in Military Science by applying through the Military Science Department.
Lieutenants in the Army lead soldiers, while managing equipment, vehicle fleets, and financial resources. New lieutenants are routinely put in charge of and lead groups of up to fifty soldiers shortly after college graduation.
Officer career specialties in the Army are as diverse as those found in the civilian sector. Some of the seventeen specialties students can request as an Army officer include: Aviation, Cyber, Engineering, Finance, Medical Service Corps, Military Intelligence, Military Police, Nursing, Personnel Management, Signal, or Transportation. Except for Nursing, an officer’s specialty in the Army does not have to be related to his or her academic degree in college.
New lieutenants who go into the Regular Army serve on Active Duty for four years, and may then transfer into the Reserve Component. Lieutenants commissioned in the National Guard or Army Reserve will serve their entire eight year obligation in the Reserves.
Minor in Military Science
Admission into the Military Science Minor program is by permission of the Department Chairperson following a special interview concerning eligibility and entry requirements. Interested students should make arrangements for an interview as early as possible but not later than the second semester of their sophomore year.
35 total credit hours required
Prerequisites
- MSC 111 and MSC 112
- Or satisfactory completion of Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Leadership Training Course (may be taken for credit as MSC 203)
- Or proficiency as approved by the Military Science Department Chairperson
Required courses
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