About
In addition to the skills you will obtain, you will develop friendships, relationships and memories that will last a lifetime. Our freshman and sophomore classes are offered to all students on campus.
For those qualified individuals seeking a rewarding and challenging career after college, serving as an Officer in the United States Army is the challenge of a lifetime! Upon graduation and the completion of all Army ROTC requirements, you will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard to lead the Nation’s Soldiers anywhere in the world.
A Military Science Minor
The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is offered as a Military Science Minor (21 credit hours) under the Management degree in the Rinker School of Business and incorporates extensive leadership, management, problem-solving, fitness, and level-one military skills into the college student’s curriculum, regardless of the student’s selected major.
Leadership That Lasts A Lifetime
Army ROTC is an elective curriculum you take along with your required college classes. It gives you the tools, training and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive environment. Along with great leadership training, Army ROTC can pay for your college tuition. Because Army ROTC is an elective, you can participate your freshman and sophomore years without any obligation to join the Army. You will have a normal college student experience like everyone else on campus, but when you graduate, you will be commissioned as an Officer in the Army. At that point, you will have a wide range of interest areas you can specialize in called branches.
Cadets are broken down by Military Science (MS) level
MS levels are generally aligned with academic years
MS I = Freshmen
MS II = Sophomore
MS III = Junior / 1st Year Grad Student
MS IV = Senior / 2nd Year Grad Student
Cadets are given increasing responsibilities as they progress through the MS levels
MS I
Primary focus on learning about the Army, customs, ranks, teamwork, leadership & personal development, etc.
MS II
Primary focus is on learning basic Army skills and tactical leadership
First leadership responsibilities (Team Leader)
Basic Camp
31 Day Course at Ft Knox, KY
Helps prepare Cadets for the Advanced Course
Teaches basic Soldier individual skills
MS III
Primary focus is honing basic Army and team leadership skills
Platoon-level leadership position (Platoon Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Squad Leader, etc)
Prepare for Advance Camp and accessions
Advanced Camp
A 45 day course at Ft Knox, Kentucky
All cadets from across the US must attend
Normally the summer between MSIII and MSIV year
Accessions
The process that the Army uses to decide where each Cadet will serve (Active, National Guard, Reserves)
Cadets selected for Active Duty will also compete for their branch (Infantry, Armor, etc.)
Results released in the Fall semester of MS IV year
MS IV
Lead the Battalion, Leadership in a Complex World
Prepare to be commissioned Officers in United States Army
MS V
Cadets who have completed the ROTC curriculum but need additional semesters to complete their degree
- Physically, mentally, and emotionally fit
- Possesses strong moral character
- Campus and community leader
- Does the right thing even when no one is looking
- A model student: Academically on track
- Ambassador of our military and Nation
- Lives by the Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage
- Treats people with respect and dignity
- Always a team player
- Leads by example
- Strive for Excellence
53% of our Cadets are in Liberal Arts, Criminal Justice, Art, and International Relations
- 22% of cadets are Finance, Psychology, Business Admin
- 15% of cadets are in Physical Sciences and Biology
- 8% of cadets are Engineers
- 2% of cadets are in Nursing
Southern Strike sent 45 MS III’s to Advance Camp and 20 MS II’s to Basic Camp at Fort Knox, KY for the summer of 2018
- 25% of our Cadets are females.
- 33% of our Cadets have 3.0 + GPA
- 45% of our Cadets scored higher than a 270 (out of possible 300) on the APFT
- 25% of our Cadets are prior service or SMP Cadets
- 60% of our Cadets are of minority descent
Cadets may complete the first two years of training with no obligations
Cadets must “contract” prior to becoming a MS III
Contracting can be done at almost any time
There are many different Contracting options
- Scholarship
- Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRFD)
- Non-scholarship
- Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP)
Contracted Cadets must:
- US Citizen
- Maintain a 2.0 GPA (semester and cumulative)
- Maintain a full time student status
- Be medically qualified
- Pass the Army Physical Fitness Test
- Maintain Height and Weight Standards
- Continue in the ROTC Program
- After graduation, serve 4 years Active or 8 years Reserves
Cadets may have to pay back the money or serve in the Army if they disenroll from ROTC after contracting
Cadets present our National Colors at sporting events and local community ceremonies. We will complete 20-30 color guard missions during the school year.
More Information
Scholarship Overview
What you receive if selected!
- 100% of your Tuition and Fees OR Room and Board
- Funds for books – $1,200 annually
- Stipend of $420 monthly to supplement incidentals
How to Apply
SCHOLARSHIP TIMELINE (Current High School Seniors):
10 FEB – Offer 2nd round scholarship(s)
15 APR – Offer 3rd round scholarship(s)
*Dates are subject to change.
TIPS:
– Be accepted to PBA (or at a minimum have applied)
– Be physically qualified (DODMERB Medical Physical)
– Pass an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
– Be a SAL (the more credentials, the better).
About Our Basic Course
- Freshman Fall – MSL1001
- Freshman Fall – LAB MSL 1021
- Freshman Spring – MSL 1021
- Freshman Spring – LAB MSL 1020
- Sophomore Fall – MSL 2112
- Sophomore Spring – MSL 2122
About Our Advance Course
- Junior Fall-MSL 3203
- Junior Spring-MSL 3223
- Junior Summer-Advance Camp final leadership assessment at Ft. Knox, KY
- Senior Fall-MSL 4313
- Senior Spring-MSL 4323
- Spring-MSL 4403 US Military History
About Green-To-Gold
- Fall-MSL 3201
- Spring-MSL 3202
- Summer-Advance Camp final leadership assessment at Ft. Knox, KY
- Fall-MSL 4301
- Spring-MSL 4302
- MSL 4400 US Military History (Can be taken either spring semester)
Learn More
Scholarship Overview
- Scholarship allocations vary by year and type of scholarship.
- The scholarship process typically includes three rounds of evaluation. To make yourself the most competitive, complete your application for both the University and the Army ROTC scholarship as soon as possible.
- We award scholarships based on an internally created order of merit list (OML). The OML gives us a tool to evaluate scholarship candidates by ranking individuals based on the following: SAL criteria or Whole Person Score (WPS), interview and Scholarship Board.
What you receive if selected!
- 100% of your Tuition and Fees OR Room and Board
- Funds for books – $1,200 annually
- Stipend of $420 monthly to supplement incidentals
Future Transfer/Grad Students
If you are transferring from another college, again your first step is to get accepted to PBA, then join our program in order to be eligible for a scholarship. We offer 3, and 2-year scholarships, targeting the SAL criteria. Again, you must enroll in our program to be eligible for the scholarship – we do not award scholarships before the SY starts. Call or email us for more information on the SMP program. Please contact us well in advance if you are planning on transferring to PBA.
Current Grad Students
Enrolled as a full-time student with 50% of classes conducted in-person
- Be physically qualified (DODMERB Medical Physical)
- Pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
- Be a SAL (the more credentials, the better).