Military Science

Chair: Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Mc Cormick

Faculty: Captain Jonathan Platt

The Department of Military Science at Sam Houston State University is administratively aligned with the Associate Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Course of Instruction

Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) classes are offered on an elective basis. Students may take the lower-division courses and summer Army training such as Airborne School without obligation for military service. Students who desire to pursue upper-division courses may complete the ROTC program and compete for commissions as officers in the U. S. Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. A minor in military science is offered.

Programs Available

  1. General. There are two leadership-training programs available. They are the No-Obligation Program (Basic Course) and the Army Commissioning Program (Advance Course).

    1. No-Obligation Program (Basic Course). The lower-division (1000 and 2000 level) courses offered by the department are open to all students without obligation for present or future military service. These courses provide instruction in basic leadership and endurance skills that are applicable to any future profession. These courses are generally taken during the freshman and sophomore years and satisfy university kinesiology requirements. Students attending the no-obligation course may also participate (at no obligation) in summer professional development training to include Airborne, Air Assault, Northern Warfare, and Mountain Warfare training.

      1. AIRBORNE TRAINING. This physically demanding school is scheduled during the summer over a three-week period at Fort Benning, Georgia. Students who successfully complete this school are qualified as Army parachutists and are awarded Army Paratrooper Wings. This training is offered to any student enrolled in Military Science, although available seats are limited.

      2. AIR ASSAULT TRAINING. This physically demanding school scheduled during the summer consists of ten days of training which includes a twelve mile road march, an obstacle course, classes in aircraft safety and familiarization, rappelling, rigging, and sling-loading. Air Assault school is offered at various Army posts throughout the United States. This training is offered to any student enrolled in Military Science, although available seats are limited.

      3. NORTHERN WARFARE SCHOOL. This is a two-week course conducted at Fort Greeley, Alaska. It consists of physically and mentally demanding training emphasizing movement in mountainous terrain, on glaciers and in in-land waterways. This training is offered to any student enrolled in Military Science, although available seats are limited.

      4. MOUNTAIN WARFARE SCHOOL. This is a two-week course conducted at Jericho, Vermont. This training is both physically and mentally challenging with emphasis placed on movement in mountainous terrain. This training is offered to any student enrolled in Military Science, although available seats are limited.

    2. Army Commissioning Program (Advanced Course). This program is divided into two-year and four-year commissioning plans.

      1. Two-Year Compression Commissioning Plan.

        1. Upperclassmen and Graduate Students. Students who have already completed a portion of their university program remain eligible to pursue a commission as an officer in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard. This program is offered to students who have no prior military or military-equivalent training and have approximately 60 course hours remaining prior to receiving an undergraduate or graduate degree. To qualify, students first attend a four-week summer Leadership Training Course (LTC) at  Fort Knox, Kentucky. The government pays all travel expenses, furnishes room, board, and clothing, and pays students a per diem of approximately $900.00. Moreover, students are eligible to compete for two-year scholarships. The university awards students four credit hours for this training. After successfully completing the LTC students may enroll in upper-division Military Science courses and receive a monthly allowance of $450 for juniors and $500 for seniors.

        2. Veterans. Student veterans and National Guard or Army Reserve members who have completed some military training and service may start the ROTC program at the upper-division level, if they are academically, otherwise qualified for a commission, and approved by the Professor of Military Science (PMS). National Guard and Army Reserve members may remain in the Guard or Reserve under the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). Enrolled juniors receive a monthly allowance of $450 and $500 per month for seniors, which is in addition to any pay and entitlements provided by the Guard or Reserve.

        3. Professional Military Education (PME) Component. The United States Army mandates that Army ROTC students pursuing a commission as an Army officer complete certain Professional Military Education (PME) requirements in order to be commissioned. The PME consists of a baccalaureate degree and the completion of at least one undergraduate course from each of the following designated fields of study: written communications, military history, and computer literacy. Students desiring to pursue a minor in Military Science, and/or a course of instruction which will satisfy the requirements for a commission in the U.S. Army, are required to seek advising from the PMS in order to ensure that these special requirements are satisfied.

      2. Four-Year Progression Commissioning Plan.

        1. Lower-Division Courses (Basic Course). Under the four-year commissioning plan, lower-division military science courses are required prior to taking upper-division military science courses and to compete for a commission as a military officer. Nevertheless, these courses remain open to all students without obligation for present or future military service. These courses provide instruction in basic leadership and endurance skills that are applicable to any future profession. Army scholarship students will receive a monthly allowance of $300 as freshman and $350 per month as sophomores. These courses also satisfy university kinesiology requirements (KINE 2115).

        2. Upper-Division Courses (Advance Course). The Upper-Division (3000  and 4000  level) courses offered by the department are normally taken during the junior and senior years or while pursuing graduate work and prepare students to be commissioned as officers in the United States Army. Enrollment in upper-division courses incurs the obligation to accept a commission after graduation and serve in the U.S. Army Reserve, the Army National Guard, or the Active Army. Students enrolled in upper-division courses receive a monthly subsistence allowance of $450 as a junior and $500 as a senior. Students are required to attend the Leaders Development Assessment Course during the summer between their junior and senior years. The government pays all travel expenses, furnishes room, board, and clothing, and pays students a per diem of approximately $900.00. The university awards students four credit hours for the training. Lower-division military science courses are required prior to enrolling in upper-division courses if pursuing the four-year commissioning plan.

        3. Professional Military Education (PME) Component. The United States Army mandates that Army ROTC students pursuing a commission as an Army officer complete certain Professional Military Education (PME) requirements in order to be commissioned. The PME consists of a baccalaureate degree and the completion of at least one undergraduate course from each of the following designated fields of study: written communications, military history, and computer literacy. Students desiring to pursue a minor in Military Science, and/or a course of instruction which will satisfy the requirements for a commission in the U.S. Army, are required to seek advising from the PMS in order to ensure that these special requirements are satisfied.

  2. Army ROTC Scholarships. The United States Army offers on a competitive basis several two, three, and four-year scholarships awarded annually by the Department of Military Science. These scholarships pay full tuition and fees and provide $1,200.00 for books and supplies. Scholarship and non-scholarship contract students receive a subsistence allowance of $300.00, $350, $450, and $500 per month for freshman, sophomore, juniors, and seniors respectively for up to ten months per year. Several other private scholarships are awarded annually to students enrolled in Military Science courses. All students are encouraged to contact the Department of Military Science for an application.

  3. Tuition Rates. In-state rates for fees and tuition are given to out-of-state students that have agreed to accept a commission in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard.

  4. Academic Substitution. Limited course substitution is available with permission of both the PMS and the department chair concerned.

  5. Academic Minor. Students may seek a minor in Military Science with the approval of the dean of the college in which the student pursues his/her major. Requirements are eighteen hours of advanced Military Science and six hours from the Professional Military Education (PME) component courses listed here.


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