Studies & Degrees in Military Science
Military Science Study Programs
Military science is the study of how armed forces are organised and led. At universities in the United States the name has a specific meaning: it is the academic department that teaches the Army's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Students follow military science classes alongside their normal degree and, if they complete the programme, graduate as officers. According to the US Army, Army ROTC is offered at more than 1,000 colleges and universities.
The classes combine theory and practice. Hofstra University describes classroom subjects such as leadership, team building, problem-solving and oral communication, and laboratory training in first aid, land navigation, tactics, marching and marksmanship. Physical training and field exercises are part of the course. Texas Tech University summarises the aim as practical skills in communication, decision-making, teamwork, discipline and problem-solving, built while the student completes a degree.
Qualifications and levels
Military science is normally not a degree in itself. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that officers usually need a bachelor's degree in any field, so a cadet studies engineering, nursing, business or another subject and adds military science courses to it. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke explains that students receive credit for an ROTC class and that it counts as a college elective.
Army ROTC has two stages:
- Basic Course. It covers the first two years of college and normally involves one elective class and a lab each semester, with physical training and field training exercises. Students who start late can take Basic Camp, a 32-day training event that the Army describes as an accelerated alternative.
- Advanced Course. It is taken in the last two years, requires the Basic Course or Basic Camp, and establishes the commitment to serve as an Army officer after graduation. At Hofstra it includes management, tactics, ethics and further leadership development, and the advanced courses and summer camp total 12 semester hours of credit.
Students who complete the Advanced Course and graduate are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army, the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard.
The other university route in the United States is a federal service academy. According to BLS, the academies award a Bachelor of Science degree, and graduates typically have a five-year active-duty obligation.
Who can take it
This is the main point for an international student. BLS states that officer candidates typically need to be US citizens, pass a background check and meet physical and age requirements. Hofstra lists being a US citizen among the conditions for joining Army ROTC, and UNC Pembroke lists it among the conditions for enrolling in its Basic Course. A student with another nationality should therefore ask the military science department of the university whether the classes can be attended as ordinary electives. A commission in the US Army is not open to them.
Outside the United States, officers are normally trained in the military academies of each country's own armed forces, which admit that country's citizens. Some civilian universities have a military department; Siberian Federal University in Russia, for example, lists a Military School among its schools.
Where to study military science
SpainExchange lists 15 active schools for this subject: 14 in the United States and one in Russia. The US schools are universities with an ROTC unit, among them Hofstra University in New York State, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Idaho State University in Pocatello and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Teaching is in English.
Costs, scholarships and obligations
Military science classes are part of normal university enrolment. The Army offers ROTC scholarships: according to its website, high school students who apply are eligible for scholarships covering up to the full cost of tuition, based on merit and grades, plus $420 a month for personal expenses and $1,200 a year for books.
A scholarship comes with a service obligation. Enrolling in the Basic Course does not oblige a student to serve unless they receive a scholarship. A student with a four-year scholarship must agree to serve four years full-time as an Army officer after graduation, followed by further service or time in the reserve.
Careers
The direct outcome is a career as an officer. BLS explains that enlisted personnel make up most of the armed forces, while officers plan, organise and lead troops and activities, manage enlisted personnel and provide medical, legal, engineering and other services. Idaho State University notes that graduates of its programme become Army officers in either full-time or part-time service. BLS does not publish employment projections for the military, because its projections cover the civilian workforce only. The leadership and management training is also used in civilian jobs.
Frequently asked questions
Is military science a degree?
Usually not. In the United States it is a set of ROTC courses taken as electives alongside a bachelor's degree in another subject. BLS states that officers usually need a bachelor's degree in any field.
Can international students join ROTC?
Not as future officers. BLS states that officer candidates typically need to be US citizens, and universities such as Hofstra and UNC Pembroke list US citizenship among their ROTC requirements.
Does enrolling in military science classes mean joining the army?
No. According to the US Army, enrolling in the ROTC Basic Course does not oblige a student to serve unless they receive a scholarship. The commitment starts with the Advanced Course.
How long is the service obligation after an ROTC scholarship?
A student who received a four-year ROTC scholarship must agree to serve four years full-time as an Army officer after graduating, according to the US Army.