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Air Force ROTC

Marquette University students have the opportunity to fully participate in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program. The required AFROTC courses are offered at Marquette University and are taught by resident full-time aerospace studies faculty.

Through this program, Marquette University offers its students the opportunity to prepare for initial active duty assignments as Air Force Commissioned Officers. In order to receive a commission, AFROTC cadets must complete all university requirements for a degree and courses specified by the Air Force. AFROTC courses are normally taken for credit as part of a student’s electives. The amount of credit given toward a degree for AFROTC academic work varies as determined by the student’s college and major. AFROTC offers four-, three- and two-year programs leading to a commission as an Air Force officer. Three- and four-year program students complete the general military course and the professional officer course, in addition to a four-week summer field training between their second and third years in the program. Two-year students complete only the professional officer course, but attend a five-week summer field training before entering the professional officer course.

General qualifications:

• Be a full-time student.
• Be a United States citizen (for scholarship appointment).
• Be in good physical condition.
• Be of good moral character.
• For pilot or navigator training, fulfill all commissioning requirements before age 29.

General Military Course: The first- and second-year educational program in Air Force aerospace studies consists of a series of one-hour courses designed to give students basic information on the role of the U.S. Air Force in the defense of the free world. All required textbooks and uniforms are provided free. The general military course is open to all students at Marquette without advance application and does not obligate students to the Air Force in any way.

Field Training: AFROTC field training is offered during the summer months at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. The Air Force pays all expenses associated with field training.

The major areas of study include physical training, drill and ceremonies, leadership skill development and application, career orientation, and an introduction to Air Force expeditionary training and Air Force deployment environment.

Professional Officer Course: The third and fourth years of Air Force aerospace studies instruction are designed to develop skills and attitudes vital to the professional officer. Students completing the professional officer course are commissioned as officers in the U.S. Air Force upon college graduation. All students in the professional officer course receive a nontaxable subsistence allowance of $450 per month during their junior academic year and $500 per month during their senior year. Students who want to enter the professional officer course should apply early in the spring term in order to begin this course of study in the following fall term. Final selection of students rests with the professor of aerospace studies.

Leadership Laboratory: Leadership laboratory is a cadet-centered activity. It is largely cadet planned and directed, in line with the premise that it provides leadership-training experience that will improve a cadet’s ability to perform as an Air Force officer. The freshman and sophomore leadership laboratory program introduces Air Force customs and courtesies, drill and ceremonies, wearing the uniform, career opportunities in the Air Force, education and training benefits, and life and work of an Air Force officer. Experiences include preparing the cadet for individual, squadron and flight movements in drill and ceremonies and preparation for the field training assignment prior to the junior year.

The junior and senior leadership laboratory program involves the cadets in advanced leadership experiences. Cadet responsibilities include planning and directing the activities of the cadet corps, preparing briefings and written communications. They also provide interviews, guidance, information and other services geared to increase the performance and motivation of underclassman cadets. All leadership lab students attend two sessions of physical fitness each week.

AFROTC College Scholarship Program: This program provides scholarships to selected students participating in AFROTC. While participating in AFROTC, students receive a monthly stipend starting at $300 per month, along with paid tuition, fees, laboratory expenses and a fixed reimbursement for textbooks.

In order to be eligible for this scholarship, students must:

• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Be at least 17 years of age on the date of enrollment and under 31 years of age on Dec. 31 of the estimated year of commissioning.
• Pass an Air Force physical exam.
• Be selected by a board of Air Force officers.
• Have no moral objections or personal convictions that will prevent bearing arms and supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic (Applicants must not be conscientious objectors.).
• Achieve a qualifying score on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.
• Maintain a quality grade point average.

High school students can apply for this scholarship late in their junior year or early in their senior year. High school students may get pre-applicant questionnaires by asking their guidance counselor or by writing or telephoning the nearest Air Force recruiting office. Completed pre-application questionnaires should be sent as soon as possible (to meet the earliest selection board) but will not be accepted if sent after December 1 the year before entering college. An online scholarship application is available at U.S. Air Force ROTC website. High school students who receive an Air Force scholarship may also be eligible for further subsidies from Marquette University.

For students already enrolled at Marquette, three- and two-year scholarships are available. Applications can be submitted to the professor of aerospace studies.

For more information on the Air Force ROTC program, visit the AFROTC website.

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Army ROTC

The Department of Military Science and Leadership (Army ROTC) was established under the auspices of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University in 1951. Army ROTC (AROTC) is a leadership development program consisting of three interconnected components: 1) on-campus training, 2) off-campus training, and 3) the Leadership Development Program (LDP). By design, the three components dovetail for seamless, progressive and sequential leader development and prepare men and women to receive commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, Army National Guard, or the U.S. Army Reserve.

On-Campus Component: The on-campus component is the Military Science and Leadership (MISL) Curriculum. The curriculum consists of classroom learning, applied leadership labs, ROTC Battalion command and staff roles, and the Army Physical Fitness Training program. Far more comprehensive than traditional curricula, each cadet will still receive textbooks, interact with the instructor during lessons and engage with multi-media technology.

Off-Campus Component: The off-campus component consists of a summer course designed to assess and develop cadet leadership potential. The Leader Development Assessment Course (LDAC) is a capstone training event that usually occurs at the end of the cadet’s third year. This 33-day training event incorporates a wide range of subjects designed to develop and evaluate leadership ability. The event places each cadet and officer candidate in a variety of leadership positions, many of which simulate stressful combat situations. In addition to proving their leadership abilities and military skills, cadets must meet established standards in physical fitness, weapons training, communication and patrolling techniques. This paid event is the only summer training that a cadet is required to participate in.

Leadership Development Program: The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is the cornerstone of ROTC training and leadership development. The LDP is an individual-focused assessment process that standardizes leader performance measures. It organizes the extremely complex components of leadership into a useful learning model — standards of performance and a methodology to achieve them. The model accommodates all levels of proficiency and assures personalized development throughout a cadet’s ROTC experience, from program entry to commissioning. Within the LDP, experienced and qualified observers (Military Science and Leadership Instructors) maximize individual potential by administering structured, progressively complex leadership experiences and cadet leadership skills are refined through self-assessment, peer assessment and instructor feedback.

We understand that today’s students need flexibility, so we offer a variety of options in completing this leadership development program. The two primary options are: the four-year program and the two-year program.

Four-year Program: The four-year program is divided into two phases: the basic course and the advanced course. 1) The basic course is taken during a student’s freshman and sophomore years. These courses are open to all students on an elective basis and upon successful completion students receive University credit. Students incur no military obligation for completing basic course requirements and these courses are free to all registered Marquette University students. 2) The advanced course is taken during a student’s junior and senior year. Students in this program must have completed the basic course, have two years remaining in college and enter into a contract with the U.S. Army. Advanced course students take classes in leadership and participate in leadership laboratories to prepare for the five-week Leader Development Assessment Course during the summer between junior and senior years. Students receive monetary compensation for attending this camp.

Two-year Program: The two-year program is designed for students at four-year institutions who did not take AROTC during their first two years of college, students entering a two-year graduate course of study, or students who have previous military experience. Students begin formal training by attending the four-week paid Leaders Training Course (LTC). Successful completion of this camp is a pre-requisite for enrolling in the AROTC advanced course.

Scholarships: The Army offers a number of scholarship opportunities to Marquette students enrolled in the Senior ROTC Program. High School seniors can apply for four-year, three-year advance designee, and four-year nursing scholarships. These scholarships are applied for through the Army ROTC website, and are awarded based upon merit, not financial need, by the Marquette University-Department of Military Science. These scholarships pay full-tuition annually with a $1,200 textbook allowance. Scholarship students also receive at least a $3,000 a year stipend during each year their scholarship is in effect.

Marquette University provides additional incentive funds for scholarship winners. Four-year scholarship winners receive $7,000 annually toward tuition cap or university housing and board. Three-year advance designee winners receive $13,000 in benefits for the freshman year. Once the scholarship benefits are applied in the sophomore year, Marquette University will still provide $5,000 annually toward tuition cap or university housing and board.

Prospective students interested in a four-year Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Scholarship should start the application process during their junior and senior year of high school. Four-year scholarship applications are only available at the Army ROTC website or by calling Cadet Command at (800) USA-ROTC for a paper application. Current college students may apply for four-, three-, and two-year on-campus scholarships through the Marquette Department of Military Science.

In order to be eligible for a scholarship, students must:

• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Be under 31 years of age at the time of commissioning.
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.500 on a 4.0 scale.
• Have a minimum score of 920 on the SAT or 19 on the ACT.
• Satisfactorily explain any record of minor civil infractions.
• Pass a Department of Defense physical.
• Have no moral obligation or personal convictions that will prevent student from bearing arms and supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States.

Applications are submitted to the Department of Military Science. On-campus applications may be submitted at any time during the school year.

Nursing Scholarships: Marquette University is one of 41 colleges and universities to be designated as one of the U.S. Army’s Nursing Schools. The Marquette ROTC department is able to offer four-year nursing scholarships annually to qualified applicants to the Marquette University College of Nursing. The application process and scholarship benefits are the same as those for other ROTC scholarships. The applicant should start the application process between the junior and senior years of high school. Nursing students already enrolled in the College of Nursing may also apply for two and three year on-campus scholarships through the ROTC department.

Non-scholarship Program: All students enrolled in the advanced course receive a monthly stipend to cover expenses during the school year. Successful completion of the advanced course leads to commissioning in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve or National Guard. Veterans: Men and women at Marquette University with prior military service may enroll directly into the advanced course with the permission of the Professor of Military Science. Veterans must be able to meet the age, citizenship and physical standards of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

Graduate Educational Delay: Students may request that their active duty service be deferred to attend graduate school, law school, medical school or physical therapy school.

Cross-enrollment: Students enrolled in other southeast Wisconsin universities and colleges may, with approval of the dean of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, enroll in Military Science courses and participate in the AROTC program at Marquette while continuing their major curricula at these neighboring institutions.

For course descriptions, course credit and other information see the Arts and Sciences section of this bulletin. For complete information, contact the Department of Military Science; Gymnasium, A100; Marquette University; P.O. Box 1881; Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881 or call either (414) 288-7195 or (800) 563-7339 or visit the AROTC website.

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Navy ROTC

The Naval ROTC Unit, established at Marquette University in 1940, provides qualified commissioned officers for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Marquette’s Navy ROTC program is also one of the largest in the country for commissioning Navy Nurse Officers. The mission is to develop midshipmen morally, physically, and intellectually for careers in the United States Naval Service. Graduates who complete all requirements will receive commissions and serve on active duty in the Navy or Marine Corps, with a minimum three-year commitment for non-scholarship students and four-year commitment for scholarship students.

Academically, the Naval Science Department, in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, teaches naval science courses and administers the program. All midshipmen are required to register for and participate in a two-hour weekly drill period. A naval science class is required each term, with few exceptions, for which Marquette grants credit toward graduation requirements. Midshipmen on scholarship or advanced standing also attend paid summer internship training for four to six weeks each summer. This summer training introduces midshipmen to the fleet, and the life of a junior naval officer. Summer training also provides an orientation to each of the different warfare specialties (air, surface, submarine and Marine Corps).

All NROTC students fall into one of two broad categories: scholarship or non-scholarship (college program). Some students will enter Marquette with a four-year scholarship earned on a competitive basis while still in high school. Scholarships are for full tuition, fees, a textbook stipend, laboratory expenses and include a subsistence stipend of $250 to $400 per month, depending on class year. In addition, Marquette provides incentive funds for scholarship winners. Four-year scholarship winners receive about $7,000 per year toward university housing and board.

Students not on scholarship are termed college program students. They receive uniforms, naval science text books and $350 or $400 per month during their junior and senior years, respectively. All college program students are eligible to compete for Naval Education and Training Command scholarships. Students are selected on a competitive basis after completing a minimum of one term as an NROTC college program student. Selection boards meet throughout the year commencing in January to consider students based on their most recent term. Students may receive scholarship benefits ranging from one to seven terms. Once selected, the students receive all the benefits and incur the same active duty requirements as students in the regular scholarship program.

Navy option scholarship students, except nurse option, must complete two terms of calculus by the end of the sophomore year, and two terms of calculus-based physics by the end of the junior year. Navy option college program students must complete one year each in mathematics and physical science. Two terms of English and either HIST 3118 American Military History or POSC 4376 American National Security Policy are required for all Navy option students, except nurse option, and a world cultural awareness course is required for all Navy option students.

Marine Corps option students, scholarship and college program, are required to complete four of the above naval science class requirements, along with two Marine Corps naval science courses that are taught their junior and senior years. Calculus and physics are not required unless they are a prerequisite of the major field of study. Students are required to take HIST 3118 American Military History) or POSC 4376 American National Security Policy. In addition, each student is required to complete a six-week officer training course at Quantico, Va., during the summer between the junior and senior years.

All scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit and personal qualifications. The FAFSA is not required for consideration for naval scholarships.

For more information, contact the Department of Naval Science; Marquette University; P.O. Box 1881; Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, call (414) 288-7076 or (800) 554-NAVY or visit the NROTC website.