Army ROTC at ISU
The Army ROTC program provides full-time college students the opportunity to pursue a commission in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard and is designed to train and develop you to lead as an Officer in the U.S. Army.
The Army ROTC program at ISU is housed in ISU's Department of Military Science. Instructors in the department are senior Army leaders who serve as ROTC Cadre. Class listings are offered through the Department of Military Science and the program is designed to be completed in four years.
The ROTC program is comprised of two courses, the Basic Course and the Advance Course. Students are assigned a Military Science (MS) level I through IV. The Basic Course is for MS I and MS II students. Juniors are considered MS III students and Seniors are MS IV students.
There are many different pathways for completion of the ROTC programs. Please contact us so we can see how ROTC can fit into your journey.
Designed for Freshmen and Sophomores, it will develop both leadership and confidence through team study and activities such as physical fitness, team building exercises, land navigation, oral presentations, and fundamentals of small unit tactics and lays the ground work for the Advanced Course.
Designed for Juniors and Seniors, it concentrates on tactical operations and military instruction, as well as advanced techniques of management, leadership, and command. Students must be contracted to participate in the advanced course.
Program Curriculum
The curriculum is a combination of classroom instruction with hands-on application and learning during laboratory participation both indoors and outdoors. In the classroom setting you will learn basic leadership, management, oral & written communication skills, counseling, map reading and basic tactics and strategy and Army leadership. During labs you will apply what you learn in the classroom during training and you will participate in: land navigation exercises, rappel, marksmanship certification, conduct tactical simulations with airsoft, conduct first aid training, set-up a tactical field site, lead each other, and study basic Soldier tactics. You will take one ROTC class and corresponding lab and participate in a physical fitness class each semester. You will start by doing and end by leading and planning.
Options for completing ROTC
The minimum requirement to commission as an Officer in the Army is the Advanced Course. To qualify for the Advanced Course you must complete the Basic Course, Basic Training, or USACC Basic Camp. There is an option to compress the Basic Course to one year. This allows completion in 2, 3, or 4 years.
The four-year Army ROTC program is divided into two parts called the basic course and the advanced course. The Basic Course normally takes place as elective courses during your first two years in college. You can take Army ROTC Basic Course without a military commitment. Completion of the basic course substitutes the requirement to attend basic training.
Students who demonstrate the potential to become Army officers and who meet the physical and scholastic standards are eligible to enroll in the advanced course and become contracted cadets. The Advanced Course takes place as elective courses during your last two years in college as elective courses. Entering the Advanced Course requires a commitment to serve as an officer in the U.S. Army after you graduate.
This special program is for junior and community college graduates or students who did not take Army ROTC Basic Course during their first two years of college. To enter the two- year program, a student first participates in five weeks of basic leadership instruction at Basic Camp in Fort Knox, Kentucky or have completed basic training in any service branch. This takes place during the summer between the sophomore and junior years. Students are paid for attending and have the opportunity to compete for two-year scholarships upon completion. After successfully completing Basic Camp, six elective credits are awarded toward your ISU degree, and students who meet all the necessary requirements are enrolled in the advanced course.
Information provided and updated by the US Army and is subject to change. Contact the ISU ROTC Department to learn more.