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Undergraduate Catalog

2009 - 2010

Military Science (Army ROTC)

LTC Theodore M. Leblow, Chair
320 ROTC, (801) 422-3601

Admission to Degree Program

Students must be accepted by the Department of Military Science into the program.

The Discipline

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Leadership Excellence Program is designed to produce highly qualified commissioned officers in the U.S. Regular Army, the U.S. Army Reserve, or the U.S. Army National Guard. Students specialize in the major field of their choice and graduate with the ability to function as a junior executive.

Career Opportunities

Officer in the U.S. Army in the career field of:

General Information

Textbooks, Uniforms, and Allowances. All textbooks, uniforms, and training materials are furnished by the U.S. Army. Those in the advanced course receive a $450 to $500 monthly allowance and approximately $800 for participation in the national Leadership Development and Assessment Course for five weeks during the summer between the junior and senior year.

Army ROTC Scholarship Program. Scholarships are available on a competitive basis. Senior students in high school may qualify for a four-year scholarship. College students may also qualify for a four-, three-, or two-year scholarship. The scholarship provides for tuition and fees or room and board, a textbook allowance, and from $300 to $500 per month (up to ten months per year) for the period of the scholarship. Students who qualify must complete their degree program prior to their thirty-fifth birthday. Contact the Military Science Department for application procedures and specifics.

SMP Program (Simultaneous Membership Program). Students already members of the Army Reserve or National Guard may concurrently participate in ROTC and qualify for additional pay and benefits, to include tuition assistance.

Extracurricular Activities. Army ROTC cadets extend academic and laboratory associations into a variety of extracurricular ROTC activities. Among these are the Ranger Challenge, Army Color Guard, Cannon Crew, annual Military Ball, and many school service projects performed by the corps of cadets.

LDS Missions. Students, including scholarship recipients, who wish to serve a two-year LDS mission can do so most conveniently between their freshman and sophomore years. This allows students to be on campus during the spring of their sophomore year to facilitate their selection for the advanced course. Interruptions of the program at other times for a mission may be arranged by obtaining individual approval from the professor of military science.

Leadership Laboratory and Course Fee. Each course requires a corresponding leadership lab, which meets on Thursdays for three hours. The labs require physical activity, including: land navigation, mountaineering, rope bridging, marksmanship, and tactical training. Students are also expected to attend physical fitness training and one field training exercise per semester. A course fee of $40 is required of each participating 120, 121, 220, 221 student and a fee of $60 for each participating 320, 321, 325R, 420, 421 student to cover cadet activity expenses.

Graduation Requirements in Wellness. Students in the Army ROTC Program may complete the Wellness requirements listed in the University Core Summary section of this catalog by participating in the leadership laboratory for eight semesters. Physical education credit may be received if the student enrolls in ExSc 143R.

Program of Instruction. The ROTC Leadership Excellence Program is designed to produce commissioned officers for the United States Army. It has been described as the best leadership program in the nation. Training is experiential and demands that students practice leadership skills while completing their baccalaureate degree in their chosen course of study. Ultimately, students become qualified to serve as commissioned officers in the Regular Army, National Guard, or Army Reserve. Upon graduation and follow-on training, these officers immediately become the leaders of soldiers deployed abroad or at home in defense of the United States and her values. After graduation, it is possible for Reserve or Guard officers to fulfill their military obligation and pursue a civilian career simultaneously. Following the completion of service, BYU ROTC graduates often become effective leaders in their community, business, and church endeavors for the balance of their lives.

Program Requirements

The traditional Army ROTC Leadership Excellence Program extends over a four-year period compatible with normal progression through four years of college. It consists of two phases: a two-year basic course during the freshman and sophomore years and an advanced course designed for completion during the junior and senior years. Also included is a five-week Leadership Development and Assessment Course normally attended in the summer before the senior year. Students may receive academic credit for the first two years of ROTC by attending the month-long Leaders' Training Course, (LTC) during the summer before the start of the advanced course.

Scholarship students and students wishing to participate in the advance course must pass the Army Physical Fitness Test with a score of 60 points in each event. See an Army ROTC faculty member for more information.

Two-year program: Qualified veterans or students with placement credit for the basic course or LTC with requirements for the advanced course. Applicants for this two-year program may be upper-division or graduate students, provided a minimum of four semesters remain at BYU at the time of entry into the program. Students must complete a physical examination and other associated requirements. The professor of military science must approve any exceptions for those seeking to accelerate the advance course and earn an officer's commission in less than two years.

Non-scholarship freshman and sophomore students incur no military obligation. Upon entering the advanced course, students agree to enlist in the U.S. Army Reserve Control Group for a period of eight years; they are then sworn into the reserve and begin to receive the monthly $450 to $500 subsistence allowance.

Non-U.S. citizens may participate in the basic course provided they obtain approval from their consulate and the BYU international student division and their travel documents are in order. International students apply for enrollment on a case-by-case basis but cannot participate in the advanced course unless they are pending citizenship. They may not be commissioned as officers until they are U.S. citizens.

To receive a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, students must earn a baccalaureate degree and complete the advanced course. Those who are in a five-year academic program, such as engineering, may complete their Army ROTC courses at any point before graduation.

Upon commissioning, the new second lieutenant incurs an obligation to the U.S. Army, which may be filled by serving on Active Duty, in the U.S. Army Reserve, National Guard, Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), or various combinations of the above.

The basic course comprises the following:
Mil S 120, 121, 220, 221.
The advanced course comprises the following:
Professional Military Education (PME): Before being commissioned, each cadet must complete one of the following military history courses during their course of study at BYU:

Note: Courses not specified above may satisfy the requirement but must be approved by the professor of military science.

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