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LTC Boden, Chairperson
Senior Military Science Instructor MSG Covalinski

The Hofstra Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program qualifies students for appointment as an officer of the United States Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard. Students attend military science classes during their regular course of studies. Students develop maturity, responsibility and dependability which results in a commission as an Army Second Lieutenant when all ROTC program and academic requirements of the University are completed. High school seniors, entering freshmen, transfer students and students attending any of the accredited degree producing schools on Long Island can compete for full-tuition scholarships offered directly through the ROTC program and in increments from two to four years.

Army ROTC offers two different programs to all qualified college and university students. The traditional four-year program gives students the opportunity to take ROTC courses in each of their four years of college. The two-year program is available to students who did not take ROTC during their first two years of college but receive equivalent credit through other means discussed below. The four-year program consists of the Basic Course (MS 1C, 1E, 2C, 2E and associated leadership laboratories) and the Advanced Course (MS 3C, 3E, 4C, 4E and associated leadership laboratories). The Basic Course is open to all Hofstra students. It consists of training in leadership, management, military skills and physical fitness. Students learn to apply these skills both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, a variety of outside social and professional enrichment activities are available. ROTC textbooks, uniforms, and other essential materials for the Basic Course are furnished to the students. There is no military obligation for enrolling in the Basic ROTC Course/

Students are not required to be involved in ROTC for a full four years for an Army Officer Commission. Academic juniors and first-year graduate students (in a two-year program) may enter the Advanced Course with equivalent Basic Course credit.

Active Army veterans, members of the National Guard, and the Army Reserves may qualify for credit for the Basic Course and be enrolled directly into the Advanced Course pending their individual academic standing.

Additionally, a special leadership/training session, the Leadership Training Course, is designed for students who did not take ROTC during their first two years of school or students entering a two-year post-graduate course of study. To enter this two-year program, students must first attend the paid five-week Leadership Training Course, normally held during the summer between their sophomore and junior years of college.

After they have successfully completed the Leadership Training Course, students who meet all the necessary enrollment requirements are enrolled in the Advanced Course

After they have completed the Basic Course, or received equivalent credit students who have demonstrated the leadership potential to become an officer and who have met the physical and scholastic standards are eligible to enroll in the Advanced Course. These students will be required to meet Army commissioning and ascension standards and will sign a contract with the United States Army.  These students will be classified as enrolled Cadets within ROTC.

All other students wishing to take the Advanced Course can enroll and receive credit without an obligation to the military. These students, however, cannot be eligible for an Army scholarship and will be considered as participating in Army ROTC but not in a contractual status. The Advanced Course is usually taken during the final two years of college.  Students must maintain full-time status and usually have four semesters remaining. It includes instruction in management, tactics, ethics and further leadership development. Textbooks and uniforms in the Advanced Course are also furnished to students.

During the summer between their junior and senior years of college, Advanced Course Cadets attend a paid five-week leadership/ training session called the Leadership Development and Assessment Course. The Leadership Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) gives Cadets the chance to practice what they have learned in the classroom, and introduces them to Army life “in the field.”

NOTE: all Military Science courses include the appropriate number of class hours, plus a required leadership laboratory and additional sessions of physical training each week. A field leadership exercise of approximately two days provides practical experience in small organization leadership. All students are expected to attend the leadership laboratory, physical training and the field leadership exercise.

Credit Toward a Liberal Arts Degree
MS 1C, 1E, 2C, 2E, courses and laboratories, totaling two semester hours credit, are designated non-liberal arts courses. MS 3C, 3E, 4C, 4E, courses and laboratories, along with the Leadership Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Washington, totaling 12 semester hours credit, are designated liberal arts courses.

Army Commissioning Requirements
In order to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, students must satisfactorily complete the Basic Course, Advanced Course and the Leadership Development and Assessment Course or their equivalents. Students must also receive their college degree and ensure they have taken approved courses in written composition, human behavior, military history, computer fundamentals and mathematical reasoning. Cadets must be recommended for a commission by the Military Science department chairperson.

Army ROTC Scholarship Program
The Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarships offer significant assistance toward meeting costs of school. Scholarships are awarded for four, three and two years, strictly on merit to the most outstanding students who apply as follows:

• Full tuition and mandatory educational fees
• A flat rate for textbooks, classroom supplies and equipment (approximately $600 per semester).
• A monthly allowance during the 10-month school year each year the scholarship is in effect; currently $300-$500 per month.

Additional Opportunities

Army ROTC training instills confidence, self-discipline and leadership skills.

Cadets completing the Army ROTC program will be commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Army. They can serve on active duty, the Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard.

Army ROTC offers several extra-curricular clubs and Honor Societies such as the Pershing Rifles Scabbard and Blade and Ranger Club.

Army ROTC provides opportunities for additional military training such as Airborne, Air Assault, Mountain Warfare, Northern Warfare, Nurse Summer Training and Troop Leader Training.

For further information write or call the Hofstra University Military Science Department, 265 Physical Education Building, Hempstead, New York 11549-1300, (516) 463-5648 or fax (516) 463-4937.

Military Science Courses 

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