Army ROTC Program

Lieutenant Colonel Brian Slotnick
Professor and Chair, Department of Military Science

335A Huntington Avenue
617.373.2376
617.373.8677 (fax)
Army ROTC website
Scott Lyons, Enrollment and Scholarship Officer, sc.lyons@northeastern.edu

The Department of Military Science offers the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. The goal of the program is to develop leadership potential in men and women and to prepare them for an officer’s commission in the Active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. The curriculum teaches principles of leadership and personnel management and seeks to develop leadership traits such as teamwork, responsibility, initiative, self-confidence, and discipline.

The Army ROTC program is conducted at Northeastern University. For more information, write:

Department of Military Science
Northeastern University
335A Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617.373.2376

Completion of the Army ROTC program will lead to a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army, Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard. The program consists of the basic course (freshman and sophomore years) and advanced course (junior and senior years). The program does not conflict with co-op schedules.

Enrollment in the basic course is voluntary and is open to all full-time students. However, only cadets formally enrolled in ROTC may participate in leadership labs, physical training, and practical field exercises. Students in the basic course do not incur a military obligation. Check with your academic department to ensure credits are accepted.

The advanced course is open to all qualified students who have basic course credit or equivalent military experience, as well as meet the Army’s physical, medical, and age requirements. Contracted students (advanced course and/or scholarship) receive a monthly cash stipend while in school. Scholarship students also receive full tuition and fees as well as $1,200 per year for books. Scholarships are merit based and are awarded as four-year, three-year, or two-year benefit packages.

Army Nurse Corps ROTC Program

ROTC provides an opportunity for college nursing students to receive practical, hands-on leadership experience. The courses provide a chance for students to develop management, communication, and decision-making skills. ROTC also provides nursing cadets an opportunity to participate in the Nurse Summer Training Program. NSTP is a paid, three-to-four-week, hands-on clinical elective for Army ROTC nurse cadets. This elective is conducted at more than 20 U.S. Army hospitals in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Germany. During the NSTP clinical elective, the cadet receives experience under the direct supervision of a preceptor—an Army Nurse Corps officer who works with the cadet one-on-one. Scholarship nurse cadets receive a monthly cash stipend while in school as well as full tuition and fees and $1,200 per year for books.

Navy ROTC Program

The Navy ROTC unit is a six-school consortium that includes students from Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Tufts, Harvard, and MIT.  All Navy ROTC scholarships assigned to Northeastern are for nursing majors only.  The scholarship covers full tuition, mandatory fees, a $375-per-semester book stipend, and a living stipend valued at $250 per month that increases by $50 each year up to $400. Room and board are not included in the scholarship. For students on Northeastern’s five-year program, the Navy grants “Fifth Year Benefits,” which mirror those of the fourth year. Upon graduation, students receive a commission as a naval officer in the Navy Nurse Corps and must fulfill a four-year active-duty commitment.

Navy ROTC nursing students are required to take four naval science classes in addition to their regular coursework and attend a weekly leadership laboratory as well as group physical fitness sessions Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  All classes, labs, and group workouts are conducted at Boston University. Students typically spend a total of six to eight hours per week participating in Navy ROTC–related activities. Additionally, Navy nurses complete three summer training "cruises," or trainings, prior to graduation, each of which lasts approximately three to four weeks. One cruise is conducted at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, during summer training sessions. The other cruises are conducted onboard active-duty naval warships at major naval hospitals around the country. For more information, visit the Boston University Division of Military Education or contact the recruiting officer at 617.353.0474 or navyrotc@bu.edu.

Air Force ROTC Program

Three- and Four-Year Programs

College students join the three- or four-year AFROTC program by registering for aerospace studies classes in the same manner as they do for other university classes. Students in the program attend a field training encampment during the summer between their second and third years. Students are in General Military Course during the first two years and the Professional Officer Course during the last two years.

First-year GMC academic classes focus on the functions, organizations, and heritage of the U.S. Air Force. Second-year classes concentrate on leadership and teamwork fundamentals.

All GMC classes meet one hour per week. Complementing the academic classes, a weekly leadership laboratory introduces students to U.S. Air Force customs, courtesies, drill and ceremonies, and team-building exercises. Guest lecturers, seminars, briefings, films, and practical experience are also included.

Students in AFROTC are expected to wear the uniform correctly and meet the grooming standards required of active-duty Air Force personnel. Students must wear the issued U.S. Air Force uniform to all aerospace classes and leadership laboratories.

Entry into the POC during the junior year of the AFROTC program is competitive. Factors considered include leadership potential, academic performance, field training evaluations, and results of a Department of Defense physical examination and the physical fitness assessment. Students must be in good academic standing with the university, have demonstrated motivation and potential for success as U.S. Air Force officers, and meet U.S. Air Force physical standards.

POC students are expected to plan and conduct a leadership laboratory once a week. The time required varies depending on the responsibilities of the individual POC student. Aerospace studies class activities during the junior year center on management and leadership in a U.S. Air Force setting. The senior year aerospace students curriculum examines national defense policy and the military in American society. All POC academic classes meet three hours per week.

Completion of the POC typically incurs a four-year active-duty service commitment; 6- and 10-year commitments are required for certain "rated" (aviation) career fields. All POC students within scholarship standards are eligible to receive the Charles McGee Leadership Award, a scholarship of $18,000 per year, capped at $9,000 per semester. There is a $300–$500 per month, tax-free stipend for members of the POC, regardless of their scholarship status.

Graduate Law Programs

Students already attending law school wishing to serve as Air Force Judge Advocate Generals may apply for the program through the program site. 

Field Training

For participants in the program, field training typically occurs during the summer between the second and third years and lasts approximately two weeks.

Field training is conducted at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and allows the cadet to test their leadership abilities firsthand in a structured military environment. Room, board, and travel expenses are provided.

Scholarships

Academic scholarships are available for those who qualify. There are two different scholarship programs, and both consist of tuition, textbooks, required fees, and a $300–$500 per month, tax-free stipend.

AFROTC offers numerous competitive scholarships to qualified individuals. High School Scholarship Program scholarships are awarded for three and four years. Applications are accepted starting the senior year in high school. Application forms are available online. Scholarship applications are due by January 31st of the student's senior year in high school. More details are available on the AFROTC site. Scholarships are also available for students already in college through the In-College Scholarship Program. In order to be eligible, students must be a member of the AFROTC program for a minimum of one semester. Students are nominated by ROTC staff and there is no application process for the in-college scholarships on the student's behalf. Students are nominated based on their GPA, AFROTC fitness score, and overall standing among peers. Nominees compete nationwide with other AFROTC cadets contingent on scholarship availability. Additional information on AFROTC scholarship opportunities can be found on the AFROTC site.

After Commissioning

Upon graduation from the university and completion of AFROTC courses, cadets will commission as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force. All AFROTC graduates are expected to serve on active duty.

When their active-duty service commitment is complete, officers may either continue on in career status or return to civilian life.

Military assignments are made based on the needs of the Air Force, the officer's interests, and academic background. Effort is made to match the graduate with the job they are most interested in pursuing.

Those who want to attend graduate school may apply for an Air Force-approved educational delay from active duty. Selection for an educational delay is based primarily on the strength of the applicant's undergraduate academic record and the needs of the U.S. Air Force.