ROTC is an undergraduate program that trains students to become officers in their country’s armed forces. It exists in many countries, including the US, and is offered at civilian, military, and junior colleges. The goal is to promote leadership and prepare students to take an officer’s rank if they choose to join the military after college. The ROTC model has produced many notable officers, and programs have become increasingly specialized.
A Reserve Office Training Corps (ROTC) is an undergraduate program that exists in many countries. Its purpose is to train students to become officers in their country’s armed forces, should they decide to serve after college. There are military colleges that offer ROTC programs, which are typically a requirement of all students, but private and public schools often allow voluntary participation in ROTC.
There are many countries that have ROTC programs, including Taiwan, the Philippines, and South Korea. Similar programs began in the United States in 1819 at Norwich University in Vermont, which offered a military program. Officially, however, US ROTC began in 1916 and is modeled after the British system for officer training.
Colleges that offer ROTC programs in the US are of three types: civilian colleges, military colleges, and junior colleges. Students not only complete their academic studies but also receive military training. The goal is to promote leadership, encourage honorable conduct, and prepare students to take an officer’s rank if they choose to join the military after college.
ROTC college training organizes students into groups. Each group has a different name, depending on which branch of the military students expect to serve in after college. For example, the US Army creates trainee battalions and brigades.
Civilian college students participating in ROTC are usually easy to recognize, since they are dressed in uniform. They usually have the official cadet designation while in school; however, students training for the navy may be called a midshipman. After leaving college, they can join the military as a lieutenant, which means more authority and higher pay.
Military college students are almost always guaranteed a place in the military after completing school. Those who participate in ROTC programs at civilian colleges may not have the same guarantee in place. However, as the number of recruits declines, most of those who enter a program are welcomed into the military upon graduation.
Not all civilian colleges in the United States have ROTC programs, and some schools have had academic policies that the program chose not to follow, letting it drop out of school. Many ROTC programs also faced mass protests on college campuses during the Vietnam War, centered not only on the war, but also on the fact that many colleges required all able-bodied male students to participate in on-campus ROTC programs. As a result, in most cases, the programs have been made voluntary.
The ROTC model has produced many notable officers such as General Colin Powell and General Hugh Shelton who both chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Programs have become increasingly specialized, depending on which branch of the military a student wishes to serve in after college. Some of the most popular colleges are those that offer pilot training opportunities.
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