Military Science/Army ROTC

*Calculated based on South Dakota School of Mines and Technology out of state tuition as a full-time student with 15 credits per semester; scholarships cover full tuition and fees.

• Scholarships are awarded based on the whole person concept (scholar, athlete, leader) with minimum 2.5 Cumulative GPA, medical exam, and other eligibility requirements.
• Scholarships also require contracting into Army ROTC.

Did you know?

• You can take the first two years of Army ROTC without an Army ROTC scholarship or commitment to the Army. This course is just like any other elective course.
• If you do not receive an Army ROTC scholarship while in high school, you can attend South Dakota Mines and apply for an Army ROTC scholarship once you begin your freshman year.
• You can be in Army ROTC and in the National Guard or Army Reserve.
• The Army will cover your tuition and fees up to five years for being an engineering major.
• There are two, three, and four-year scholarships available from ROTC.

• Military science and leadership courses are tuition free.
• Books and equipment are provided by the department.
• Associated fees assessed for all courses do apply.
• MSL credit may be applied as free electives toward graduation.
• MSL 101L or MSL 102L may be used to meet physical education requirements of any degree program.
• Tuition is charged for courses when used to meet physical education requirements.

In the traditional four-year program, students enroll in eight consecutive semesters of MSL courses, 2 credit hours each semester the first two years, and 4 credit hours each semester the last two years. Leadership laboratories are offered concurrently with each of the classroom courses.

The Advanced Course consists of the last four semesters of the ROTC program and is offered to students possessing the potential to become Army officers and who desire to serve as commissioned officers and lead US Army soldiers in the Active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard.

The objective of the advanced course is to select, train, and prepare students for military service. After the junior year of military science, Cadets will complete a 35-day summer training event, with pay and travel expenses covered, to and from Fort Knox, Kentucky to evaluate a cadet's knowledge and leadership qualities before receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army.

Along with the above required courses, military history listed as "a mil history course" in the catalog needs to be completed before graduation to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army with a bachelor's degree. For a full listing of these courses, including course descriptions, hours, credits, and prerequisites, please see the South Dakota Mines course catalog.  

If you need assistance with course selection, please contact your academic advisor.

Requirements 

• Be a US citizen

• Be between the ages of 17 and 26

• Have a high school diploma or equivalent

• Medically qualified

• Must have a comleted ACT or SAT

• Meet physical standards

• Agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve Component (Army Reserve or Army National Guard)

Application can be done on the US Army ROTC website here.

It's never too late to join ROTC and become commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant. Scholarships can be applied to sophomores just joining ROTC for the first time or those who have been taking both MSL 101 through MSL 202 class the first two years.

Freshmen:
Army ROTC is an elective course that you can take with no obligation to the Army. Just sign up for the 100 Level Military Science Course and Lab.

Sophomores or Potential Graduate Students:
If you haven't taken the first two years of ROTC you can attend the Leaders Training Course (LTC) during the summer for four weeks with pay and finish your final two years of school or grad school. 

Note: Requirements are the same for students currently enrolled in college as high school students

Requirements:

• Be a US citizen
• Be between the ages of 17 and 26
• Have a high school diploma or equivalent
• Must have a completed ACT or SAT
• Meet physical standards
• Agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve Component (Army Reserve or Army National Guard)

Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GFRD) is a three year scholarship for cadets wishing to commission in the National Guard or Reserves that guarantees the placement in a reserve component. Cadets will receive full tuition and mandatory fees as well as book allowance, stipends, and drill pay while being in the Simultaneous Membership Program.

In the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) you participate in the Guard or Reserves and your college's ROTC program at the same time. During this two-year course, you'll be paired with and mentored by a unit officer, and get paid to drill once a month with your Guard unit.

All scholarship types can participate in the SMP.

SMP Application Process:

• Contact the South Dakota Mines ROTC for an interview
• Obtain a letter of acceptance into SMP program from Guard/Reserve Unit Commander
• Complete the medical qualification exam through Army ROTC
• Obtain assignment orders from Guard/Reserve Unit into the SMP Program
• Contract with Army ROTC

Qualifications:

• Be a sophomore in academic standing with a cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or higher
• Accepted by the professor of military science and the unit's Commander
• Pass the army combat fitness test (ACFT)

The Benefits:

• Monthly stipend from ROTC
• Receive commission as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation
• Maintain the benefits of being in the National Guard or Reserve
• More leadership experiences outside ROTC
• Get pay for drill, MGIB (Montgomery GI Bill), stipends, and may receive up to 100% tuition assistance through the National Guard Supplemental Grant (NGSG)

Contact the ROTC department for more details for applying.

Green to Gold Scholarship:
This scholarship is for active duty service members who are toward the end of their initial enlistment and wish to become officers in the US Army through ROTC. These scholarships are awarded based on the years of college remaining to complete, four years for those with no college credit, or graduate degrees.

Click here for more details.

Army ROTC offers two-, three-, and four-year Nursing scholarships to qualified nursing students. This scholarship guarantees service in the Army Nurse Corps upon graduation and commissioning. South Dakota State University has a nursing program and offers Army ROTC in a partnership with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Contact the ROTC department at the South Dakota Mines for more details.

Maintaining physical fitness is essential in the United States Army to ensure combat readiness and health. PT is performed three times a week Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for an hour in the morning before classes start.

Every semester there is an FTX that is held for the weekend to reinforce and use those tools learned in the classroom and lab to apply out in the field at West Camp Rapid. Cadets will participate in doing day and night land navigation; basic rifle marksmanship (BRM); field leadership reaction course (FLRC), an obstacle that needs to be completed by a team; squad situational training exercise (STX), a squad movement that has an objective to be completed and is composed and operated by many of the subjects taught in class and lab throughout the semester; and patrolling which is like STX but on a larger scale. 

The varsity sport of ROTC that competes against other ROTC programs from South Dakota and neighboring states at Camp Ripley, Minnesota in the middle of October during every fall semester. The competition consists of many activities that are performed during lab and at FTXs such as land navigation, one rope bridge, army physical fitness test (APFT), basic rifle marksmanship, field leadership reaction course, patrolling, and STX.

The cadet equivalent of the Best Ranger competition, Buddy Ranger consists of a weekend of cadets from around the nation to compete in teams of two in Lawrence, Kansas.

Cadets are able to participate in the Army’s annual Army Ten-Mile Race and Expo which is conducted in our nation’s capital by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington (MDW). Attracting over 35,000 runners and 900 teams from around the world, the Army Ten-Miler (ATM) exemplifies the Spirit of Sport and the Spirit of a Nation.  Participants include military, civilians, wheel chair athletes and wounded warrior athletes. ATM’s mission is to support Army outreach, build morale, and promote physical fitness.  Over 900 Soldiers and 900 volunteers support the Army’s “world class” ATM race.