Army ROTC

If you have the passion for it, you can find your place in the Army as an officer and get the training you need to turn that passion into a career.

army-patch.png

Start strong in life. Enroll in Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), the college elective for undergraduate and graduate students that provides unrivalled leadership training for success in any career field. 

Joining Army ROTC

Students accepted to the College of Charleston and interested in becoming an ROTC cadet should contact the College's Coordinator of Veteran, Military and ROTC Recruitment:

Mathew Garrison
Coordinator for Veteran, Military and ROTC Recruitment
College of Charleston
843.953.5861
garrisonmj@cofc.edu

Palmetto Battalion

The College of Charleston is formally part of the "Palmetto Battalion," hosted by The Citadel Military Army ROTC Department.

As a senior military program, the Palmetto Battalion is one of the largest programs in the nation. 

As an extension of the Palmetto Battalion, College of Charleston students who participate in the ROTC program will commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation.

“Palmetto Battalion” is duly nicknamed for the palmetto tree and its importance in South Carolina military history. Palmetto trees were used to fortify Fort Moultrie, and on June 28, 1776, played a role in repelling the British fleet's attack on Sullivan's Island. The palmetto tree is featured on the South Carolina flag.

Leadership Training

Army ROTC provides you with valuable real-world tools and leadership skills that will benefit you in your professional career as well as your personal life.
  • Army ROTC Curriculum

    Army ROTC is a college elective curriculum you take along with your required college classes. It prepares you with the tools, training and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive environment.

    Instruction at all levels of your training centers around leadership. The program includes instruction in basic combat techniques, physical training, weapons, general military subjects, tactics and communication skills.

    Army ROTC can help pay for your college tuition, too. You will have a normal college student experience like everyone else on campus, but when you graduate, you will be an Officer in the Army.

    Army ROTC is one of the nation's top leadership programs, with many benefits to joining.

    Through Army ROTC you can:

    • get help with your college tuition with an Army ROTC scholarship.
    • gain unique experience.
    • earn the respect of your peers and future employers.
    • develop skills to lead and manage.

    Palmetto Battalion Army ROTC

    The first two years of Army ROTC are known as the Basic Course. As an Army ROTC cadet, you will complete the following academic courses in the classroom:

    The remaining two years of Army ROTC are known as the Advanced Course.

    In addition to classroom instruction, cadets are required to attend the following:

    • Weekly physical fitness training
    • Leadership lab once per week
    • Two field-training exercises taking place at a United States military installation
  • Cadet Clubs and Activities

    Army ROTC cadets are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities. We want our cadets to have a well-rounded college experience. 

    Cordell Airborne Ranger Club

    The Cordell Airborne Ranger Club is a voluntary club sponsored by a cadre in the Palmetto Battalion. The club is named after Captain Terry Cordell - a graduate of The Citadel and one of the first Special Forces Officers in the U.S. Army - who was killed in action in Vietnam.

    The purpose of the club is to train cadets on modern infantry tactics. This training not only helps develop leadership skills, it also better prepares cadets for Cadet Initial Entry Training and Cadet Leadership Course.

    The training is very realistic, teaching the latest infantry tactics, techniques and procedures. The club conducts very rigorous training on campus and is meant to challange participants.

    The club is open to all students and is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Army, build camaraderie and have fun. The club also acts as a military networking tool for members, giving them the opportunity to stay in touch with their miltary roots as they progress in their careers.

    Participating cadets have the opportunity to compete for the coveted Cordell Airborne Ranger Scroll. Contracted Army ROTC cadets have the opportunity to be awarded additional order of merit points as a part of their accessions process for cadets who have earned the Cordell Airborne Ranger Scroll. 

    All interested cadets should contact any Army ROTC military science instructor upon beginning ROTC classes.

    Ranger Challenge

    Ranger Challenge, known as the varsity sport of Army ROTC, is a competition designed to challenge cadets both physically and mentally as well as enhance leader development and team cohesion. 

    Army ROTC conducts Ranger Challenge once a year in the fall semester. It consists of practical exercises using all the leadership skills and technical skills a cadet has learned throughout the school year.

    Generally, Ranger Challenge includes the following events: Land Navigation, One Rope Bridge, Patrolling, Weapons Assembly, M16 Firing Ranges, 10K Road March and the Army Physical Fitness Test.

  • Army ROTC Scholarships

    Army ROTC scholarships may cover full tuition as well as textbook fees, monthly stipend and other reasonable fees.

    Learn more about ROTC Scholarships
  • Army ROTC Summer Training

    Basic Camp (CIET)

    The Cadet Summer Training Basic Camp (CIET) is the premier leadership program of its kind in the United States. An intense, four-week introduction to Army life and leadership training of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, the aim of the course is to motivate and qualify cadets for entry into the Senior ROTC program.

    Basic Camp, is designed for college students, typically between their sophomore and junior years. Upon successful completion of the course, graduates can take part in ROTC at their college as a third-year student in the four-year program.

    While attending Basic Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, cadets gain an experience that runs the gamut of Army life and the responsibilities of being an officer. The course instills the confidence and decision-making abilities it takes to become a leader, in the Army and in life.

    The four weeks of Basic Camp are mentally grueling and physically taxing. But the reward of graduation and meeting ROTC standards is the opportunity to enroll in the world's greatest leadership program and to receive college tuition assistance.

    Graduation from Basic Camp has been the first step in many successful officers' careers. Graduates have gone on to lead America's sons and daughters in fighting to preserve American democracy and freedoms, or in civilian life in the boardrooms and offices of American business.

    Advanced Camp (CLC)

    The Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp (CLC) is  held annually at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The U.S. Army's largest training exercise, Advanced Camp is the U.S. Army Cadet Command's capstone training event.

    Avanced camp trains U.S. Army ROTC cadets to Army standards, to develop leadership skills and to evaluate their officer potential. Most army cadets attend advanced camp between their junior and senior undergraduate years after having contracted to join the Army. Successful completion of advanced camp is a prerequisite to becoming an Army officer through ROTC.

    The 29-day course starts with individual training and leads to collective training, building from simple to complex tasks. This building-block approach permits integration of previously learned skills into follow-on training. This logical, common-sense training sequence is maintained for each training cycle. Every day at advanced camp is a day of training.