Military Science

Department Head: COL Mark D. Raschke

Assistant Professors: LTC Wit Jones; CPT James Gainyard

The Army ROTC program of instruction at Charleston Southern University is geared toward teaching practical and hands-on skills that are required of the new Second Lieutenant in the active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. Instruction at all levels is focused on leadership. The program includes instruction in values, time management, physical fitness, basic military customs and courtesies, general military subjects, tactics, and communication skills. Selected students also have the opportunity to attend the Army’s Airborne, and Air Assault training courses in addition to serving with an active Army unit for two to four weeks in the Cadet Troop Leadership Training (CTLT) Program. Interested students may also be able to participate in the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). This program is a volunteer officer training program which allows Army National Guard and Army Reserve enlisted members to also participate in the Advanced ROTC course leading to a commission in one of the reserve components.

Military Science is a four-year program of instruction, divided into a two-year Basic Course and a two-year Advanced Course. The first year (Military Science I) addresses the role of individuals through instruction and practical training in the areas of physical training, marksmanship, first aid, map reading, U.S. weapons, and leadership. The second year (Military Science II) builds upon the first, through the development of more advanced individual skills such as land navigation, basic individual combat techniques, and small unit tactics and leadership. Students can take any Military Science course without commitment to military service upon degree completion.

The first year of the Advanced Course (Military Science III) is typically reserved for students who choose to contract in the Army and is primarily designed to prepare those students for their performance and evaluation at the Leadership Development and Assessment Course (LDAC), which normally takes place between their junior and senior years. The curriculum focuses on instruction and practical training exercises in advanced land navigation and map reading, individual military skills, principles and techniques of squad and platoon operations, the principles of organizational leadership, communications, fire support, U.S. Army weapons systems, and physical fitness training. At the conclusion of their junior year, contracted students will normally attend LDAC at Fort Lewis, Washington. LDAC is based upon performance-oriented training and continuous leadership potential evaluation. Each student’s LDAC evaluation is a principal determinant in branch selection and in being chosen for Active or Reserve Forces duty. The final year of the Advanced Course (Military Science IV) consists of instruction in solving contemporary leadership problems, principles of military justice, techniques of military writing, evolution of current tactics, pre-commissioning seminars, and military professionalism and ethics.

After his or her sophomore year, a student is eligible to enroll into the remaining Army ROTC courses if he or she has taken the first four Army ROTC courses, transfers from another ROTC program, has completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training, or completes the Leader’s Training Course at Fort Knox, KY. Students seeking commissions as Second Lieutenants in the United States Army are required to successfully complete the Enhanced Skills Training Program (ESTP), one of 10 designated military history courses, and both LDAC and ROTC Advanced Course training. Students are highly encouraged to take courses in mathematical reasoning (Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Statistics), computer science, natural science (Biology, Geology, Chemistry or Physics), human behavior, management, and national security affairs to better prepare themselves for their futures as Army officers.