Navy or marine ROTC degree overview

The Navy ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program combines a university undergraduate or graduate degree curriculum with the Navy ROTC (NROTC) curriculum. It is offered at more than 160 accredited schools and institutions throughout the US. Midshipmen who pursue and receive an NROTC scholarship must fulfill the requirements of both their selected degree program and the military studies and leadership labs administered by the Navy. The Marines do not have their own Marine ROTC program. Aspiring Marines take part in the Navy ROTC ‘Marine option.’

To be eligible for a Navy ROTC scholarship, aspiring navy officers must be US citizens between the ages of 17 and 27, must start their studies in their freshman year, must demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and leadership qualities, and must agree to serve at least four years of active duty as an Officer in the Navy or Marine Corps following college graduation.

The standard part of the Navy ROTC training program – the part that does not vary from midshipman to midshipman – is composed of Navy ROTC specified courses and naval science courses. Military-focused classes are taught by military faculty and qualified guest speakers.

NROTC NAVY OPTION

Specified Courses

• Calculus
• Calculus-based Physics
• College Algebra or Advanced Trigonometry
• Physical Science
• American Military History
• Regional Studies / Cultural Awareness
• Composition-based English
• American Military History

Naval Science Courses

Introduction to Naval Science

• Organizational structure, warfare components, and assigned roles and missions of the US Navy (USN) and the US Marine Corps (USMC)
• USN and USMC leadership and core values
• Naval culture

Sea Power and Maritime Affairs

• History and tradition of the US Navy
• National issues and imperatives in peacetime and in war
• Maritime philosophies
• Naval strategies and doctrines
• Budgetary concerns which shaped the Navy
• US diplomatic objectives
• How the Navy changed at the end of the Cold War
• How the Navy’s mission changed after September 11, 2001

Leadership and Management

• Fundamentals of leading Sailors and Marines
• Theories of leadership and management inside and beyond the Naval Service
• Related case studies and laboratory discussions

Navigation

• Fundamentals of electronic navigation
• Introduction to maneuvering boards
• Piloting techniques
• Use of charts
• Use of visual and electronic aids
• Theory and operation of magnetics and gyrocompasses
• Tides, currents, effects of wind and weather
• Voyage planning
• Introduction to international and inland rules of navigation
• Case studies, including related ethical issues

Naval Engineering Systems

• Ship design
• Hydrodynamic forces
• Stability
• Propulsion
• Electrical theory and distribution
• Hydraulic theory and ship control
• Damage control
• Theory and design of steam, gas turbine, diesel, and nuclear propulsion
• Case studies, including related ethical issues

Weapons and Systems Analysis

• Theory and use of weapons systems
• Detection, evaluation, threat analysis, weapon selection, delivery, guidance, and explosives
• Fire control systems
• Major weapons types
• Radar and underwater sound
• Weapons systems integration – command, communications, computers, intelligence
• Warfare and information warfare
• Case studies, including related ethical issues

Naval Operations and Seamanship

• Relative motion
• Formation tactics
• Ship employment
• Naval operations and operations analysis
• Ship behavior, maneuvering characteristics, and afloat communications
• Naval command and control
• Naval warfare areas
• Joint warfare
• Case studies, including related ethical issues

Leadership and Ethics

• Preparation for Navy and Marine Corps service
• Western moral traditions and ethical philosophy
• Military leadership, core values, and professional ethics
• Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)
• Navy regulations
• Roles of enlisted members
• Conduct of warfare

NROTC MARINE OPTION

Specified Course

• American Military

Naval Science Courses

Evolution of Warfare

• Causes of change in the means and methods of warfare
• Influence of political, economic, and societal factors on the conduct of war
• Role of technological innovation in the evolution of warfare
• The art and science of war

Amphibious Warfare

• General warfare versus amphibious warfare
• Historical analysis of amphibious operations
• Doctrines, tactics, and technology of amphibious warfare
• Evolution of the US Marine Corps as a specialized force
• Development of Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare concepts

Because of their distinct nature, only other ROTC programs, such as Air Force ROTC and Army ROTC, are truly similar to the Navy ROTC degree/curriculum. The information below, however, summarizes some of the degrees that the Navy lists in its tiers of academic majors:

Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering degree programs teach the analytical, computational, and engineering and design skills needed to work in the aerospace industry. Students learn how to apply this knowledge to the manufacturing, testing, and monitoring of civil or commercial aircraft, military aircraft, missiles, rockets, spacecraft, lunar vehicles, and space stations.

Chemical Engineering
This degree field is focused on how the chemical, biochemical, and physical properties of substances can be changed to turn them into something else. Examples of this work are making plastic from oil, developing synthetic fibers for clothing, identifying ways to mass-produce drugs, and finding ways to solve environmental problems.

Chemistry
Chemistry is the science that deals with identifying the substances that make up matter. Degree programs in chemistry focus on investigating these substances: their properties; how they interact, combine, and change; and how scientists can use chemical processes to form new substances.

Civil Engineering
This degree field is focused on the processes of design and planning of civil infrastructure like roads, tunnels, bridges, dams, railroads, and airports. In their work, civil engineers are concerned with such things as how much weight a structure can support and the environmental issues presented by construction. The emphasis of civil engineering degree programs is math, statistics, engineering systems and mechanics, building codes, and statistical analysis.

Computer Engineering
This degree field teaches students how to develop computer hardware and software. The curriculum includes course in calculus, physics, computer system architecture and networking, digital-logic design, data structures, and programming languages.

Computer Programming
Majors in computer programming learn how to write programming languages, how to create the code needed to run software based on specifications received from software engineers. The core curriculum covers program testing, debugging, and customization.

Electrical Engineering
Students of electrical engineering learn how to use physics, electronics, and electromagnetism to design devices that are powered by or produce electricity. Most degree programs in the field start with foundational classes in calculus, physics, and chemistry.

Experience in the military leaves ROTC grads with an impressive set of transferable skills:

• Leadership
• Budgeting / financial management / resource allocation
• A sense of responsibility
• Communication
• Honor / trustworthiness / dependability
• Technology skills
• Teamwork
• Capacity to perform under stressful circumstances
• Ability to adapt and shift priorities
• Ability to think quickly and solve problems
• Physical fitness

The answer to this question depends on the degree earned within the Navy ROTC education program. Also, potential roles and jobs available outside the military, in civilian life, will likely be somewhat or significantly different from related positions inside the military. Here are some of the occupational categories in that may be open to ROTC graduates during and/or after their service in the Navy or Marine Corps:

• Allied Health
• Arts and Humanity
• Computers and Computer Science
• Cruise Line Officer
• Dentistry
• Electronics and Electrical
• Emergency Management and Response
• Engineering and Applied Science
• Facilities
• Future Technologies
• Ground Vehicles
• Health and Medicine
• Health Administration
• Health Technicians and Specialists
• Intelligence