Departments and Centers
Military Science
Curriculum
Advanced Course (G301, G302, G401, and G402)
After completing the Basic Course or its equivalent (see ‘‘Advanced Placement’’ in this bulletin) and 54 credit hours that count towards the major with a grade point average of at least 2.0, students who have demonstrated officer potential and who meet Army physical standards are eligible to enroll in the Advanced Course. The Advanced Course is normally taken in the final two years of college. Instruction includes further leadership development, organization and management, tactics, and administration.
A paid 32-day Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) is held during the summer between the junior and senior years at one of the Army’s premier training facilities at Fort Lewis (near Seattle, Washington). This camp permits cadets to put into practice the principles and theories they have learned in the classroom. It also exposes them to Army life in a tactical or field environment.
All cadets in the Advanced Course receive uniforms, compensation for attending LDAC, and an allowance between $4,000 and $5,000 each school year.
Before entering the Advanced Course, a student must sign a contract that certifies an understanding of the service obligation. This obligation may be fulfilled in various ways, depending on the individual’s personal preference and the needs of the Army. Scholarship graduates serve four years on active duty (if selected by Cadet Command) and four inthe Army Guard or Army Reserve, unless they receive a Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty scholarship. If that scholarship is received, the graduate serves entirely with the Guard or Reserve. Nonscholarship graduates may serve three years on active duty (if selected by Cadet Command) and the remaining five years in the Guard or Reserve. If the nonscholarship graduate selects reserve force duty, the eight-year obligation is spent in the Guard or Reserve. There, officers assume duties for six years with a troop unit, and the last two years of the eight-year obligation require no participation (readiness status only).
The Advanced Course comprises four 3 credit hour courses (totaling 12 credit hours) and LDAC. The 300-level courses stress the military skills that will be needed to complete LDAC successfully. The 400-level courses concentrate on those skills needed by a cadet as he/she makes the transition to becoming a commissioned officer. In addition, students lead a battalion in which they are given various command and staff positions based on an order of merit established by their prior performance in the program.
Advanced Course students are required to attend field training exercises and periodic leadership labs, and meet minimum physical fitness standards.