Common Questions

Many of these questions are addressed in more detail in the Maverick Battalion Army ROTC Program Guide. The Program Guide and other useful information are available at the ROTC office. Our phone number is (507) 389-6229. Feel free to call with any questions.

What are you all about?

• The mission of the ROTC program is to produce US Army officers (leaders and managers).
• Our program includes students from Minnesota State University, Gustavus Adolphus College, and Bethany Lutheran College

Who can participate in ROTC?

The Classes: Anyone can take the 100 and 200 level classes
Contracting: Scholarship cadets and all other cadets taking the last two years of ROTC must sign a contract in which they commit themselves to serving as an Army Officer upon Graduation.

Do All Graduates have to go on Active Duty? - NO

• Upon graduation from college, all cadets are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the US Army.
• Cadets have the option of serving on Active Duty, in the National Guard or Army Reserves.

What kind of student is the ROTC program looking for?

• Undergraduates and Graduate students who will graduate by the age of 31
• Scholars, Athletes, and Leaders
• Members of the Army National Guard or Army Reserve
• Former Active Duty Enlisted soldiers
• Motivated individuals who are interested in the military
• Nurses

What is the ROTC program?

1) It's a class:

All ROTC or Military Science & Leadership (MSL) classes meet once per week, regardless of how many hours are in the class.

The ROTC Basic Course (Freshman and Sophomore) - Anyone can take these classes:

Freshman Year: 1 Hour / Week

• MSL 111: Foundations of Officership
• MSL 112: Basic Leadership

Sophomore Year: 2 Hours / Week

• MSL 211: Individual Leadership Studies
• MSL 212: Leadership and Teamwork

The ROTC Advanced Course (Junior and Senior) - Only contracted ROTC cadets may take these classes:

Junior Year: 3 Hours / Week

• MSL 311: Leadership and Problem Solving
• MSL 312: Leadership and Ethics

Senior Year: 3 Hours / Week

• MSL 411: Leadership and Management
• MSL 412: Officership

2) Leadership Lab:

Who: Mandatory for contracted and scholarship cadets and encouraged for participating cadets
What: The weekly "hands on" portion of ROTC - learning skills and exercising leadership
Examples: Rappelling, Weapons Assembly, Small Unit Tactics, Land Navigation
When: Wednesday afternoons:4-6pm
How: Split between Basic and Advanced course or the whole program participating in combined training

3) Physical Training (PT):

Who: Mandatory for contracted and scholarship cadets. Encouraged for participating cadets. Can be exempt if score high enough on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). In-season varsity and club athletes participate in their various sport practice sessions in lieu of PT.
When: 6:00-7:00 AM - Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
What: Cadets learn a variety of physical conditioning techniques and the concepts to develop a lifelong healthy and active fitness lifestyle.

4) Field Training Exercises (FTXs):

Who: Mandatory for contracted and scholarship cadets. Encouraged for participating cadets.
When: Thursday or Friday through Sunday. One FTX per Semester.

5) Other Activities:

Color Guard, Boy Scout support, Science Fair judging, Ranger Challenge, etc.

6) Summer Training:

In general, the summers are yours. However, 2 to 3 week-long military schools are available, such as: Airborne School, Air Assault School, Mountain Warfare School, Northern Warfare School

The following summer internships/summer programs are available:
Training with the British Army in England, Participation in West Point Summer Field Training, Civil Engineering internships around the world, Army Science Fellowships around the country

Note: Selection for summer training events is very competitive and based on cadet order of merit ranking, which involves academic GPA, physical fitness and overall involvement in ROTC.

Leader Development and Assessment Course ("LDAC" or "Warrior Forge"):

After the completion of the junior year, all cadets attend a 32-day comprehensive training experience in Fort Lewis, Washington known as the Leader Development and Assessment Course or LDAC or Warrior Forge. This event involves Maverick Battalion cadets participating with cadets from across the United States during daily training and evaluations. (You might hear former ROTC cadets or family remembers refer to this program by its former name "Advanced Camp.")

Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT):

Following completion of LDAC, a select few juniors will participate in a 3 to 4 week-long summer internship program where they train with Regular Army units around the world.

Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP):

Following completion of LDAC, cadets who are nursing majors have the option to participate in a 120-hour program allowing them to experience life in Army Hospitals around the world.

How can a college athlete find the time to participate in ROTC?

We have athletes from a variety of sports in the ROTC program and make every effort to work around their schedules. The leadership experiences learned from intercollegiate competition are equally valuable for future Army officers.

Can I join later in my college experience? - YES, via four options:

• Acceleration: Students can join in their sophomore year and take both 100 and 200 level MSL classes simultaneously, thus satisfying the requirements to complete both of these levels before entering the Advanced Course for the final two years of school
• Simultaneous Membership Program: Members of the National Guard or Army Reserve have the option to contract two years out from graduation without participating in the first two years of ROTC. We prefer that these members join in the first two years of college, however, so that these cadets can gain from the additional broad-based leader training - a different focus than that received in the Reserve Component unit.
• Prior Service Active Duty: Former Active Duty enlisted soldiers have the option to contract two years out from graduation without participating in the first two years of ROTC.
• Leaders Training Course (LTC - formerly known as Basic Camp): Allows students who have the appropriate scholar-athlete-leader credentials to participate in a month-long training event at Fort Knox, Kentucky and then contract as a junior or a graduate student without participating in the first two years of ROTC. Not the same as Basic Training.

What do Army officers do?

Officers serve as the leaders and managers of the US Army across a variety of specialties in increasing levels of responsibility over the course of their careers. Think of the Army as a big community with 450,000 members. That community requires officers of many different specialties and different levels of experience to keep the community functioning on a daily basis. There are 16 basic career fields in the Army involving such fields as: Aviation, Armor, Artillery, Logistics, Infantry, Military Intelligence, Military Police, Adjutant General, Transportation and Finance. There are also several specialized fields such as Nursing, Medicine, Physical Therapy, and Law. For a complete list of career fields or specialties, see the Maverick Battalion Army ROTC Program Guide, page 25.

What is the Starting Salary for a new Army Officer?

• Brand-new Second Lieutenants on Active Duty earn approximately $35,000 per year.
• The first four years see large pay raises. After four years, the average officer will earn over $56,000 per year.