ROTC and Military Affairs

UC Santa Cruz Air Force ROTC

Students interested in participating in Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) have the option of attending AFROTC classes at San José State University while taking other academic classes at UC Santa Cruz.

San José State University supports a wing of AFROTC with cadets from San José State University, Santa Clara University, Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, and many local community colleges. The Air Force ROTC program is designed to provide instruction in leadership, management, and national security studies along with military education and training. This prepares the cadet for assignment to positions of responsibility and importance in the modern Air Force. Instruction is conducted on and off campus. This program offers all eligible students the opportunity to obtain an officer's commission in the United States Air Force while earning their college degrees.

Program Overview

Our faculty brings a wealth of experience and diversity to the program. Instructors are Active Duty Air Force officers from various career areas and provide students with a first-rate academic education and military training experience. Each faculty member also acts as a student adviser to guide students through the program and help them reach the goal of an officer’s commission in the United States Air Force.

College students wishing to commission as an Air Force officer through ROTC may enroll in a three-, or four-year program. Students attend Air Force ROTC classes along with other college courses and receive elective academic credit. AFROTC courses are sequenced by subject area for specific and logical reasons. Please see http://www.sjsu.edu/afrotc/ for course information. After successfully completing all requirements, the cadets are commissioned as Air Force officers.

For information on the Air Force ROTC program, contact the Department of Aerospace Studies, AFROTC Det 045, One Washington Square, Industrial Studies Building, Room 214, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, 95192-0051. Phone: (408) 924-2960. Email afrotc@sjsu.edu or visit the website: http://www.sjsu.edu/afrotc/. Students may call or inquire about program prerequisites, scholarship availability, and class schedules at the Department of Aerospace Studies.

UC Santa Cruz Army ROTC

The Army ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) is one of the best leadership courses in the country and can be part of your college curriculum. UC Santa Cruz students have the opportunity to take ROTC courses with cadets from other local campuses including Santa Clara University, Stanford, and San Jose State University. Cadets from UC Santa Cruz have flexible options to meet ROTC class requirements such as local classes on campus, shuttles to Santa Clara University, or by virtual attendance of classes at Santa Clara University through the Army’s online meeting application. During classes, leadership labs, physical training, and field training exercises, Army ROTC students will learn firsthand what it takes to lead others, motivate groups and conduct missions as an officer in the Army. Upon graduation from Army ROTC, students will earn the bar of a second lieutenant and be commissioned into the Active Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.

Army ROTC at Santa Clara University is a program that fosters the development of cadets' academic, athletic, professional, and mental strengths. Students attend class and physical training for three hours each week, along with a Wednesday lab session that features hands-on instruction regarding Army operations and leadership situations. This program is ideally designed as a four-year process. Cadets spend their first two years familiarizing themselves with the Army, and in their third year they are expected to perform and improve as leaders in preparation for a summer leadership development camp at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. The fourth and final year of Army ROTC introduces cadets to the responsibilities of military staff, teaching them to plan, train, lead, and develop their junior cadets in preparation for their commission. A typical four-year education with Santa Clara University ROTC comes with a service obligation of four years in the Army.

Army ROTC also gives cadets the opportunity to gain further Army experience by earning appointments to Army training schools where they will parachute from airplanes or rappel from helicopters. In addition, cadets are allowed a single quarter of study abroad, as well as the opportunity to participate in Army-funded immersion trips to dozens of countries across the globe in the summer months.

Cadets who graduate from the program will compete for active duty and reserve positions across the Army. Active officers have a full-time position and serve for a minimum of four years. Reserve officers serve for eight years part-time in either the National Guard or Army Reserve.

For more information about ROTC opportunities and scholarships contact Mario Morales by email at mcmorales@scu.edu or by phone at 408-554-6840, or visit the Army ROTC website at http://www.scu.edu/rotc/.

For more information regarding Army ROTC please visit the Army ROTC website at http://www.goarmy.com/rotc.html.