Physical Education Building 101
(213) 740-2663

Administration

Daniel P. McKnight, Commanding Officer

Faculty

Professor: Daniel P. McKnight, M.S. (Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps)

Associate Professor: Cass D. Howell, M.S. (Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps)

Assistant Professors: Dennis R. Cruz, B.S. (Lieutenant, U.S. Navy); Rommel M. Estevez, B.S. (Lieutenant, U.S. Navy); Marsha A. Kuehl, M.S. (Major, U.S. Marine Corps); Barry R. Stangl, B.A. (Lieutenant, U.S. Navy)

The Department of Naval Science provides professional training for students leading to a reserve commission, upon graduation, in the United States Navy or the United States Marine Corps. Through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Program (NROTC), scholarship students receive full tuition, books and $150 per month subsistence pay. Non-scholarship students may apply to participate as members of the midshipman battalion with limited financial assistance, earning a reserve commission upon completion of the baccalaureate degree. Because of the rapid development of highly technical ship systems, aviation and other military equipment, science and engineering majors are highly desirable; however, Navy scholarships are currently available to students pursuing any major offered by the university, as long as they complete basic technical requirements. In addition to university requirements, midshipmen must complete 22 units of naval science courses, a physical fitness test and three summer cruises, each about four to eight weeks long. The department also conducts a sail training program for all midshipmen.

All naval science courses, from ship systems and management to naval operations and amphibious warfare, are open to students who are not in the program but have an interest in the Navy and related fields, such as engineering, navigation and naval operations, history and management.

Program Requirements

Scholarship Program

The majority of naval science students attend the university on Navy scholarships. Scholarships are awarded primarily on a four-year basis to high school seniors selected in nationwide competition. A two-year upper division scholarship program is also available with a similar selection process to students who have not yet begun their junior year in college. Applications for both types of scholarships are due by December 1 and March 1, respectively, each year. In addition to tuition and fees, books and uniforms, students receive subsistence pay of $150 per month. A scholarship student receives, upon graduation, a reserve commission in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps and serves on active duty for a minimum of four years.

College Program

College program non-scholarship students are selected by the professor of naval science at the beginning of each academic year from among applicants of the freshman and sophomore classes. These students receive uniforms, naval science textbooks, and if selected for advanced standing, subsistence pay of $150 per month in their junior and senior years. Upon graduation, a non-scholarship student receives a reserve commission in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps, and serves on active duty for a minimum of three years. College Program students may be recommended for scholarship benefits based on superior academic performance and participation in NROTC.

Navy Nurse Corps Option

Four-year NROTC Nurse Corps scholarships are also available to students who are pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Upon graduation, Nurse NROTC Scholarship Program midshipmen will be commissioned as reserve officers in the Navy Nurse Corps. Nurse corps option students are only required to take the 100-level and 400-level naval science courses. The NSC 453 course requirement may be waived with approval from both the chairman of the Department of Nursing and the professor of naval science if a similar course is offered by the Department of Nursing. Nurse Corps option students attend two summer cruises, with the second one spent at a Naval hospital to learn its organization and functions, and to gain respect for the concept of the Navy healthcare team.

Marine Corps Option

Highly motivated NROTC students may request designation as Marine Corps option students, and may also pursue any USC academic degree. Marine Corps option students take the same freshman and second-semester senior naval science courses as their Navy counterparts, and substitute NSC 343 and NSC 392 in their sophomore and junior years. In addition, their final summer cruise involves intensive Marine training. Marine Corps option students also participate, on a limited basis, in field training exercises during the academic year.

Requirements for Commissioning

Students must meet USC degree requirements in their chosen fields and complete the prescribed naval science courses. In addition, scholarship students must include in their programs MATH 125 Calculus I and MATH 126 Calculus II and PHYS 151L Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics, Waves, and Sound and PHYS 152L Fundamentals of Physics II: Thermodynamics, Electricity, and Magnetism, and as electives in their academic programs, two semester courses in freshman/sophomore English, and one semester course in American military history and computer science. Non-scholarship students must include in their programs two semester courses in college algebra or higher mathematics, physical science, and English, and one semester course in computer science. Of these requirements, Marine Corps option students are only obligated to fulfill the American military history/national security policy requirement, and Nurse Corps option students only need fulfill the English requirement.

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