LT Stephen McKenzie
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
(757) 823-8895
Recruiter email: hrnrotc-recruiter@odu.edu or sdmckenzie@nsu.edu
The primary mission of the Department of Naval Science is to provide professional and leadership instruction to students who desire to serve as commissioned officers in the United States Navy or Marine Corps. Participation in the NROTC Program is voluntary, and any student who meets the qualifications is eligible to participate.
The NROTC Program consists of two courses of instruction: the four-year program and the two-year program. Both apply to scholarship and non-scholarship (college program) students.
The four-year program is divided into a two-year basic course and a two-year advanced course. The basic course (NSC 101 Naval Orientation, NSC 102 Sea Power & Maritime Affairs, NSC 201 Naval Ship Systems I, NSC 202 Naval Ship Systems II and accompanying naval laboratory sessions) is normally pursued by NROTC midshipmen during their freshman and sophomore years. While most freshmen begin the basic course during the fall semester, it is possible to enter the program at the beginning of the spring semester. The advanced course (NSC 301 Navigation & Naval Operations I, NSC 302 Navigation & Naval Operations II, NSC 401 Leadership & Management, NSC 402 Leadership & Ethics and accompanying naval laboratory sessions) is normally pursued during the junior and senior years. Students seeking a commission in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve substitute NSC 310 The Evolution of Warfare, NSC 410 Amphibious Warfare, and two approved elective courses for NSC 301 Navigation & Naval Operations I, NSC 302 Navigation & Naval Operations II, NSC 401 Leadership & Management, and NSC 402 Leadership & Ethics.
Scholarship recipients supplement classroom instruction with at-sea training the summer between their junior and senior years. Similarly, Marine Corps option students attend the six-week Marine Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, the summer between their junior and senior years.
The two-year NROTC Program (when offered) is extended to students who do not participate in NROTC during their freshman and sophomore years and who meet the program requirements. Applications to join must be submitted early in the spring semester of the sophomore year. For students accepted into this program, a six-week summer training period at the Naval Science Institute (NSI) in Newport, Rhode Island, following their sophomore year, replaces the Basic course segment of the four-year program. Students successfully completing summer training enroll in the Advanced course for their junior and senior years.
Requirements for Formal Enrollment in NROTC
- Be a citizen of the United States.
- Be physically qualified under standards prescribed by the Department of the Navy.
- Be accepted by the University as a full-time enrolled student or enrolled at Tidewater Community College.
- Be at least 17 years of age and not have reached 27 years of age by 30 June of the year you graduate. (Scholarship)
- Be at least 17 years of age and not have reached 27 years of age by 30 June of the year you graduate. (College Program)
- Possess a satisfactory record of moral integrity, maintain high standards of performance in academic and extracurricular activities, and manifest potential officer characteristics.
- Have no moral obligation or personal convictions that prevent you from conscientiously bearing arms and supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Participation Requirements
Students enrolling in the Basic course of instruction during their freshman year incur no military obligation. Those in the Advanced course must agree to serve a specific active duty period.
All College Program students may compete for three and two-year NROTC scholarships. NROTC scholarships pay for tuition, books, laboratory fees, and other required fees, except room and board. Additionally, scholarship students receive a monthly stipend of $250-$400 (tax free). For specific information and requirements, contact the Department of Naval Science (sdmckenzie@nsu.edu).
Advanced course students in the College Program (non-scholarship) are entitled to subsistence pay at the rate of $350 JR and $400 SR per month for each month of the school year, not to exceed 20 months maximum. While engaged in summer cruise training, all students receive one half of the basic pay of an Ensign.
Naval Science Courses
NSC 101 Naval Orientation (2 Credits)
Introduction to sea power and the naval service, with emphasis on the mission, organization, regulations, and broad warfare components of the Navy, including an overview of officer and enlisted rank and rating structures, procurement and recruitment, training and education, promotion and advancement, and retirement policies.
NSC 102 Sea Power & Maritime Affairs (3 Credits)
Study of the general sea power (including the merchant marine), the role of various warfare components of the Navy in supporting the Navy's mission, the implementation of sea power as an instrument of national policy, and a comparative study of U.S. and other Navies throughout history.
NSC 111 Naval Laboratory I (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.
NSC 112 Naval Laboratory II (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.
NSC 201 Naval Ship Systems I (3 Credits)
Introduction to the types, structure, and purpose of naval ships including ship compartmentalization, propulsion systems, auxiliary power systems, interior communications, and ship control. Examination of elements of ship design to achieve safe operations and ship stability.
NSC 202 Naval Ship Systems II (3 Credits)
Introduction to the theory and principles of weapons systems including coverage of types of weapons and fire control systems, capabilities and limitations, theory of target acquisition, identification and tracking, trajectory principles, and basics of naval ordinance. Knowledge of algebra and trigonometry recommended.
NSC 211 Naval Laboratory III (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.
NSC 212 Naval Laboratory IV (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.
NSC 301 Navigation & Naval Operations I (3 Credits)
Comprehensive study of theory, principles, and procedures of ship navigation, movements, and employment, including use of charts and publications, dead reckoning, piloting and electronic navigation techniques, voyage planning, and survey of celestial navigation. Operations topics include communications, sonar-radar search, and screening theory. Covers tactical formations and dispositions, relative motion, maneuvering board, tactical plots, rules of the road, lights, signals, and navigational aids.
NSC 302 Navigation & Naval Operations II (3 Credits)
Comprehensive study of theory, principles, and procedures of ship navigation, movements, and employment, including use of charts and publications, dead reckoning, piloting and electronic navigation techniques, voyage planning, and survey of celestial navigation. Operations topics include communications, sonar-radar search, and screening theory. Covers tactical formations and dispositions, relative motion, maneuvering board, tactical plots, rules of the road, lights, signals, and navigational aids.
NSC 310 The Evolution of Warfare (3 Credits)
Exploration of the forms of warfare employed by great leaders in history in order to formulate a sense of historical flow or to demonstrate alternative military actions, the impact of historical precedents on military thought and actions as practiced by the great leaders and military organizations. (Marine Corps Option Students Only).
NSC 311 Naval Laboratory V (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.
NSC 312 Naval Laboratory VI (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.
NSC 401 Leadership & Management (3 Credits)
Development of effective managerial and leadership competence through functional, behavioral, and situational approaches. Focus on the officer-manager as an organizational decision maker and leader.
NSC 402 Leadership & Ethics (3 Credits)
Capstone course in the NROTC curriculum builds and focuses on managerial and professional competencies developed during prior at-sea training and naval science courses.
NSC 410 Amphibious Warfare (3 Credits)
Historical survey of the sea power with emphasis on the evolution of amphibious warfare in the twentieth century including the concept of amphibious warfare, its doctrinal origins, and its evolution and development as an element of national naval policy.
NSC 411 Naval Laboratory VII (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.
NSC 412 Naval Laboratory VIII (1 Credits)
Study of basic military formations, drill movements, commands, customs, courtesies, honors, and inspections including lectures and discussions on a variety of subjects.