military

MILITARY SCIENCE AT BHSU

Army ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) is one of the best leadership courses in the country and can be a part of your college curriculum. Being a student at Black Hills State and learning to become a leader will make your college experience even richer, preparing you for the future. Army ROTC provides individuals with the tools, training and experiences they need to become officers in the U.S. Army.

Army ROTC is one of the Nation's top leadership programs, with a wide range of benefits. Through Army ROTC you can:

  • Get help with your college tuition with an Army ROTC Scholarship
  • Gain experience you can't find anywhere else
  • Gain the respect of your peers and future employers
  • Train to become a leader and manager

In Army ROTC you will learn to become a leader—not just a person who gives orders, but a person who leads by example. Being an officer in the U.S. Army means you're a counselor, a strategist and a motivator. It's similar to being a vital manager in a corporation. As an officer, you will lead other soldiers in all situations and adjust to environments that are always changing. You will learn specific skills in Army ROTC such as leadership development, military skills and adventure training. This will take place both in the classroom and in the field, but you will have a normal daily schedule like all college students. Army ROTC has two phases: Basic Course and Advanced Course.

BHSU has a long tradition of producing some of the Army’s most outstanding officers. We have an excellent Ranger Challenge Team and compete annually in the Bataan Death March at White Sands, NM. Whether you're a college-bound high school student or already attending a college or university, Army ROTC has scholarships available. Scholarships are awarded based on a student's merit and grades, rather than financial need.


Army ROTC is an elective curriculum you take along with your required college classes. It gives you the tools, training and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive environment. Along with great leadership training, Army ROTC can pay for your college tuition. Because Army ROTC is an elective, you can participate your freshman and sophomore years without any obligation to join the Army. You will have a normal college student experience like everyone else on campus, but when you graduate, you will be commissioned as an officer in the Army. At that point, you will have a wide range of interest areas you can specialize in called branches. It's the smartest college course you can take. You will develop exceptional leadership, time management, communications, and decision-making skills.  We value physical, mental and spiritual fitness and you will have opportunities to routinely work on those areas.  Some activities include Rappelling, Physical Fitness Training, Paint Ball, Water Survival, Land Navigation and Tactics.

We have several internships and will be glad to find the one that works best for you and your objectives. We also offer 2-, 3-, and 4-year scholarships. Scholarships require a 2.5 GPA, 19 ACT, and Medical Qualification. The scholarship pays tuition and fees or room and board, $1200 per year for books, and a monthly cash stipend. Monthly stipend:

  • Freshman - $420 per month
  • Sophomore - $420 per month
  • Junior - $420 per month
  • Senior - $420 per month

All army officers are provided tuition assistance to earn their first graduate degree. BHSU graduates have been selected to attend graduate school as their Army job, which they attend at no cost and receive their normal pay and benefits.  That means the Army will pay them approximately $65,000 per year to be graduate students!

Contact the Military Science and Leadership Department
Humbert Hall
(605) 642-6122
https://www.goarmy.com/rotc.html
Mount Rushmore Army ROTC Facebook page

"We Shape Leaders and Leaders Shape the Future."


Earn your minor in Military Science

Minor Requirements - 18 semester hours

    • 2 MSL 301 - Training Management and Warfighting Functions & 301L Lab
    • 2 MSL 302 -Applied Leadership in Small Unit Operations & 302L Lab
    • 2 MSL 401 - The Army Officer & 401L Lab
    • 2 MSL 402 - Company Grade Leadership & 402L Lab
    • MSL 494 - Internship

*Current students, please refer to the DegreeWorks Dashboard in MyBHSU to confirm your major requirements.


SCHOLARSHIPS

BHSU SCHOLARSHIP INFO

MINUTEMAN SCHOLARSHIP INFO

Name: LTC Gregory Shipper
Title: Professor of Military Science
Address: 501 Saint Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701
Email: gregory.p.shipper1.mil@army.mil
Office Number: 605-394-2769
Cell Number: 605-681-7359


Name: CPT John Lundeen
Title: Asst. Professor of Military Science
Address: Humbert Hall, 1200 University St. Spearfish, SD 57783
Email: john.lundeen@bhsu.edu
Office Number: 605-641-6122
Cell Number: 605-390-8224


Name: SFC John Butt
Title: Military Instructor & Recruiter
Address: Humbert Hall, 1200 University St. Spearfish, SD 57783
Email: John.d.butt.mil@army.mil
Office Number: 605-641-6122
Cell Number: 605-639-9498