(1/4 course, Unbilled)

MSC 401 is a practical application of adaptive leadership. Throughout the semester, students are assigned the duties and responsibilities of an Army staff officer and must apply the fundamentals of principles of training, the training management, the Army writing style and military decision making to weekly training meetings. During these weekly training meetings, the student will plan, execute and assess ROTC training and recruiting events. Students will study the special trust proposed to Army Officers by the US Constitution and the President of the United States–a special trust given to no other civilian professions. Students will study how Army values and leader ethics are applied in the Contemporary Operating Environment and how these values and ethics are relevant to everyday life. The student will study the Army officer’s role in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the counseling of subordinates, administrative actions and the management of an Army Officer’s career. Students will be given numerous opportunities to train, mentor and evaluate underclass students enrolled in the ROTC Basic Course while being mentored and evaluated by experienced ROTC cadre.

The MSC 401 course is designed to include multiple opportunities for student-centered learning, to include, but not limited to student reading assignments; homework assignments; participation in small group assignments, practical exercises and case studies; student-delivered briefings and operations orders; and a variety of student assessments such as quizzes, a mid-term and a final exam. In addition, MSC 401 students are rotated through a variety of leadership positions that support a variety of ROTC battalion training and recruiting events throughout the semester where the student will receive detailed and constructive feedback on their leader attributes and core leader competencies from experienced cadre. This course requires physical training (PT) for one hour three days per week. The PT component is a combination of strength conditioning, running, and cardiovascular exercises, and requires a passing score on the Army Physical Fitness Test by the end of the semester.

Physical Activity and Wellness Education: Counts for 1/4 course (1 credit) of Physical Activity (PHA) for students who successfully complete the course.