Division of Military Education

Administration

  • Douglas Sears, PhD, Director; Professor of Education; Vice President and Chief of Staff, Office of the President

Contact

Division of Military Education
Office of the Director
One Silber Way
Boston, MA 02215
617-358-1360

The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) has been an integral part of the Boston University academic community since 1919 (with a brief hiatus from 1970 to 1980), when the Student’s Army Training Corps was founded. Boston University is one of only a handful of universities nationwide offering its students ROTC programs in all four services: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

The Division of Military Education is a program that provides college-trained officers for the Armed Forces. It is traditionally a four-year program of instruction culminating in a commission in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps. Today’s ROTC programs train students through hands-on leadership training unlike any other college programs. These programs build strong bonds of team spirit and camaraderie while they boost the individual’s self-confidence. ROTC training develops self-discipline, physical stamina, poise, and general management skills basic to success in any career.

The Boston University Division of Military Education is rich with tradition, strong with leadership, and built on high standards. Recognized for those highly sought-after qualities, the Boston University Army ROTC program was awarded the General Douglas MacArthur Award in 1993 for most outstanding Army ROTC program in the nation at a large university. The Boston University Air Force ROTC program was awarded the USAF High Flight Award in 1994 for most outstanding Air Force program in the northeast region and was recognized as one of the four most outstanding programs in the nation. The Boston University Naval ROTC program led the nation in student accessions for the extremely competitive 1996 Naval Medical School and Nuclear Power programs and graduated the top naval aviation student in the country.

All ROTC cadets and midshipmen at Boston University are eligible to participate in Project GO-BU. This project provides fully funded (tuition, room & board) language training on campus or abroad. Project GO-BU is sponsored by the U.S. National Security Education Program and is offered at only 18 colleges and universities nationwide. Studies include Department of Defense-identified critical languages such as Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, and Russian.