ROTC with an online M.A degree

I'm trying to seek info from those in the know about the possibility of completing an online M.A and taking ROTC classes to receive an Army commission. I talked to the local officer in charge of recruiting, and he refused my prospective demand on the basis that my intended Norwich M.A will be 100% online vs the required 75% residency for ROTC cadets.
I'm not very knowledgeable about this and was surprised by this detail.
Thanks for any info.

 

While enlisted, one can take online courses and receive a degree to qualify for Officer Candidate School. However, I have not heard anyone attempting what it sounds like you are doing; enrolling in a distance learning MA, but attending a local university for the ROTC classes. It sounds like the person you talked to is mentioning a 'reciprocity' arrangement, whereas a small school without a ROTC program can create an agreement with a large school close-by that has one. Somewhere in this is Federal funding and accountibility for monies. Did you talk to an actual ROTC unit representative? (not a Army recruiter). ROTC units are trying hard to allure prospective smart officers, so they shouldn't brush you off unless there is a solid reason. Seek the "Professor of Military Science" or the "Assistant Professor of Military Science" in the ROTC unit to discuss option.

-If you have a four-year degree, why not just talk to the Army recruiter about enlisting to attend Officer Candidate School? We have lots of college graduates who decided [after graduation] that they'd like like to serve as a officer. Talk to a recruiter about this option.

-Depending upon your skills and background, your state National Guard might consider you for a direct commission as a Lieutenant. So many options!

Scott Farrar

 

If you're working on an MA you don't need to be looking at ROTC for a commission. What you want is a direct commission or acceptance to an OCS program.

http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/poprep99/html/chapter4/c4-commission.htm
for factual info about military commissioning.

 

Thank you all for your answers.

@ Steve: yes, I was accepted to Norwich's M.A in Diplomacy, and was thinking about combining the degree with a commission source to gain access back in the Army.

@ Scott: I'm gathering up a packet for OCS, but since I was accepted last week, I thought about inquiring into the ROTC path. As it were, I just met with the Assistant PMS this afternoon, and he's forwarding the inquiry about the possibility of studying up for an online M.A while in ROTC to Cadet Command.

@ Coach: thanks for the link. If the ROTC inquiry falls through, I will steam ahead with the OCS application. I don't think that I qualify for direct commission since I'm not in one of the required fields (Med/JAG/Chaplain)

 

There are other fields that direct commission.

http://www.navy-reserve.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=912
talks about
* Engineering Duty Officer
* CryptologyOfficer
* Intelligence Officer
* Merchant Marine Officer
* Public Affairs Officer
* Oceanography Officer
* Medical Programs – Medical, Dental, Nurse, and Medical Service Corps
* Supply Corps Officer
* Chaplain Corps Officer
* Civil Engineer Corps
for the Navy

http://www.gocoastguard.com/dc/DCPrograms/SRDC.htm
has some Coast Guard info.

There are others I've not needed to study for a long time now.

Keep in mind that many officers serving on active duty are not regular but instead reserve officers. It's a complicated system they have there where "reserve" doesn't always mean "part-time"...

 

While this is true for ROTC gradates, it's not true of State National Guard OCS graduates (vice Regular Army OCS).

Before the war, in most cases, National Guard OCS graduates who desired to enter Regular Army service had to revert to enlisted rank.

However, ultimately it all depends on the age of the applicant, the skills and qualifications he/she has to offer. The Army is experiencing officer shortages, so who knows how flexible they'll be.

I know of men who served as Reserve officers during Vietnam, were released from active duty when it was over (perhaps passed over twice for promotion), and finished out part-time Reserve careers as non-commissioned officers.

 

When officers are commissioned in the U.S Army and selected to serve on active duty, they are either classified as "Regular Army (RA)" or "U.S. Army Reserve (USAR)". The two distinctions used to mean something but these days it doesn’t. When I was active duty, I was a USAR officer. The only difference between my commission and my RA peers was I had an active duty commitment end date whereas they did not. Of course even the commitment end date (three years for non-scholarship cadets and four years for scholarship cadets – it’s the same for RA officers as well it’s just that their end date states "Indef" which means indefinite) really didn’t mean anything in the end. When I decided to push past my commitment end date, I simply did nothing (just like my RA peers). When I finally decided to get off of active duty, I had to put an application in to leave (again, just like my RA peers).

If you are looking at the OCS option, the only OCS that will allow a Reserve or National Guard officer to transfer to the active side is Federal OCS. State sponsored OCS, like the ones conducted by the National Guard, will not transfer to an active duty commission (unless the rules have changed since I was in the NG).

 

When I went through National Guard OCS, we were told that if we met the requirements to receive a "Reserve commission," then we would, but if we didn't meet those requirements, then we would only receive a National Guard commission, which could not be transferred to the Regular Army. I received a giant diploma that says "Reserve commission" on it, but I have never been in the Army Reserve per se.

 

Thanks for the input everyone.
I contacted another officer involved in ROTC in Washington State, and he confirmed that I wouldn't be able to enroll in ROTC while admitted to 100% online-only degree. It has to be a hybrid resident-online program with a preponderance of classroom instruction.
So I guess that I will just steam ahead with my plan for OCS.