Policy on the Application of Military Science Credits toward the Undergraduate Degree

Policy Number: EP-16.03

Effective Date: Fall 2016

Policy Title: Policy on the Application of Military Science Credits toward the Undergraduate Degree (view the full SCEP proposal)

Contact: Office of Academic Programs

Policy Statement: Military Science course credits can be applied to UIC undergraduate degrees according to the following guideline and limitations.

• Military Science courses approved for general education are excluded from these limitations.
• Credits earned in 200-, 300-, and 400-level MILS courses are applied as general elective credits and fulfill credit hour requirements for undergraduate degrees.
• Colleges may determine the applicability of MILS courses to satisfy college-specific requirements of majors, minors, concentrations, selectives, or electives.
• Colleges may allow a maximum of three semester hours of credit for Military Science courses at the 100-level. Colleges may allow an additional one hour of credit in basic military science for a minimum of six months of extended active duty in any branch of the armed forces of the United States.
• These rules apply to naval science courses offered to UIC undergraduates that appear on a UIC transcript but are taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech).

Reason for Policy: As there is not currently a uniform UIC policy to address how the undergraduate colleges can apply military science credits to undergraduate degree requirements, a consistent University policy is needed. This policy is also intended to address inequities that are faced by UIC undergraduates who enroll in military science courses and/or the ROTC programs housed at UIC or Illinois Tech. These courses carry academic credit. At the advanced level they are the equivalent in expectation and rigor as non-military science courses, and are taught by military cadre with academic appointments.

UIC undergraduates who desire to enter the armed forces of the United States as commissioned officers upon completion of their degrees are required to complete 29 semester hours of credit that often are not included in the fulfillment of degree requirements. There is variability among the colleges, and even in the most accommodating, written policies are absent. A uniform campus policy is needed to promote timely progress to degrees and guide curriculum planning.

UIC is contractually committed with the Department of Defense to provide the means for the training of military officers within the context of a university education. There is the expectation on the part of the national ROTC command and the Department of Defense that students in ROTC programs should be able to complete their degree and commissioning requirements within four years. To do otherwise can impact students' federal financial assistance, military scholarships, military assignments, and progress toward degrees.

Minority Impact Statement: The policy is likely to have a positive impact on minority students who are ROTC
cadets in that their progress toward the degree will be facilitated. The high performance standards additionally enable cadets to have preferred assignments on commissioning as officers. Recent demographic data show that 47% of Army ROTC cadets in the UIC detachment are Black or Hispanic.

Who Should Read the Policy:  Faculty, staff, and students at UIC .

Policy History: 

• Original policy approved by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) on April 6, 2016.
• Policy approved by the UIC Faculty Senate on April 27, 2016.