ROTC Four Year Plans Training

1. PACE Advising, Fall 2017

2.  General stuff to know about ROTC
 Process for the appointment
 Incomplete Four Year Plan Form
 Complete Four Year Plan Form
 Tips, tricks, and other useful information

4.  Army ROTC: http://www.txstate.edu/armyrotc/
 Students should minor in Military Science to include ROTC
requirements in their degree plan
 Air Force ROTC: http://www.afrotc.txstate.edu/
 Students should minor in Aerospace Studies to include ROTC
requirements in their degree plan

5. Aerospace Studies (19 hour minor)
 AS 1000 (Leadership Lab)
 Students should enroll in AS 1000 for each term until
graduation.
 AS 1110 (The Air Force Today I)
 AS 1120 (The Air Force Today II)
 AS 2110 (The Development of Air Power I)
 AS 2120 (The Development of Air Power II)
 AS 3311 (Leadership and Management I)
 AS 3312 (Leadership and Management II)
 AS 4311 (National Security Forces in Contemporary
Society I)
 AS 4312 (National Security Forces in Contemporary
Society II)
 3 hours of Math (should be achieved in the process of
completing core)
Military Science (23 hour minor)
 MS 1211 (Foundations of Officership)
 MS 1212 (Basic Leadership)
 MS 2211 (Individual Leadership Studies)
 MS 2212 (Leadership and Teamwork)1
 MS 3311 (Leadership and Problem Solving I)2
 MS 3312 (Leadership and Problem Solving II)2
 MS 4311 (Leadership and Management)2
 MS 4312 (Officership, Advanced Course)2, 3
 One course in Military History
MORE INFO ON MINORS
1. Placement credit can be given by taking basic training or the leader’s
training course.
2. Students sign contract to enter the Army, Army Reserve, or National
Guard prior to taking these courses. Department chair permission
required.
3. Students should qualify for a US Army Officer Commission and pass
a background investigation to obtain a Secret Security Clearance.

6. Air Force:
Complete using pen and pencil for specific parts
of form.
Army:
Complete by filling in *.pdf document and
printing.

7.  ROTC requires students to plan ahead and ensure they will graduate in a timely
manner before being commissioned as an officer. Errors in sequencing can delay
commissioning.
 Advisors can assist students with making sure they are keeping sequencing in
mind for majors that require it.

8. Pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.302, up to three semester hours of credit in
an upper-level ROTC course may be applied to the general education core
curriculum American History Component (HIST 1310 or HIST 1320) and up to
three hours to the general education core curriculum Government/Political Science
Component (POSI 2320 only).
 If the student has not already completed POSI 2320 and one of the HIST courses,
you can exclude that course from the four year plan, as the advanced minor
coursework will substitute for those courses.

9. Air Force ROTC Approved Five Year Majors Offered at TXST include:
 Computer Science, BS
 Mathematics, BS
 Physics, BS
 Chemistry
 Industrial Engineering
 Electrical Engineering
** Other majors that Texas State offers exist
on the master list (see handout). However,
degrees must be a bachelor of science, and
Texas State does not offer those programs as a
bachelor of science.

10. Students complete four year plans that advisors then check for accuracy and
approve so that the student can submit their plan to the ROTC.
Advisors do not complete plans for students.

11.  The student comes to the
appointment with an incomplete
plan.
 The student comes to the
appointment with a completed plan.

12. Scenario #1

13. 1. Explain the student's responsibility to compete the form prior to advisor review.
2. Complete Change of Curriculum forms if needed.
1. Confirm that Degree Audit reflects correct major/minor.
2. AS or MS minor must be present. A signature from the ROTC is not needed to add
the AS or MS minor to an ROTC student’s degree plan.
3. Print accurate degree audit and explain how to complete the form.
1. Student should check pre-reqs for each course and make adjustments as needed.

14. 4. Print copies of degree checklists or flow charts as applicable.
5. Print a copy of the AS or MS Minor page from the catalog.
6. Remind the student to complete the entire form in pencil except for signatures
for AS students. Complete the form by using the fillable *.pdf for MS students.
7. Field Training:
 Aerospace Studies should place field training in a summer block between sophomore and
junior years.
 Military Science should place field training in a summer block between junior and senior
years.
 No courses can take place at the same time as Field Training.

15. 8. Arrange a 1 hour follow-up appointment with student to discuss completed plan.
9. Conduct follow-up appointment. Review form with student, double check the
work, make corrections if needed, and finalize with signatures.
10. Make a copy of the plan. The student keeps the original, and the copy is filed to
be scanned into BDMS.

16. Scenario 2

17. 1. Thank the student for taking the time to complete the form prior to the advising
session. Good job, Student!
2. Review the form with the student, using checklists, flow charts, the catalog, and
degree audit to double check their work.
3. Provide signatures and complete the form.
4. Make a copy of the plan. The student keeps the original, and the copy is filed to
be scanned into BDMS.

19.  It never hurts to ask!
 Plans can get complex, so please check in with an SDS or a college liaison if you have
questions about how to fit it all in there.
 If the student has an unusual request (such as a request to change to a major at the
Round Rock campus), make sure that they are talking to their ROTC office about the
feasibility of their request. Even if they have a complete plan, you can always discuss
any concerns you have about the feasibility of the plan and refer them to the ROTC to
determine if it will be feasible from their perspective.

20.  You can include all transfer credit and courses completed prior to the appointment
in the first semester space. Mark courses as “Previous Coursework.”
 If a student is changing to ROTC after the first semester, they will need to make
up courses from the AS/MS minor that they have missed in subsequent academic
years, so don’t forget to include those courses. Students may need to double up on
MS/AS courses. Their ROTC office will let them know what they need to take
during which semesters.
 If a student’s major requires advanced electives, they can choose “Advanced POSI
Elective,” “Advanced Math Elective,” etc., and write the appropriate number of
hours.

21.  Use Calendar Mode in Planner to see multiple
semesters at once. Input courses from the
students plan here to record the plan in
Degree Audit, and use the planner notes at
the bottom to make notes of changes.

22.  Use “Process New” to confirm that
all required coursework will be
completed based on the courses input
in Calendar Mode.
Check off the
terms to
include when
you select
“Process New.”
Courses from
selected terms
will populate in
the planner. You
can look for gaps
and confirm that
all required
courses are in the
student’s plan.

23.  Rather than filling each course for FA17 and then moving on to SP18, sequence
priority courses first.
 Fill in terms for fall, spring, and summer through the anticipated graduation date. Even
if a student takes no courses in a summer, it’s helpful to have as a placeholder.
 It’s easier to write “none” in a summer with no coursework than to insert a summer class at the
last minute.
 Place all four years of AS/MS Courses and Field Training First, as these are strictly
sequenced and AS/MS courses are required each semester.
 If the major is strictly sequenced, place sequenced courses before adding core courses
that can be taken at any time.
 For example, for a BA student taking Spanish, place SPAN 1410 – 2320 in four consecutive
semesters prior to finding a home for a non-priority core course.

24.  The student doesn’t have to be there for you to check their work and sign off. An
alternate follow-up process:
 Have the student complete the plan and bring it to the front desk addressed to your
attention. FIT will place the plan in your inbox.
 Check the plan, make changes as needed, and sign-off on it during program or admin
time.
 Leave the plan in an envelope with the front desk for the student to pick up.
 (This is awesome when you are booked out and can’t make a follow-up appointment).

25. TIPS AND TRICKS: HELP! MY
STUDENT IS SCHEDULED FOR
A 30 MINUTE APPOINTMENT! Go ahead and see the student.
 Explain the process, and let them know that though the appointment is usually
for an hour, today there is only a 30 minute block on your calendar.
 Complete as much as you can in 30 minutes.
 Schedule a follow-up for one hour at the end of the appointment.
 Report the error to Chris Medina.
 Include a screenshot of the appointment and the student history so he can follow up with
the appropriate team member to remind them of ROTC scheduling rules.