Military Education Programs
The HCC Military Education Program is a leadership training and development program that prepares full-time, college-enrolled students for service opportunities as officers in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force.
HCC is the gateway to an outstanding academic experience and a tremendous opportunity—commissioning in the Armed Forces of the United States: commissioning in the Army/Navy/Air Force through the ROTC Consortiums in the Houston metropolitan region.
The Military Education Program Process, Plain and Simple!
First, talk to your Pathway Advisor. He/She will help you make one of the most important decisions in your lifetime.
Before you make that decision, ask yourself this: “Am I interested in being a part of something larger than myself?” “Do I want to contribute to a mission and organization that serves a greater purpose?”
Understand this: the military provides you an opportunity to be a part of a disciplined, structured organization working towards important national defense and security goals that protect our country.
If you follow this pathway, you’ll be playing a role in protecting your country and the freedoms that we all enjoy as citizens. You’ll have the chance to develop new skills, gain valuable, real-world experiences, and grow as a person in the context of the military’s leadership principles and values.
Ultimately, this pathway will give your life and work meaning and impact beyond just your own personal interests – and serving in the armed forces will be the way to achieve that.
So, are you interested in being a part of something bigger than yourself? Do you want the opportunity to not only serve but also give back to your community and family?
If the answer is yes, then discuss our HCC Military Education programs with your Pathway Advisor and start your own journey to your future.
Mission Statement
To develop future officers and enlisted men and women morally, mentally, and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty an loyalty, and with the core values of honor, courage, and commitment in order to commission or enlist our HCC graduates who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the military, and have a potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.
Working collaboratively with Army, Navy, and Air Force consortiums, our Army SORD and NTAG partners, we will create academic and career pathways that will assist HCC students in obtaining the knowledge, skills, and leadership qualities necessary for the workforce and commissioning in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.
Vision Statement
To increase enrollment, retention, graduation, and transfer rates while developing leadership skills among our HCC students. We aim to be the preferred choice for those seeking a pathway to service in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, whether it be as a commissioned officer or enlisted member. Through an excellence-driven environment, we will empower our students to achieve their fullest potential and make a positive impact on society.
Our Goals
- To provide exceptional education and training experiences that prepare HCC students for success in their military and civilian careers.
- To foster the development of leadership skills and qualities through rigorous training, mentorship, and hands-on experiences.
- To tailor personalized learning pathways for each student, accounting for their individual strengths, interests, and career goals, to maximize their potential for success.
- To establish and maintain collaborative partnerships with relevant organizations both within and outside the military, to enhance training opportunities and resources for our HCC students.
- To continuously evaluate and improve programs to ensure tthat they remain effective and aligned with the evolving needs of our HCC students and the military departments.
- To ensure compliance with DoD/Federal mandates aimed at promoting and increasing the representation of minority populations across the military departments.
Why should I join the HCC Military Education Program?
- 14-Centers of Excellence, 10 of which are exclusively military education pipelines.
- Scholarships, internships and programs that will help pay for your education and allow you to be debt free upon graduation.
- Rewarding future careers in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force.
- Leadership experiences second to none that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Becoming an Officer
When students accept an ROTC scholarship, complete the program and graduate from their college or university, they are commissioned as officers in the Military. Officers oversee and are directly responsible for leading service members under them in the chain of command. Typically, officers are employed in management roles or highly specialized fields that require professional degrees.
As an officer in the armed forces of the United States of America, you will receive the following benefits:
- Virtually no college debt.
- You will get leadership experience second to none.
- You will receive challenges that virtually no civilian job can give you.
- You will go places and do things that you never thought possible.
- You will learn a work ethic that many employers only dream about their employees possessing.
- You will mature like no one else.
- You will receive tremendous amounts of training, so much that your potential employer may not be able to afford to give you on their own.
- You’ll be able to network like nowhere else in the world.
- A security clearance, which is extremely important to most companies, and all companies doing business with the federal government.
- You will serve your country and do for your country what 98% of the population couldn’t do, even if they wanted to.
Opportunities for Scholarships
Our ROTC pipelines can provide competitive scholarships that can make your education affordable that can make education affordable and help advance a student’s personal and professional goals. It is offered at many traditional four-year colleges and universities, senior military colleges (all branches except the Coast Guard) and junior military colleges (Army and Navy ROTC only). HCC will assist you in applying for the ROTC scholarship if you’re interested in applying and need help.
While it can vary by college and branch, each ROTC program will include some form of classroom instruction, field training exercises, leadership labs and physical fitness.
ROTC General Scholarship Requirements
The requirements for the scholarship may differ by Service branch, however, to qualify for an ROTC scholarship, the applicant must:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be at least 17 years of age
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent
- Submit ACT or SAT scores (varies by service)
- Meet physical standards (varies by service)
- Agree to accept a commission and serve as an active-duty service member or in the Reserve or Guard
Applications are typically submitted by the end of the first semester of a high school student’s senior year.
When you’re looking at building your degree plan with your Admissions Advisors, you should think about academic majors that can be beneficial for a career not only as an officer in the military, but also in your future career after the military. For those seeking a challenging and rewarding career, think about these options:
- STEM majors such as engineering, information technology, artificial intelligence, and computer sciences as an example.
- International relations & political science. These majors provide a strong background for those interested in diplomatic or strategic roles, something that you will do as an officer working with your foreign military counterparts.
- Health Sciences. Nursing is a “high demand, low density” specialty in all the services. That means that there aren’t enough people to meet the needs of each service. If you’re currently in the HCC Nursing program, this may be for you.
Remember, while these majors can provide a solid foundation, they are not the only paths to becoming a military officer. Leadership skills, physical fitness, and other qualities also play crucial roles in military career progression.
A high school program, Junior ROTC (JROTC) instills in its cadets the core values of honor, courage, and commitment. The core mission of JROTC is to produce informed and responsible citizens in our society.
JROTC prepares high school students for responsible leadership roles while making them aware of the benefits of citizenship.
JROTC teaches the values of citizenship, leadership, service to community, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment, while instilling in them self-esteem, teamwork, and self discipline.
Consortium Links:
- Rice University Navy ROTC
- Students may enroll in Rice’s Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program as scholarship or non-scholarship students.
- An academic minor in Naval Science is also available to all Rice students in undergraduate degree-granting programs. the faculty and instructors in the program are all active duty military officers and enlisted personnel.
- University of Houston Army ROTC
- University of Houston Air Force ROTC
Officer Accession Program Links:
- Strategic Officer Recruiting Detachment (SORD) – Houston
- Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) – Houston
- United States Coast Guard Officer Accessions
Enlisted Accessions Program Links:
- 8th Marine Corps District
- Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) – Houston
- Army Recruiting Battalion – Houston
- 341st Recruiting Squadron
- USCG Recruiting Office – Houston
- Army National Guard
- Air National Guard
Videos:
How to apply to the Military Education Program
- Complete steps 1 and 2 of the First-Time at HCC, Transfer Student, or Returning Student application process.
- View the videos below:
- Meet with your Advisor to select an appropriate Military Education accession program and enroll in the proper courses.
Local ROTC Consortiums
Additional Resources
Contact Us
Robert L. Glover
Lieutenant Colonel of Marines (Retired) Executive Director, Military Education Programs