B.7. Special Programs
Bass Connections
Bass Connections brings together faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students to tackle complex societal challenges in interdisciplinary research teams. The program exemplifies Duke’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and teaching as a vital part of the university’s mission.
Through Bass Connections project teams, courses, and summer programs, students and faculty engage in interdisciplinary, collaborative research focused on societal challenges, often in partnership with external organizations. Many participants choose to take their research further through grants and other opportunities within Duke and beyond.
Project Teams. Interdisciplinary research teams tackle complex societal challenges over two semesters (some teams add a summer component). Students can receive course credit during the academic year and funding during the summer. For more information, visit bassconnections.duke.edu/project-teams.
One-Semester Courses. Numerous courses highlight interdisciplinary thinking, collaborative assignments, and interaction with community partners. For more information, visit bassconnections.duke.edu/courses.
Summer Programs. Students spend six to ten weeks immersed in mentored research through a range of summer programs, including Data+ and the Global Health Student Research Training program. For more information, visit bassconnections.duke.edu/summer-programs.
Student Research Awards. Students may apply for funding for student-driven research projects, collaborative or individual. For more information, visit bassconnections.duke.edu/student-research-awards.
Reserve Officer Training Corps
Duke University and the military services cooperate in offering officer education programs to provide opportunities for students to earn a commission in the United States Air Force, Space Force, Army, Navy, or Marine Corps. These programs are described below, and detailed information on scholarships, entrance requirements, and commissioning requirements is available from the offices of the Department of Aerospace Studies (Air Force and Space Force), the Department of Military Science (Army), and the Department of Naval Science (Navy and Marine Corps). Courses offered in these departments are described on the Courses page.
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC)
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) functions as the Department of Aerospace Studies at Duke University. AFROTC’s mission is "Develop Leaders of Character for tomorrow’s Air Force and Space Force." AFROTC offers students the unique opportunity to earn a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force or Space Force upon successful completion of the program and graduation. AFROTC selects, educates, trains, and commissions college men and women through a three-year to four-year curriculum. The program consists of both the General Military Course (GMC), a course sequence normally taken during the freshman and sophomore years, and the Professional Officer Course (POC) taken during the junior and senior years. The GMC program is open to freshman and sophomore students who meet AFROTC selective military eligibility requirements.
Students who complete the GMC program may compete for selective entry into the POC. Becoming a POC requires successful completion of a 13-day intensive leadership program. Field Training is generally offered the summer between sophomore and junior years. Also, during summer breaks, students are given the opportunity to volunteer for Air Force sponsored advanced training programs and internships in a variety of different areas.
Students may compete for various types and lengths of scholarships. These scholarships pay up to full tuition, a monthly tax-free stipend of $300-$500, and an annual book allowance of $900. All members of the POC receive the tax-free stipend even if not on scholarship. Upon program completion and graduation, students are commissioned and assigned to active duty units within the United States Air Force and Space Force for a service commitment of at least four years.
For further information, visit afrotc.duke.edu.
The Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AROTC)
Army ROTC provides students of strong character with an opportunity to develop themselves as scholars/athletes/leaders and earn a commission as an Army Officer. Two programs are available, the three- or four-year progression program and the two-year lateral entry program.
The three- or four-year program consists of the Basic Course (first-year and sophomore year) and the Advanced Course (junior and senior years). Students who enroll at the start of their sophomore year have the option to compress the Basic Course into one year. Direct entry into the Advanced Course (a two-year program) is possible by attending four weeks of training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, during the summer before the student’s junior year. Students may also be allowed direct entry into the Advanced Course if they have completed Basic Training through the Active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. Students wishing to register for the two-year program should confer with the Department of Military Science before March of their sophomore year to sign up for summer training and maintain eligibility to compete for a two-year scholarship. There is currently one mandatory summer training requirement: Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, which takes place over a five-week period between the junior and senior years. All uniforms, equipment, and texts are provided.
Detailed information on Army ROTC is available at arotc.duke.edu.
The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC)
The Department of Naval Science offers students the opportunity to become Navy and Marine Corps officers upon graduation. Selected students will receive up to four years of tuition, fees, uniforms, and textbooks at government expense under the auspices of the Scholarship Program. In addition, scholarship students receive subsistence pay and summer active duty pay of approximately $3,000 a year. Each summer they participate in four weeks of training either aboard a ship or a shore facility to augment their academic studies. A minimum of five years of active duty service is required upon graduation.
A two-year program is available to rising juniors. Students wishing to join the two-year program must meet with the Department of Naval Science no later than March 1 of their sophomore year in order to qualify for the summer training and two-year scholarship, which covers full tuition, fees, uniforms, and textbooks.
Non-scholarship students wishing to join the NROTC Battalion may be enrolled in the College Program at any time before the spring semester of their junior year. They take the same courses and wear the same uniforms, but attend the university at their own expense. Uniforms and Naval Science textbooks are provided by the government.
College Program students may compete for scholarship status through academic performance, demonstrated aptitude for military service, and nomination by the professor of Naval Science. Students in either program may qualify for a commission in the United States Marine Corps through the Marine Corps Option Program.
For further information on the NROTC program, visit nrotc.duke.edu.
Service-Learning and Community-Engaged Courses (SLCE)
Service-learning and community-engaged (SLCE) courses incorporate collaborations with local community partners and translate theory into real-world experience. By exploring the rich diversity of our local and global communities, SLCE courses provide students with opportunities to engage effectively with communities on issues such as the environment, socioeconomic inequities, public policy, health, immigration, education, and more.
Service-learning courses require a commitment to engage in a service project determined by the needs of the community partner. Community-engaged classes may or may not require a service-component, but provide opportunities to interact with community members, organizations, and events.
All SLCE courses support students in developing a wide range of skills, from cross-cultural awareness and critical thinking to problem-solving and leadership skills. The courses also help students discover the specific ways they want to be agents of change in the world. To learn more about Duke Service-Learning, go to servicelearning.duke.edu.