Summer Training Opportunities

Select cadets will be given the opportunity to attend summer training programs.  While the list below is not all-inclusive, it is a list of the most commonly attended courses by previous NIU cadets.

US Army Airborne School

Cadets attend the US Army Airborne School for three weeks at Fort Benning, GA.  They will learn the skills they need during ground and tower weeks to make five actual jumps during jump week.  Graduates earn the coveted "Airborne Wings" which they are authorized to wear on their uniform for the rest of their career.

US Army Air Assault School 

US Army Air Assault School is a two-week (10 days) course of instruction conducted at several locations across the Army, including Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Drum, NY; Camp Smith, USMA; and at overseas locations in Germany and Hawaii. In each case, the course of instruction is focused on Combat Assault Operations involving US Army rotary-wing aircraft.  Graduates earn their Air Assault Wings which they are authorized to wear for the rest of their career.

Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP)

NSTP is a clinical elective offered at Army hospitals in the United States and Germany. NSTP is a paid elective attended during the summer between your junior and senior year of college. It gives you the opportunity to develop both your leadership and nursing skills. It will introduce you to the Army Medical Department and the roles and responsibilities of an Army Nurse Corps officer. This program is only open to Nursing majors.

Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT)

CTLT provides Cadets the opportunity to experience leadership in an actual Army unit over a three to four week period. Cadets serve in lieutenant-level leadership positions in active-duty units. Platoon Leader positions have a 3-4 week duration depending on the hosting unit and location. Assignments include units that are located in the United States and overseas. Cadets are assigned a unit mentor, and are provided on-post lodging and meals via a Dining Facility. This program is exclusively designed for MS III Cadets before and after completion of LDAC.

Internships

Internships provide Cadets with an opportunity to exercise specialized language, technical or research skills. Internships range from three to eight weeks long and are offered in a variety of fields.  Some of the fields include: Engineering, medical, chaplaincy, public affairs, intelligence, and science/research.  Cadets will spend 3-4 weeks working as an intern with an Army organization specializing in one of those fields.  In 2012, NIU will send two cadets to Hawaii with medical internships and one to Baltimore with an engineering internship.

Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency Program (CULP) 

Immersion into foreign cultures exposes Cadets to the reality that other countries have vastly different lifestyles, economic standing and world perspectives.  Cadets travel in small groups led by senior cadre. Trips typically incorporate approximately 20 Cadets and a cadre member traveling in conjunction with a civilian agency or non-governmental agency. The trips last aboout a month, which includes a five-day Soldier readiness process. CULP program slots are awarded on a competitive basis and take into account several factors, such as GPA, physical fitness, an essay, and other criteria. In 2011, NIU sent two Cadets to Africa with this program.