Schools During the 2002–03 academic year, The Citadel reorganized its existing departments into five schools, each headed by a dean. The schools comprise Business; Education; Engineering; Humanities and Social Sciences; and Science and Mathematics.
Business The
Baker School of Business consists of three departments: Accounting and Finance; Management and Entrepreneurship; and Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Economics. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business Administration. Accredited by the
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business since 1996, more cadets major in Business Administration than any other major. The MBA program is also the largest of The Citadel's graduate programs. On February 22, 2017, The Citadel announced that Tommy Baker, who attended as a veteran student after serving in the Marine Corps, and his wife, Victoria, had made a gift to endow business programs, and that the school would be named in their honor. In January 2021, the school relocated from Bond Hall to Bastin Hall, a newly constructed academic building named for Rick and Mary Lee Bastin. Bastin Hall is the first new academic building added to the campus since 1974.
Education The
Zucker Family School of Education houses undergraduate and graduate education programs in several specialties. On November 11, 2014, The Citadel named its School of Education for the Zucker Family, after
Anita Zucker made a $4 million (equivalent to $ in ) donation to the school for its education programs. The school is currently located in Capers Hall, but will relocate to Bond Hall upon the completion of Bastin Hall.
Engineering The
School of Engineering consists of four departments: Civil and Environmental Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Engineering Leadership and Program Management; and Mechanical Engineering. The school, which claims to be the fifth oldest such program in the nation, has long offered undergraduate degrees in both Civil and Electrical Engineering. In 2014, the school added a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering program and, in 2015, added 13 additional degree and certificate programs, including master's degrees in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. In 2018, the school added a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering program. The school is located in Letellier Hall (Civil and Mechanical Engineering) and Grimsley Hall (Electrical Engineering). In 2016,
U.S. News & World Report ranked The Citadel's School of Engineering 13th among all undergraduate engineering programs without doctoral degrees in the United States making it the sixth straight year that the school has been in the Top 25.
Humanities and Social Sciences The
School of Humanities and Social Sciences consists of seven departments: Criminal Justice; English; History; Intelligence and Security Studies; Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Political Science; and Psychology. The school offers seven majors (with multiple concentrations) and 19 minors, and awards more than 50% of the credit hours earned at The Citadel. For graduate work, the school offers five degree programs and three certificates, including cybersecurity and intelligence analysis. These programs resulted in the school being named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the
National Security Agency. The school is located in Capers Hall, which was recently rebuilt and modernized.
David L. Preston, Westvaco Professor of National Security Studies in the History Department, in 2015 won the
Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History and the 2016 Distinguished Book Award from the
Society for Military History for his book, ''
Braddock's Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution.''
Science and Mathematics The
Swain Family School of Science and Mathematics consists of seven departments: Biology; Chemistry; Cyber and Computer Sciences; Health and Human Performance; Mathematical Sciences; Physics; and the Swain Department of Nursing. The school, along with the Zucker Family School of Education and the School of Engineering, sponsor the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Center of Excellence, which hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including the annual Storm The Citadel week featuring a trebuchet competition. On June 1, 2018, The Citadel announced the naming of the school for the Swain Family, in recognition of major gifts provided by brothers David C. Swain, Jr., Class of 1980, and his wife, Mary, as well as Dr. Christopher C. Swain, Class of 1981, and his, wife Debora.
Academic programs In addition to the Corps of Cadets residential day military program, The Citadel offers several degree options to non-cadets, such as targeting active duty military, veterans, and civilians in both classroom and distance-learning online settings.
Corps of Cadets The
South Carolina Corps of Cadets is a residential, full-time program in a military environment. Focusing on educating the "whole person," membership in the Corps of Cadets is for students who want a military environment while pursuing a full-time undergraduate degrees.
Graduate College The Citadel offers evening and online programs under the banner of
The Citadel Graduate College (CGC), serving the
Lowcountry by offering regionally and professionally accredited bachelor's, master's and specialist degrees as well as certificate programs scheduled around the student's profession, family and lifestyle. The CGC offers over 25 graduate programs with over 15 concentration options, over 25 graduate certificate programs, and 12 college transfer programs. Some programs are offered through the
Lowcountry Graduate Center consortium in
North Charleston, South Carolina.
College Transfer Programs The Citadel Graduate College offers 12 majors within nine degree programs to anyone, regardless of military status within its College Transfer program. There are two different paths within the College Transfer Program structure: 2+2 transfer programs and degree completion programs. The 2+2 programs allow students to complete their first two years of study at an accredited college or university, then transfer those credits to The Citadel for the final two years to complete their degree through The Citadel's evening on-campus program. Six majors are offered in the 2+2 program: civil engineering (BSCE), computer engineering (BSCompE), construction engineering (BSConE), electrical engineering (BSEE), mechanical engineering (BSME), and nursing (BSN). The Degree Completion programs allow students to begin once they have earned a minimum of 24 academic credit hours in general education courses. A combination of evening on-campus and online formats are available and six majors are offered in the Degree Completion program: business administration (BSBA), criminal justice (BA), intelligence and security studies (BA), political science (BA), social studies education (BS), and tactical strength and conditioning (BS).
Enlisted Commissioning Programs The Citadel is home to Enlisted Commissioning Programs for the Navy and Marine Corps. The first Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) in the nation was established at The Citadel in 1973. Navy enlisted members attend as part of the Seaman to Admiral (STA-21) Program. Participants in these programs attend day classes with cadets in their service uniform, including ROTC, but are not required to live on campus.
Leadership training ROTC All cadets are required to undergo at least two years of
ROTC training in one of the four branches of the armed services that offer ROTC programs (the
Coast Guard does not have such a program), but they are not required to enter military service after graduation unless on ROTC scholarship or contract. Approximately 35% of Citadel Cadets are commissioned upon graduation.
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program In addition to their required ROTC course, cadets interested in pursuing a career with the
United States Coast Guard can join The Citadel's
Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program (AUP). Originally established as The Citadel Coast Guard Society in 2007 and officially designated as Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-8a Citadel Detachment in 2008, The Citadel's AUP is one of the first in the nation. The purpose of the unit is to orient and educate cadets on service options within the United States Coast Guard, to include Direct Commissions, Officer Candidate School (OCS), active duty and reserve enlistments, and continued service with the auxiliary.
Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics Established with a gift from L. William Krause '63, the
Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics offers symposiums, classes and training seminars to help instill the principles of leadership, ethics, morals and service. A minor in leadership studies is also sponsored through this program. Training is conducted each year for freshmen and sophomores on honor and ethics. Leadership classes are also given to cadets in the senior chain of command. The institute also sponsors programs that offer cadets an opportunity to perform community service and instill a sense of commitment to one's fellow man.
Cadet Officer Leadership School Selected members of
Air Force JROTC units from the Southeastern United States cadets are eligible to spend a week at The Citadel for officer training for their home JROTC units. A routine day attending Cadet Officer Leadership School (COLS) begins with waking up to Reveille for morning PT, the remainder of the day is uniform wear and inspection, two classes and constant regulation drill. On the day of graduation from the school, cadets participate in a "pass in review" ceremony where awards and decorations are given to certain cadets who have gone above the normal standards.
Rankings • In 2022, for the twelfth consecutive year,
U.S. News & World Report ranked The Citadel highest among master's degree offering public institutions in the "Regional Universities – South" category and second out of all 136 universities (public and private) in the same category; the school was also ranked first in Best College for Veterans, sixth in Best Undergraduate Teaching, and tenth in Most Innovative Schools (all within the “Regional Universities – South” category). defined as those institutions offering "a full range of undergrad programs and some master's programs".
U.S. News & World Report also ranked the undergraduate engineering program 16th nationally among schools offering up to a master's degree. •
Money magazine's 2022 college ratings rank The Citadel 78th out of 744 U.S. colleges for affordability, scholarship availability, average student debt, graduation rate, and average graduate earnings. •
Forbes ranked The Citadel 201st out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024-25 report. The Citadel was also ranked 93rd among Public colleges and 47th in the south. For the 2019 report, The Citadel was 122nd on the list of America's Best Value Colleges. • In 2016
The Economist magazine ranked The Citadel 94th out of nearly 1,300 U.S. colleges for average earnings of graduates. • The Citadel in 2012 ranked 25th out of all U.S. public colleges in four-year graduation rate. As of 2015, the four-year graduation rate is 63% compared to a national average of 30%; the six-year rate is 72%. ==Cadet life==