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Cougar Battalion is Columbus State University's Prestigious Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Program.

The university, in conjunction with the U.S. Army, maintains a Department of Military Science for those students who elect to combine military leadership and managerial training with a traditional academic program.

The military science curriculum, 33 credit hours, is divided into the basic course (freshman/sophomore) and the advanced course (junior/senior).

The basic course is open to all students without any military obligation.

Students may attend a five-week Camp Challenge between their sophomore and junior years at Ft. Knox, Kentucky in lieu of the basic course classes at the university to qualify for the advanced course.

Prior service veterans are exempted from the basic course requirements.

The advanced course is open only to students approved by the professor of military science. Students who complete the advanced course are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Army, National Guard, or Army Reserve upon graduation.

Textbooks and other required course materials are furnished at no charge. Scholarships are also available.