As the single largest source of Navy officers, the Navy ROTC program plays an important role in preparing young adults for leadership and management positions in the increasingly technical Navy. Offered at 77 leading colleges and universities throughout the United States, Navy ROTC offers a mixture of military training and normal academic study. Courses take place both in the classroom and in the field. Upon completion, an NROTC graduate is commissioned as an officer and has the ability to choose an officer career in surface warfare, naval aviation, submarine warfare or special warfare.

Aspiring Marine Corps officers can also participate in Navy ROTC. The ROTC academic curriculum for a Marine Corps–option student requires classes in national security policy and the history of American military affairs, in addition to the regular academic requirements for the student's degree.