Mission
As The Military College of South Carolina, The Citadel’s mission is to educate and develop principled leaders (opens in a new tab) and citizen-soldiers, prepared to serve their state and nation, and to lead with integrity by instilling the core values of Honor, Duty, State, and Country in a disciplined and intellectually challenging environment.
Producing graduates who have insight into issues, ideas, and values that are of importance to society is a key part of The Citadel’s mission. It’s equally important that Citadel graduates are capable of both critical and creative thinking. This includes having effective communication skills, understanding abstract concepts to concrete situations, and possessing the methodological skills needed to gather and analyze information.
The Citadel’s primary purpose that is part of the mission is to educate undergraduates as members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets and to prepare them for post-graduate positions of leadership. This is done through academic programs of recognized excellence, enhanced by the best features of a military environment. The cadet lifestyle provides a structured environment supporting growth and development of each student’s intellect, discipline, physical fitness, and character values. The four pillars which define The Citadel experience for cadets consist of these four developmental dimensions.
Another purpose of The Citadel is to provide the citizens the opportunities for professional development. The Citadel offers a broad range of educational programs of recognized excellence to support this. These programs include both graduate and undergraduate levels. These programs are designed to accommodate the needs of non-traditional students seeking traditional and demanding academic challenges.
Statement of Vision
Achieving excellence in the education and development of principled leaders.
Core Values
The core values at The Citadel are honor, duty, state, and country.
Honor
Honor begins with the Honor Code of The Citadel. A cadet “will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.” This is the rock upon which everything else stands. This commitment reaches beyond the gates of The Citadel and lasts a lifetime. Honor includes integrity: “doing the right thing when no one is watching.” Honorable people also show the moral courage to “do the right thing when everyone is watching.” The Honor Code is the foundation of our college.
Duty
In the words of General Lee, “Duty is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.” Duty calls you to take on your responsibilities and carry them out. At The Citadel, your primary duty is to excel in your studies and to serve the Corps of Cadets and the campus community. You must accept the consequences of your actions. Once you hold yourself accountable, you must hold others accountable too. Duty is also a call to serve others before self, demonstrating respect for others, both those in authority and those you serve.
State and Country
Duty to State honors The Citadel’s unique history and its ties to South Carolina. It also honors the role of states within the United States federal system.
Duty to Country demands unwavering loyalty to the United States of America. It means upholding the Constitution, honoring our founding principles, and serving the Nation. It calls for a lifetime of selfless service and a commitment to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution. It means putting the United States, the Constitution, and the American People above personal interests.
Institutional Characteristics
The Citadel is a coeducational, comprehensive, public, four-year institution whose primary undergraduate student body comprises approximately 2,300 members of the Corps of Cadets, all of whom reside on campus. The primary service area for these students is regional, with approximately half of each freshman class coming from South Carolina. The Citadel, however, does draw undergraduate students from all parts of the United States and many foreign countries.
The college offers a wide range of baccalaureate degree programs, including Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. These programs prepare graduates of the Corps of Cadets for a variety of careers. About half of these graduates enter business and the professions, a third or more enter the military and government service and the remainder go directly into graduate and professional study. Many graduates choose to pursue professional or graduate degrees later in their careers.
The primary service area of The Citadel is the South Carolina Lowcountry. The Citadel Graduate College offers over 25 graduate degree programs with over 30 concentration options, 24 graduate certificates, and over 10 baccalaureate degree programs. Meeting the needs of the South Carolina Lowcountry in terms of instruction, public service, and research, including such initiatives as cooperative programs with other educational institutions, is an important part of The Citadel’s mission.
In its educational programs, The Citadel acknowledges and endorses the teacher-scholar ideal. That the excellence of all of its academic programs is dependent upon the quality of its faculty. Teaching and lecturing, researching, writing, publishing, and public service support this. The Citadel’s faculty also addresses audiences beyond the college by sharing their knowledge with other scholars and the public.
Links
Vision and Core Values
BOV Commitment to Excellence and Ethics
Statement of Ethical Principles for Citadel Employees
Statement of Ethical Principles for Citadel Faculty
