Officer Candidates School ( United States Marine Corps ) - wikipedia Officer Candidates School ( United States Marine Corps ) Officer Candidates School The OCS insignia Active 1891 -- present Country United States Branch United States Marine Corps Type Training Role Screen and evaluate officer candidates Part of Training and Education Command Garrison / HQ Marine Corps Base Quantico Motto ( s ) `` Ductus Exemplo '' `` Leadership by Example '' Commanders Current commander Colonel Ahmed T. Williamson Located at Marine Corps Base Quantico, the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School ( OCS ) is a physically demanding, mentally challenging training regimen designed to screen and evaluate potential Marine Corps Officers. The course is designed to create a controlled, challenging environment wherein the officer candidates are pushed to their physical and mental limits in order to screen their decision - making abilities while physically exhausted. Those who successfully complete the period of instruction earn the title United States Marine and are commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Unlike the other United States military services, the majority of Marine Corps officers complete OCS to earn a commission ; the exceptions are midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy, limited duty officers, and inter-service transfers. Additionally, OCS boasts an attrition rate of 30 -- 50 %. Depending on the course, Officer Candidates go through either a 10 - week ( PLC Combined / OCC ), or two 6 - week courses ( PLC ) over separate summers, designed primarily to screen and evaluate candidates ' fitness to lead Marines by placing them in leadership positions in a stressful environment. Students are evaluated during 2 -- 3 day garrison command billets at the company and platoon level, and squad and fire - team level tactical billets during field exercises. Contents 1 History 1.1 Location 2 Selection and entry 3 Training 3.1 Platoon Leaders Class 3.2 Officer Candidates Course 3.3 The Quigley 4 Further training 5 See also 6 References 7 External links History Prior to World War I, Marine officers came primarily from the Naval Academy, or were commissioned from the enlisted ranks. But as the Marine Corps expanded, it needed its own training pipeline for officers. OCS traces its roots to the `` School of Application '', established in 1891 in Washington, D.C. With the expansion of the Marine Corps for World War I, all instructional efforts were consolidated -- first at Marine Corps Station, Philadelphia, then in 1940 at MCB Quantico, where they remain today. Location OCS is currently located at Brown Field at Marine Corps Base Quantico. PLC Juniors was at Camp Upshur through 1987, but was subsequently consolidated with PLC Seniors at Brown Field. Selection and entry Entry to the Officer Candidates School comes from several different commissioning programs : Officer Candidates Course ( OCC ) for college seniors and graduates Platoon Leaders Class ( PLC ) for college students with one or more years left in school NROTC ( Marine Option ) in addition to regular NROTC program requirements, NROTC ( Marine Option ) midshipmen must pass a 6 - week OCS course known as `` Bulldog '' during summer between junior and senior year. `` Bulldog '' is modeled after the PLC Seniors Course. Enlisted Commissioning Program ( ECP ) for enlisted Marines with a college degree Meritorious Commissioning Program ( MCP ) for enlisted Marines within 18 months of graduation ( No longer an active commissioning program ) Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program ( MECEP ) Officer Candidates must pass a series of tests before being admitted into the Officer Candidate School. An Officer Selection Officer, usually a Captain, meets with a prospective Officer Candidate. Upon completing a satisfactory interview, the OSO then makes the decision to move the prospective candidate onto the next step. The prospective candidate then must complete a short essay about why they want to be a Marine Officer, provide identification ( usually a birth certificate and Social Security card ), pass a background check, provide five letters of recommendation, and complete a physical medical exam. After successful completion of these steps, the OSO may then conduct the Officer Candidate through a Physical Fitness Test. Upon reaching a score on the test that the OSO deems to be acceptable ( usually in the range of 285 and above ), the Officer Candidate then signs the contract ( including the contract to attend the course, the fraternization policy acknowledgement, and the Marine Corps drug policy acknowledgement ). Candidates choose to enter the program as either a ground, air, or law contract. All of this information is sent to a review board, which will vote to decide if the Candidate should be accepted to Officer Candidate School. These review boards generally convene only once a month. After receiving a majority vote of acceptance from the review board, the Officer Candidate is officially accepted into the Officer Candidate Program and scheduled for a class. Training A Gunnery Sergeant Instructor corrects an officer candidate OCS screens potential officers using a program designed to test and assess the candidates with an emphasis on confidence and leadership abilities. This includes evaluated events such as the leadership reaction course and small unit leader evaluation exercise. Regardless of course, the instructors usually include officers to handle most academic instruction, enlisted sergeant instructors ( Staff Noncommissioned Officers taken from the drill instructor community ) to conduct most of the day - to - day management, and other instructors ( most often non-commissioned officers ) to teach most field skills. Officer Candidates on both courses have many related expenses ( including travel to and from Officer Candidate School, meals, and lodging ) paid for them, and receive a stipend while in training to pay for uniforms, books, and other supplies. The Training and Education Command designs the program of instruction for OCS. Platoon Leaders Class The Platoon Leaders Class normally consists of two six - week training sessions taken between consecutive school years, which occur in the summers with no commitment during the school year. Young men and women at any accredited four - year college or university are eligible for this class. Officer Candidates who attend the Platoon Leaders Class may opt for either the PLC Juniors / Seniors program or the PLC Combined program. In the Juniors / Seniors program, a freshman may attend the PLC Juniors course the summer between their freshman and sophomore years, then attend the PLC Seniors course the summer before their senior year begins. Sophomores can attend the PLC Juniors course the summer before their junior year in school and the PLC Seniors course the following summer. PLC Combined is a ten - week program for those interested in completing officer screening during a single summer after completing their junior year in college. Training includes academic and field topics. Academic subjects covered include Marine Corps history, leadership, close order drill, weapons handling, and general military subjects such as land navigation, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, interior guard, moral and ethical leadership, and basic combat. PLC candidates need to be physically fit as the physical training is demanding, for example, Officer Candidates in the PLC Seniors course run and hike an average of 250 miles ( 400 km ) or more during a six - week period. Those who opt for the Juniors / Seniors program will find that the divided program is tailored to provide progressive training. The Juniors course is an introduction into the Marine Corps, and allows the candidates to be evaluated and motivated for a possible commission. Physical training, small unit leadership, and basic infantry tactics are addressed, as well as significant academic instruction. PLC Seniors is an advanced course of indoctrination and contains similar physical training, small unit leadership, infantry tactics, and academics ; but at a faster rate and with more instructor - induced stress. Those candidates who opt for the combined course cover the same areas of instruction, but it is integrated without the need to reevaluate candidates due to a year - long gap. NROTC midshipmen attend the PLC Seniors course for their final summer cruise, nicknamed `` Bulldog ''. Officer Candidates course The main alternative is the Officer Candidates Course, which is designed for college seniors or graduates and enlisted Marines, and consists of one ten - week training session. While the curriculum is identical to the 10 - week PLC Combined session, OCC is held three times a year ( winter, summer, and fall ), and accepts only college graduates. Additionally, graduates of OCC are commissioned immediately upon graduation of OCS. The Quigley The Quigley is a legendary water obstacle used in training at OCS. Lieutenant Colonel William J. Quigley, a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, designed it in 1967. It consists of a long canal with 4 - foot ( 1.2 m ) cement culverts submerged in swampy water ; candidates must swim through the Quigley as a part of the OCS training program Further training Officer candidates who complete OCS ( and have obtained their college degrees ) are then commissioned as Second Lieutenants and sent to The Basic School ( TBS ) at Quantico for six months of further training with other newly commissioned Marine officers from all other commissioning programs. At TBS, they receive the skills and knowledge necessary to lead Marines in combat ; much like `` every Marine is a rifleman '', every officer is introduced to the skills necessary to lead a provisional rifle platoon. See also Officer Candidate School ( United States Army ) Officer Candidate School ( United States Navy ) Air Force Officer Training School References United States Marine Corps portal This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps. Jump up ^ Home - Commanding Officer. Trngcmd.usmc.mil. Retrieved on 2013 - 07 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Earning a Commission ''. U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate 's Guide. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 2007 - 01 - 28. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate 's Guide ''. Retrieved 2007 - 01 - 27. Jump up ^ Lowe, Christian. `` Leadership ability tested in frustrating ' SULE ' course, April 07, 2004. Accessed April 07, 2010. Jump up ^ Lowe, Christian. `` Walking the razor 's edge : Those who do n't quit or are n't booted keep up the fight '', Marine Corps Times website, April 07, 2004. Accessed January 30, 2010. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates. USMC Officer Candidates School website Comparison between Officer Candidate School and Basic ( Enlisted ) Recruit Training Marine OCS Forum Candidates Regulations United States Marine Corps Leadership Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Marine Corps generals United States Congress House Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Senate Subcommittee on Seapower Major commands Organization of the Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps Marine Forces Command II Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Pacific I Marine Expeditionary Force III Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Forces Reserve Fleet Marine Force Atlantic Pacific Marine Corps Combat Development Command Small Wars Center and Irregular Warfare Integration Division ( SWC / IWID ) Operations Analysis Directorate ( OAD ) Training & Education Command ( TECOM ) United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory Structure Marine Air - 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Question: where do marine officers go to boot camp
Answer: Marine Corps Base Quantico