Citadel, The

▪ college, Charleston, South Carolina, United States

in full  The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina 

      public military college located in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. All undergraduate daytime students, known as cadets, are required to participate in one of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs. The college offers bachelor's degree programs in business, education, engineering, arts, and sciences. Master's degree programs are offered in business, education, and arts. Total enrollment exceeds 4,000.

      The Citadel was established in 1842 and, along with the Arsenal in Columbia, formed the South Carolina Military Academy. Instruction began in 1843. Although the school has no direct affiliation with the U.S. military, graduates of The Citadel have fought in every conflict since the Mexican War (Mexican-American War) (1846–48). Citadel cadets fired the first shots at Fort Sumter to begin the American Civil War, and the college was an important source of officers for the Confederate army. The school was occupied by Union forces from 1865 until 1879. The Arsenal was destroyed in 1865, and The Citadel reopened in 1882. Although women had been admitted to the graduate, summer, and evening classes, they were not eligible for full cadet status until a 1995 federal court order mandated their inclusion; the first women cadets were admitted in 1996.

* * *