Role and Purpose

The Academy educates professional deck and engineering officers for the U.S. merchant marine, the armed forces, and the intermodal transportation system. Graduates receive Bachelor of Science degrees and U.S. Coast Guard licenses as deck or engineering officers (or both), and a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserve or another uniformed service reserve.

Major Activities

The Superintendent works directly for the Maritime Administrator.

Core courses at the Academy provide knowledge in key subjects such as chemistry, physics, calculus, computer science, English, history, American studies, naval science, physical education, and ship's medicine. The major course of study selected by students at the Academy determines he type of merchant marine license received at graduation.

There are seven major academic programs: Marine Transportation, Marine Operations and Technology, Logistics and Intermodal Transportation, Marine Engineering, Marine Engineering Systems, Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management, and Dual License.

Under the Academy's Shipboard Training Program, students spend part of their sophomore and junior years at sea (a total of 300 days). During each sea duty tour, students are assigned to two or three different types of ships. They work at everything from cargo loading and navigation to engine maintenance and ship repair. In addition, students at sea work on pre-assigned academic projects and at the end of each sailing period complete a two- to six-week (45- to 60-day for Marine Engineering Management majors) internship with a marine-related corporation.

Graduates of the Academy are committed to a five-year maritime service obligation (and a concurrent eight-year armed forces reserve commitment), and a requirement to obtain a merchant marine officer's license on or before graduation and to maintain the license for at least six years. The service obligation may be satisfied in the merchant marine as an officer aboard U.S. merchant ships, or in shoreside maritime or intermodal transportation industry positions on an exception basis, if employment at sea is not obtainable. Active military duty in the U.S. armed forces or in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also satisfies the obligation.

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