| Maritime
Academies and Officer Training Programs
U.S. Naval Academy
The U.S. Naval Academy, founded in 1845, is the undergraduate college
of the Navy. Its beautiful, modern buildings and facilities along the
Severn River in Annapolis, Md., are designed to meet the academic, athletic,
and extracurricular needs of the future officers corps of the Navy and
Marine Corps. Approximately 1,200 men and women enter the Naval Academy
each year. More than three-quarters of all midshipmen complete the academically
demanding curriculum and upon graduation are commissioned as officers
in the Navy or Marine Corps. Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt currently serves
as the Academy’s superintendent.
Degrees and Majors: Midshipmen may major in any of 19 principal fields
of study: eight in engineering, seven in science and mathematics, and
four in the humanities, all leading to a bachelor of science degree. All
midshipmen also must complete a core curriculum designed to give future
naval officers a solid foundation in leadership and character development,
naval science, and the humanities.
Costs: Tuition, room, and board expenses are borne by the government.
Graduates assume an obligation of five years of active service when they
are commissioned. Midshipmen are paid a stipend of $764.60 per month to
cover the cost of uniforms, books, equipment, and personal needs.
Admission Criteria: Candidates must be U.S. citizens, single (without
children and not pregnant), and at least 17, and cannot have reached the
age of 23 on July 1 of their year of admission to the academy. They also
must be officially nominated, meet the academy’s academic, medical,
and physical requirements, and be found to be of good moral character.
For information, contact:
Head of Candidate Guidance, U.S. Naval Academy, 117 Decatur Road, Annapolis,
MD 21402
Phone: (410) 293-4361
Website: www.usna.edu
Navy Officer Candidate School
Navy Officer Candidate School (OCS)—based at Naval Air Station
Pensacola, Fla.—is operated by the Navy’s Officer Training
Command, which is responsible for preparing civilians, prior-enlisted,
and newly commissioned personnel for service in the fleet as naval officers.
OCS is a 13-week course of instruction in academics, physical fitness,
and military culture.
After completion, newly commissioned Navy ensigns may remain at Pensacola
for further instruction as naval aviators or naval flight officers. Others,
based on their professions, relocate to training centers for surface warfare
officers, submarine warfare officers, special warfare officers, or other
specialties.
For information, contact:
Officer Training Command Pensacola, 150 Chambers Ave., Pensacola, FL
32508-5267
Phone: (850) 452-3141/2680/4142
Website: www.nsgreatlakes.navy.mil/otcp
Marine Corps Officer Candidate School
Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Marine Corps Base Quantico,
Va., has the mission of training, evaluating, and screening officer candidates
for commission as company-grade officers in the fleet’s operating
forces. Marine Corps OCS comprises paths to a commission, including the
officer candidates’ class, the platoon leaders’ course, and
Marine Corps-option NROTC.
Marine Corps OCS traces its development to 1891 with the “school
of application” at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. Later, the
“Marine Corps Officers Training School” was organized at Quantico
following World War I, evolving into today’s OCS program.
For information, contact:
Marine Corps OCS, Marine Corps Base Quantico, 2189 Elrod Ave., Quantico,
VA 22134-5033
Phone: (800) 627-4637
Website: www.marines.com/officer_programs
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) was established in 1926
as an alternate pathway to the U.S. Naval Academy toward earning a Navy
commission. The NROTC scholarship program, located at more than 150 colleges,
universities, and maritime academies nationwide, is the largest provider
of new Navy and Marine Corps officers. The first six NROTC units were
located at the University of California, Berkeley, the Georgia Institute
of Technology, Northwestern University, the University of Washington,
and at Harvard and Yale universities.
Navy midshipmen coming through NROTC may select specialties such as surface
warfare officers, naval aviators and flight officers, and submarine warfare.
Officers commissioned through NROTC also may apply for careers with Naval
Special Warfare Command, provided they are accepted to (and complete)
the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training program. The NROTC program
in the 1990s was expanded to include a commissioning program for students
pursuing a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
For information, contact NROTC
Phone: (800) 628-7682
Website: https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/
Marine Corps-option NROTC
The Marine Corps-option NROTC program began in 1932, offering qualified
NROTC graduates commissions in the U.S. Marine Corps. Successful Marine
Corps-option midshipmen may be commissioned as second lieutenants, based
on the decision of two annual selection boards. Marine second lieutenants
may be assigned posts with infantry, armor, artillery, or aviation units.
The Marine Corps’ training philosophy requires that every Marine
be trained in basic infantry fighting tactics, techniques, and procedures
before moving on to other specializations.
Contact Marine Corps-option NROTC
Phone: (800) 628-7682
Website: https://web.mcrc.usmc.mil/mcrc.htm
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Located in New London, Conn., approximately halfway between New York
City and Boston, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy has an undergraduate enrollment
of approximately 850 men and women. Selection to the Coast Guard Academy
is based on an annual nationwide competition, a process unique among the
service academies. There are no congressional appointments to the academy,
and geographical quotas do not play a part in admissions decisions. The
superintendent is Rear Adm. Robert C. Olsen Jr., USCG.
Degrees and majors: Cadets may choose from eight major fields of study:
electrical, civil, mechanical, and marine engineering and naval architecture;
government; management; marine and environmental science; and operations
research. Each graduate receives a bachelor of science degree and a commission
as an ensign in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Costs: To defray the cost of uniforms and educational equipment, a $3,000
deposit is required upon entrance; $300 of this sum is required at the
time a cadet accepts a full appointment. The remainder is due by June
15.
Financial Aid: Each cadet receives about $600 per month for uniforms,
equipment, textbooks, and other training expenses. Eligibility requirements
include satisfactory SAT or ACT scores, a satisfactory scholastic record,
and demonstrated leadership potential. Each candidate must pass a medical
examination before acceptance. New classes begin in July of each year.
Application Information: Applications are due by Dec. 15.
For information, contact:
Director of Admissions, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 31 Mohegan Ave., New
London, CT 06320-8103
Phone: (860) 444-8501 or (800) 883-8724
Website: www.cga.edu
E-mail: admissions@cga.uscg.mil
Coast Guard Officer Candidate School
The Coast Guard Officer Candidate School is co-located with the Coast
Guard Academy, at New London, Conn. Coast Guard OCS is a 17-week course
of instruction to prepare candidates to receive commission in the Coast
Guard at the rank of ensign, required to serve a minimum of three years
of active duty.
Newly commissioned officers may serve aboard cutters or other vessels
at sea, apply for flight training in the Coast Guard’s fixed-wing
and rotary-wing aviation community, or serve in operations ashore.
For information, contact:
U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 31 Mohegan Ave., New London, CT 06320-81031
Phone: (800) 438-8724
Website: www.gocoastguard.com/officerindex.html
Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning
Initiative
The Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative
(CSPI) is a scholarship program available to college sophomores to provide
leadership, management, law enforcement, navigation and marine science
skills and training as prospective Coast Guard officers. In addition to
providing college tuition assistance, the program guarantees training
at Coast Guard Officer Candidate School upon successful completion of
all program requirements. Successful commissioning requires three years’
active duty service.
Contact the CSPI program
Phone: (877) 669-8724
Website: www.uscg.mil/jobs/z%5Ftest/opportunities/officer%2Dcspi.htm
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy offers a four-year undergraduate program
that leads to a bachelor of science degree and a merchant marine license
as a third mate or third assistant engineer. In addition, students are
enrolled as midshipmen and upon graduation are commissioned as ensigns
in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
The academy’s significance as a world-renowned institution of maritime
education cannot be overestimated. Not only does the academy produce highly
qualified officers for the merchant marine, it also is a major source
of inactive-duty Naval Reserve officers. In peacetime, academy graduates
create and operate efficient, cost-effective marine transportation systems.
In times of conflict, academy graduates crew the ships that support America’s
armed forces.
The Merchant Marine Academy, dedicated in 1943, is recognized worldwide
as an outstanding maritime educational institution, graduating approximately
180 licensed officers yearly. The academy is a tuition-free four-year
accredited college operated by the Maritime Administration of the U.S.
Department of Transportation. Candidates for admission must be nominated
by a U.S. representative or senator and compete for vacancies allocated
by state in proportion to its representation in Congress. Current enrollment
is approximately 950. In 1974, the academy became the first of the federal
academies to admit women.
All academy graduates incur an eight-year U.S. Naval Reserve commitment,
obligating them to serve in time of war or national emergency, if activated.
Academy graduates also are committed to a five-year maritime service obligation,
requiring them to obtain a merchant marine officer’s license on
or before graduation and to maintain the license for at least six years.
This service obligation may be satisfied as an officer aboard U.S. merchant
ships or, with the permission of the U.S. Maritime Administration, in
shoreside maritime or intermodal transportation industry positions if
afloat employment is not obtainable. Active military duty in any branch
of the armed forces also satisfies the obligation—about 25 percent
of graduates annually follow this career path.
The academy has kept its educational program responsive to the needs
of America’s maritime industry and to U.S. national-security requirements,
both in its four-year undergraduate curriculum and in its continuing education
program. Students receive Bachelor of Science degrees in the following
areas of study: marine transportation; marine engineering; marine engineering
systems; the maritime operations and technology program, which provides
the marine transportation major with some fundamental engineering skills;
logistics and intermodal transportation; or the marine engineering and
shipyard management program.
Over the years, new emphasis has been placed on important emerging areas
in the industry. The breadth of coursework and hands-on training prepares
graduates to become not only merchant mariners, but also leaders in the
maritime industry.
Superintendent: Rear Adm. Joseph D. Stewart, USMS.
Nomination Information: Candidates should contact their representative
or senator and request nominations at the end of their junior year of
high school. Completed applications must be received by the March 1 deadline,
and candidates must qualify scholastically and physically. Eligibility
considerations include high school academic records, class rank, SAT or
ACT scores, and leadership potential.
Costs: Upon entrance, each midshipman pays a fee of $5,800 to cover student
activities, personal services, and the cost of a personal computer. Fees
for subsequent years range between $1,400 and $2,300 per year.
Financial Aid: Pay received by a midshipman is $764 a month during two
training periods aboard ship. While the academy does not offer financial
aid, its financial aid office can assist students with identifying and
applying for assistance from external student loan sources.
For information, contact:
Office of Admissions, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Steamboat Road, Kings
Point, NY 11024-1699
Phone: (516) 773-5391 or (866) 546-4778
Fax: (516) 773-5390
Website: www.usmma.edu
State Maritime Academies
The six state maritime academies conduct training and offer academic
programs that yield highly skilled deck and engineering officers for employment
in the U.S. Merchant Marine. In addition to training engineering and deck
officers, individual schools specialize in maritime port management, marine
sciences, international business, logistics, and other maritime-related
areas of study. By authority of the Maritime Education and Training Act
of 1980, MARAD provides annual funding for student assistance, school-ship
maintenance and repair, and training-ship fuel oil (when available) to
the academies, which are located in California, Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts,
New York, and Texas (see below).
Qualified students are eligible to receive student incentive payments
(SIPs) of $3,000 annually, for no more than four academic years, to help
offset the cost of uniforms, books, and subsistence. In return, SIP recipients
must sail—or work ashore—for three years, accept a commission
in the Naval Reserve or other reserve component of the U.S. armed forces
(making these qualified seafarers available for sealift support), and
obtain a U.S. Coast Guard merchant marine officer’s license. They
must maintain that license for six years after graduation.
MARAD also provides training vessels to the five coastal academies for
use in at-sea training and as shore-side laboratories. These training
ships are critical to the ability of the state maritime academy programs
to familiarize students with ship systems and train them in ship safety,
firefighting, and damage control. The training ships ensure that students
are able to gain the practical experience of living and working aboard
ship and are able to be put to sea more safely.
For information, contact:
Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 7th St.
SW, Washington, DC 20590
Phone: (800) 996-2723
Website: www.marad.dot.gov/Programs/state_aca.html
California Maritime Academy
Located on San Pablo Bay in Vallejo, Calif., the California Maritime
Academy is a California State University campus that offers accredited
degrees in business administration, marine transportation, facilities
engineering technology, global studies and maritime affairs, marine engineering
technology, and mechanical engineering. In addition to earning a bachelor’s
degree, students earn professional licensing in one of several areas:
as third mate or third assistant engineer, U.S. Coast Guard; or certified
plant engineer-in-training.
Students could earn professional certification in transportation, management,
or international business and logistics. A program of intellectual learning,
applied technology, and leadership development prepares graduates for
positions of significant responsibility in the areas of maritime, business,
logistics, intermodal transportation, and engineering. Students also can
opt to participate in U.S. Navy and Coast Guard programs and receive commissions
upon graduation.
For information, contact:
California Maritime Academy, Office of Admissions, 200 Maritime Academy
Drive, Vallejo, CA 94590-0644
Phone: (707) 654-1330
Fax: (707) 654-1336
Website: www.csum.edu
E-mail: info@csum.edu
Great Lakes Maritime Academy
An affiliate of Northwestern Michigan College (NMC), the Great Lakes
Maritime Academy has been jointly designated by the U.S. Maritime Administrator
and the governors of the states bordering the Great Lakes as a regional
academy in support of the Great Lakes shipping industry. Deck officer
graduates are legally and professionally qualified to serve as pilots
of the largest bulk carriers in the Great Lakes trade immediately upon
graduation. They also may choose the ocean mate option that allows them
to sail the Great Lakes or oceans.
Engine officer graduates are specifically trained to operate and maintain
shipboard equipment unique to the industry as well as all other machinery
and systems commonly found aboard ships worldwide. Both programs are Standards
of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping-certified by the U.S. Coast
Guard.
The four-year academy program, run in conjunction with Ferris State University,
leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. It is
conducted concurrently with the maritime program at the academy/NMC/Ferris
State campuses in Traverse City, Mich. An associate’s degree program
is available for students who wish to enter and already have a bachelor’s
degree.
For information, contact:
Admissions Coordinator, Great Lakes Maritime Academy, 1701 E. Front St.,Traverse
City, MI 49686-3061
Phone: (231) 995-1200
Fax: (231) 995-1318
Website: www.nmc.edu/maritime
E-mail: jurokos@nmc.edu
Maine Maritime Academy
Maine’s seafaring heritage thrives at Maine Maritime Academy, a
college specializing in ocean- and marine-oriented programs at the undergraduate
and graduate levels, with emphasis on engineering, transportation, management,
and ocean sciences, as well as preparing officers for the U.S. Merchant
Marine and uniformed services of the United States.
Maine Maritime Academy is a coeducational public college with an enrollment
of more than 750 students. The college currently offers associates’,
bachelors’, and masters’ degrees. Undergraduate majors include:
small vessel operations, international business and logistics, marine
engineering operations, marine engineering technology, marine systems
engineering, marine transportation operations, marine biology, marine
science, power engineering technology, and interdisciplinary studies.
The graduate degree program of the college’s Loeb-Sullivan School
of International Business and Logistics offers a master’s degree
in global supply chain management, maritime management, international
business, and defense logistics. Maine Maritime’s division of continuing
education offers courses and services for professional mariners on the
college campus in Castine, Maine. Individual courses may be offered at
company-selected training sites in the United States or abroad.
For information, contact:
Office of Admissions, Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, ME 04420
Phone: (207) 326-2206 or (800) 464-6565 (Maine); (800) 227-8465 (Out-of-State)
Fax: (207) 326-2515
Website: www.mainemaritime.edu
E-mail: admissions@mma.edu
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Founded in 1891, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a four-year, accredited,
coeducational college that prepares graduates for careers at sea and ashore.
The college offers students five academic majors: marine engineering,
marine transportation, facilities and environmental engineering, international
maritime business, and marine safety and environmental protection.
A five-year program offering a dual major in marine engineering and marine
transportation also is available. The academy also offers six academic
concentrations: business management, electrical power, facilities and
environmental engineering, marine fisheries, marine transportation, and
mechanical engineering.
For information, contact:
Director of Admissions, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 101 Academy Drive,Buzzards
Bay, MA 02532
Phone: (800) 544-3411
Fax: (800) 544-3411
Website: www.mma.mass.edu
E-mail: Admissions@mma.mass.edu
State University of New York Maritime College
Founded in 1874 as the New York Nautical School, State University of
New York Maritime College, located at Fort Schuyler, the Bronx, N.Y.,
is the oldest of the state maritime colleges. The primary mission of the
college is to prepare young men and women to become licensed U.S. Merchant
Marine officers (third mate or third assistant engineer) and assume industry
leadership positions afloat and ashore.
Course work in preparation for Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering
degrees is offered in marine engineering, marine electrical and electronic
systems engineering, mechanical engineering, marine operations, facilities
engineering, naval architecture, international transportation and trade,
the humanities, marine transportation/business administration, and marine
environmental sciences. An associate in applied science degree is offered
in marine technology/small vessel operations. A master’s degree
also is offered in transportation management.
For information, contact:
State University of New York, Maritime College, 6 Pennyfield Ave., Fort
Schuyler, Throggs Neck, NY 10465
Phone: (718) 409-7220
Website: www.sunymaritime.edu
Texas Maritime Academy
The Texas Maritime Academy comprises about 300 cadets of the total 1,600
students at the by-the-sea campus located on Pelican Island, adjacent
to Galveston Island. All students are enrolled in ocean-oriented programs
and receive degrees from Texas A&M University. Cadets in the maritime
training program complete academic and training programs leading to licensing
as third mate and third assistant engineer, unlimited.
Texas A&M University at Galveston is a totally ocean-oriented campus
offering undergraduate and graduate academic instruction in marine and
maritime-related degree programs in marine biology, marine sciences (oceanography),
marine engineering technology, marine transportation, marine fisheries,
maritime systems engineering (ocean/civil), maritime administration (policy/business),
ocean and coastal resources (environmental studies), and maritime studies.
For information, contact:
Office of Student Relations, Texas A&M University at Galveston, P.O.
Box 1675, Galveston, TX 77553-1675
Phone: 1-87-SEAAGGIE (toll-free)
Fax: (409) 740-4731
Website: www.tamug.edu
E-mail: seaaggie@tamug.edu
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