| Officer Training Programs And Maritime Academies
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 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 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 $792.60 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. 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:
Candidate Guidance Office
U.S. Naval Academy
117 Decatur Road
Annapolis, MD 21402-5018
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 12-week course of instruction in academics, physical fitness and military culture.
After completion, 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) 452-3141/2680/2131
Website: www.nsgreatlakes.navy.mil/otcp
Marine Corps Officer Candidate School
Marine Corps OCS 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. Commissioned lieutenants then must complete the Basic School course at Quantico prior to being assigned specific specializations.
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 100 colleges, universities and maritime academies nationwide, is the largest provider of new Navy and Marine Corps officers.
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 was expanded in the 1990s to include a commissioning program for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
For information, contact:
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.
The Marine Corps’ training philosophy requires that every Marine be trained in basic infantry fighting tactics, techniques and procedures at the Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico prior to moving on to other specializations.
For information, contact:
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.
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 $730 per month for uniforms, equipment, textbooks and other training expenses. Eligibility requirements include satisfactory Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (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) 444-8444 or (800) 883-8724
Website: www.cga.edu
E-mail: admissions@cga.uscg.mil
Coast Guard Officer Candidate School
The Coast Guard OCS 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, which requires them 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:
The 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 OCS upon successful completion of all program requirements. Successful commissioning requires three years’ active duty service.
For information, contact:
Phone: (877) 669-8724
Website: www.gocoastguard.com/cspi.html
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, in Kings Point, N.Y., on Long Island about 20 miles east of New York City, 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 or other reserve component of the U.S. armed forces.
The academy produces highly qualified officers for the Merchant Marine and 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, graduates approximately 180 licensed officers yearly. The acad-emy is a tuition-free, four-year accredited college operated by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Candi-dates 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 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 MARAD, 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. The academy also offers a dual license program to students who have completed the necessary coursework. It combines marine engineering and marine transportation studies for licensing in both specialties.
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. The superintendent is Rear Adm. Joseph D. Stewart.
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 about $6,100 to cover student activities, personal services and the cost of a personal computer. Fees for subsequent years range between $1,634 and $2,520 per year.
Financial aid: Pay received by a midshipman is $792.60 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
300 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) with a six-year service commitment 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. S.W.
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 Admin-istrator 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
The Maine Maritime Academy specializes 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’, bachelor’s and master’s 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 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: (508) 830-5077
Website: www.mma.mass.edu
E-mail: Admissions@maritime.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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