SUNY Maritime College

Gibran Mora

5-Year Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2010
Messages
8
I am planning to attend Maritime College if I don't get accepted to either Merchant Marine Academy or the prep school. My plan is to attend for one year and reapply again to the academy. But people have told me that going to Maritime College is just going to the academy based on academics, only differences is that is not as strict as the academy. Is that really true, that Maritime College is academically as difficult as Merchant Marine and you get the same benefits that once you graduate you can get a job on a fleet?
 
Gibran Mora:
I'm not entirely sure what your question is so let me just summarize- from the State Maritime colleges you can receive a 3rd Mate or 3rd A/Engineers license along with your degree. Additionally from any of the State Academies you have an option thru the USNR/MMR (Merchant Marine Reserve) program to get a Navy commission. Additionally at SUNY Maritime and Maine Maritime you can be commissioned thru the on-campus Navy ROTC programs. All of them are regimented: at Mass Maritime all of the cadets participate in the regiment- at SUNY about 85% do and at all of the State Maritime Academies anyone pursuing a license must participate in the regiment. They are military organizations- not as regimented as USNA or USMMA but still much more so than a normal college. In order to receive a license you will go to sea for 3 training cruises of approximately 2 months each- at Mass in the winter and in the summer for the other Academies. I believe that most of the state academies are now trying to have Cadets spend one of the sea terms aboard commercial ship with the other two terms aboard the school ship. Prior to graduation in order to receive your license you - just like your USMMA counterparts will have to sit for a very demanding licensing exam- at the successful conclusion of which you will receive your deck or engineers license.
So what are the essential differences?
Sea terms - USMMA will ship out on commercial and MSC ships- by themselves or with maybe one other Cadet aboard compared to the school ship experience that the State Academies will earn most of their sea time aboard.
Cost. USMMA is essentially free compared to the State Academies which are State Colleges and at which you might be able to get an ROTC scholarship or participate in the SIP program which will give you an annual payment for pursuing your license with a USNR commission. Additionally they all have regional agreements with other states so that Cadets from participating states get reduced or instate tuition - which is pretty good. Check the various school web sites to check out if you can participate.
Military life: As said before - the State Academies are regimented but not to the degree that USMMA is and certainly not to the degree that USNA is.
Having said that, the State Maritime colleges are very good small specialized colleges where you can pursue a disciplined life style and get your US Merchant Marine officers license or Navy or Coast Guard commission, and they give you the opportunity to have some really unique experiences sailing aboard their school ships to ports in Europe, Asia and the Pacific and the Caribbean.
Good luck !

http://www.sunymaritime.edu/
http://www.maritime.edu/
http://www.csum.edu/
 
Last edited:
Gibran Mora:
I'm not entirely sure what your question is so let me just summarize- from the State Maritime colleges you can receive a 3rd Mate or 3rd A/Engineers license along with your degree. Additionally from any of the State Academies you have an option thru the USNR/MMR (Merchant Marine Reserve) program to get a Navy commission. Additionally at SUNY Maritime and Maine Maritime you can be commissioned thru the on-campus Navy ROTC programs. All of them are regimented: at Mass Maritime all of the cadets participate in the regiment- at SUNY about 85% do and at all of the State Maritime Academies anyone pursuing a license must participate in the regiment. They are military organizations- not as regimented as USNA or USMMA but still much more so than a normal college. In order to receive a license you will go to sea for 3 training cruises of approximately 2 months each- at Mass in the winter and in the summer for the other Academies. I believe that most of the state academies are now trying to have Cadets spend one of the sea terms aboard commercial ship with the other two terms aboard the school ship. Prior to graduation in order to receive your license you - just like your USMMA counterparts will have to sit for a very demanding licensing exam- at the successful conclusion of which you will receive your deck or engineers license.
So what are the essential differences?
Sea terms - USMMA will ship out on commercial and MSC ships- by themselves or with maybe one other Cadet aboard compared to the school ship experience that the State Academies will earn most of their sea time aboard.
Cost. USMMA is essentially free compared to the State Academies which are State Colleges and at which you might be able to get an ROTC scholarship or participate in the SIP program which will give you an annual payment for pursuing your license with a USNR commission. Additionally they all have regional agreements with other states so that Cadets from participating states get reduced or instate tuition - which is pretty good. Check the various school web sites to check out if you can participate.
Military life: As said before - the State Academies are regimented but not to the degree that USMMA is and certainly not to the degree that USNA is.
Having said that, the State Maritime colleges are very good small specialized colleges where you can pursue a disciplined life style and get your US Merchant Marine officers license or Navy or Coast Guard commission, and they give you the opportunity to have some really unique experiences sailing aboard their school ships to ports in Europe, Asia and the Pacific and the Caribbean.
Good luck !

http://www.sunymaritime.edu/
http://www.maritime.edu/
http://www.csum.edu/

Just wanted to reiterate for those of you out there who are pursuing appointments and considering careers in the sea services - take a look at the Maritime Colleges. Cadets at Mass Maritime recently returned from 60 days aboard the TS Kennedy in the Caribbean; and starting in May- cadets from NY and Maine will be heading out to ports across the Mediterranean and Baltic, and California cadets will be heading across the Pacific to ports in Korea, Thailand, and points enroute. Combine that with a regimental life style http://www.sunymaritime.edu/Campus Life/Regiment of Cadets/index.aspx
from which Active or Reserve commissions are available in all of the sea services and even the Army and a virtual 100% post graduation employment rate for those who are looking for civilian employment and I think that they are places well worth checking out for many of the members of this forum.
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