Majors

CadetAviator

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Good Evening Everyone,

So as some of you may know I have received a principal appointment for USMMA Class of 22. I still haven’t narrowed a major down how I do have two in mind. Marine Transportation and Logistics and Security. Can anyone explain the differences between both majors?
 
Logistics and security is a more difficult major with more of an emphasis on the business side of the maritime industry. If you think you eventually want to work shoreside after your initial sailing time, it gives you more options.
 
Logistics and security is a more difficult major with more of an emphasis on the business side of the maritime industry. If you think you eventually want to work shoreside after your initial sailing time, it gives you more options.

More difficult? Puhhhhhlese.

It might make a difference working ashore. Realistically coming ashore after KP, it’s either going to be in a space where people know about KP, and know that all the programs are the same, or in a field where people don’t know about KP and won’t appreciate the differences anyway. Either way it doesn’t matter.

If you really think you’re working ashore then sure do the logistics thing. But it doesn’t matter. It’s more about picking what you want your diploma to say.
 
When do you have to choose? The Difference with straight deck is only four classes (all senior year) so it isn’t much more than guaranteed admission to those four classes as electives and then your diploma says something different.

It basically boils down to a resume bullet. Any job you can get after five years sailing is going to be the same and those four classes likely wont matter as much as the proverbial hill of beans.

If these classes interest you then by all means go for it, just be realistic about any added marketability.

MLOG 400 LEC Port and Terminal Operations
MLOG 425 LEC Maritime Security Research Seminar
MLOG 430 Chartering and Brokerage
MLOG 450 LEC Capstone Project Seminar
 
46 CFR § 310.59 Courses of instruction.
(a)At Academy. Three major curriculums are offered: Nautical Science, for the preparation of deck officers; Marine Engineering, for the preparation of engineering officers; and the Dual License Program, a combined course which leads to licenses in both specialties. All midshipmen who are citizens shall take naval science courses prescribed by the Department of the Navy. All curriculums include general education courses and electives.

The school fails to provide the dual license option...

During my time, they offered an option for Maritime Operations & Texhnology...aka ships officer program...where you primarily were a deckie with a minor like part in engineering.....so 3rd mate with a qmed.

If I had to do it over again and had the aptitude, I would go marine engineering.

Being a deck officer carries a significant amount of personal liability.
 
46 CFR § 310.59 Courses of instruction.
(a)At Academy. Three major curriculums are offered: Nautical Science, for the preparation of deck officers; Marine Engineering, for the preparation of engineering officers; and the Dual License Program, a combined course which leads to licenses in both specialties. All midshipmen who are citizens shall take naval science courses prescribed by the Department of the Navy. All curriculums include general education courses and electives.

The school fails to provide the dual license option...
I’m no sea lawyer but I did go to the Dick Wolf school of Law so I’ll jump in …

That reference is descriptive and not proscriptive and therefore the Academy does not FAIL to provide a Dual Major. Meaning that 46 CFR 310.59 does not require the Academy to provide a Dual Major, but only describes the majors that it does provide. Note the text “Three major curriculums are offered: …” vs. “Three major curriculums SHALL be offered: …” The latter would require the academy to provide a dual major while the former only describes what it already provides.

Therefore it is the CFRs that need to be updated and not the academy curriculum(a)

During my time, they offered an option for Maritime Operations & Texhnology...aka ships officer program...where you primarily were a deckie with a minor like part in engineering.....so 3rd mate with a qmed.
KP does not award minors. Any shopper who professed to have a minor in engineering is not being accurate. Taking some electives in a discipline is not the same as "having a minor".

Being a deck officer carries a significant amount of personal liability.
So does being an Engineer, just ask the magic pipe Chief Engineer who went to jail.
 
When do you have to choose? The Difference with straight deck is only four classes (all senior year) so it isn’t much more than guaranteed admission to those four classes as electives and then your diploma says something different.

It basically boils down to a resume bullet. Any job you can get after five years sailing is going to be the same and those four classes likely wont matter as much as the proverbial hill of beans.

If these classes interest you then by all means go for it, just be realistic about any added marketability.

MLOG 400 LEC Port and Terminal Operations
MLOG 425 LEC Maritime Security Research Seminar
MLOG 430 Chartering and Brokerage
MLOG 450 LEC Capstone Project Seminar

This is actually incorrect. The difference is not just senior year, I'm a current Logistics major and we took an extra class every term after the start of sophomore year, courses which are not on your list, you don't have the current information. I agree with you that it's useless. I just did logistics because I figured I'm going to be at KP anyway, might as well take a few more classes.
 
Being a deck officer carries a significant amount of personal liability.
So does being an Engineer, just ask the magic pipe Chief Engineer who went to jail.

Or when the deck department screws up and releases hydraulic oil into the water. . . mechanical failure. . .got me some seat time with the Coast Guard.. . they certainly didn't come looking for the Old Man. . .
 

The website isn't updated, so it's still incorrect...There are more courses than that, and they start in sophomore year. (I'm in the program right now), that's why you can drop down to straight till you're a 1/C, but you can't go up after the start of 3/C year.
 
What does drop down and go up mean?
Drop Down - Change Majors from Logistics/Security Major to Marine Transportation
Go Up - Change Majors from Marine Transportation to Logistics/Security

The Academy has two core majors, Deck (Marine Transportation) and Engine (Marine Engineering).

The others are essentially enhanced versions of these, in that your elective credits are all used to specialize in a certain area which leads to the other Major being awarded. You can change between majors within the same core area going from one of the more specialized majors and "drop down" to the core major typically without any adverse impact on your graduation date. Your window to "go up" from the core major to a specialized major (or between specialized majors) is very small and likely not more than one Trimester if at all.
 
Okay got it. Thanks for explaining that to me. I was vaguely familiar with Deck and Engine as my brother was a dual major (when they still did that) but I wasn't sure what drop down and going up meant. That makes sense.
 
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