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Texas A&M Maritime Academy - Merchant Marine & Maritime Programs


Deck, Engineering, NROTC, SSOP, MARGRAD Programs & Maritime and Logistics Education at Texas A&M Galveston (TAMUG) Campus

texas maritime academy

Located at Galveston harbor and close to the confluence of the Galveston and Houston ship channels, Texas Maritime Academy is one of six maritime academies in the US preparing graduates for licensing as officers in the American Merchant Marine and the only one located on the Gulf of Mexico

TAMUG offers ocean-oriented, four-year courses with excellence in business, oceanographic and physical sciences, biological sciences, engineering and transportation and liberal arts. Degrees are awarded from Texas A&M University. Computer science and technical writing courses are taught across curricula, regardless of a student’s major field.

In every course each semester, formally administered questionnaires invite students to appraise the effectiveness of teaching. Several unique courses have been developed in response to the University’s marine orientation.

The Texas Maritime Academy provides an opportunity for students to learn how to operate and maintain an ocean-going vessel. In addition to classroom and field training during the regular school year, students during three summer training cruises serve as a crewmember aboard the oceangoing GOLDEN BEAR, the EMPIRE STATE, the GENERAL RUDDER, and some commercial ships (limited to number of berths). 

At the conclusion of the program, Cadets are tested to become licensed as officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine and may seek employment in the exciting field of marine transportation as a licensed Third Mate or Third Assistant Engineer.

tamug campus

Cadet Programs

  • Deck Program: The curriculum stresses seamanship, navigation, ship handling and Cargo loading.  Graduates must pass the United States Coast Guard license examination as a third mate (deck officer) in the United States Merchant Marine.  These careers as officers aboard seagoing vessels often lead to management careers in maritime industries ashore.  Students must participate in the Corps of Cadets while enrolled and they must take three summer cruises aboard the Maritime Academy’s training ship.
  • Engineering Program: The Marine Engineering Technology curriculum is an inter-disciplinary program based on a thermal power-oriented specialization in classical mechanical engineering, with additional courses in Electrical power and naval architecture.  Theoretical knowledge is reinforced though practical application in labs and through direct operation of marine machinery aboard the University's training ship.  The program prepares students for careers as engineering officers aboard merchant ships, as well as careers in shipyards, building, inspecting, and repairing vessels.
  • The Maritime License Option Program: The Corps is a learning laboratory for leadership, management and self-discipline. Cadets are organized into a paramilitary unit with muster, watch standing, shoreside training, small boat handling, and ship maintenance duties. Cadets must also complete training in marine Firefighting, first aid, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. Cadets majoring in Marine Biology, Marine Sciences, and Marine Transportation may seek a Third Mate's License (Oceans Unlimited). Cadets in Marine Engineering Technology may seek a Third Assistant Engineer's License (Steam and/or Motor Vessels, Unlimited).
  • The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC): NROTC offers those Cadets who desire to become Naval Officers and meet the qualifications to qualify for a commission while attend TAMUG.  These Cadets are fully integrated into the Corps of Cadets, and perform all the activities required of the Corps.  Most uniforms for NROTC Cadets are provided at the expense of the Navy.
  • Drill & Ceremonies Cadets: Drill & Ceremonies cadets choose to join the Corps of Cadets. They elect to participate in the regimented lifestyle of the Corps to build comradery and grow through leadership experience. Cadets in the Drill & Ceremonies program participate without seeking a Coast Guard license or obligation of military service. These cadets may study any non-license option major.

Academic Majors

Maritime & Deck Programs

  • BS in Maritime Transportation: Those who successfully complete the program will earn a Bachelor of Science degree and will qualify to take the U.S. Coast Guard license examination for licensing as a Third Mate for any gross tonnage upon oceans, steam or motor vessels. Cadets are also provided with solid fundamentals in business topics related to the maritime industry, ashore and at sea. Participation in the Corps of Cadets through Texas A&M Maritime Academy is required for Maritime Transportation students.
  • BS in Marine Sciences: The Marine Sciences (MARS) is a Bachelor of Science program that focuses on the geological, chemical and physical science aspects of the estuarine, coastal and marine environment. Students can elect the License Option that leads toward a license as a deck officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine. This program retains the physical science core of the MARS curriculum and adds coursework that prepares the student for the U.S. Coast Guard 3rd Mate exam. Students must complete all their academic requirements (including cruises), as well as successful completion of the USCG 3rd Mate exam.

Marine Engineering Program

  • BS in Marine Engineering Technology: The program is designed to prepare students for a career as an engineering professional in the maritime industry, both shore-based and offshore industries. The Marine Engineering Technology License Option program trains students to serve as engineering officers aboard sea-going vessels. In addition to the degree requirements, license option students must complete the requirements to enroll as a cadet in the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, along with the U.S. Coast Guard requirements for a U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential to graduate from the university. This includes completion of the license examination for Third Assistant Engineer.

Graduate Programs

  • Master of Marine Resources Management (MARM): This degree has both a thesis and non-thesis option to suit individual student needs. Students who complete this degree will be prepared for a successful career in a number of private and public sectors, both in management and in policy-making. With innumerable industries and communities dependent on the ocean’s resources, graduates of this program have plenty of flexibility for employment.
  • Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics (MBAA): This highly competitive and rewarding program gives students the opportunity to elevate their learning and better prepare them for the mantle of leadership within a steadily growing industry. Offer include several routes to completion of this degree, including an on-campus track that offers a License Option, a five-year combined undergraduate-graduate program, a thesis option, and an online degree option.
  • Graduate Maritime Business Administration Certificate: The purpose of this certificate is to educate and inform working professionals in a variety of fields (i.e., hospitals, ports, oil companies, etc.) of fundamental business processes to assist in their organizations for both profit and not-for-profit companies. The selection of courses reflects the most basic business processes that should be known, such as marketing, strategy, finance, and service operations management.

Research Program

  • Ph.D. program in Marine and Coastal Management and Science (MCMS): The MCMS Ph.D. program is an interdisciplinary program that is firmly grounded in both the social and physical sciences.  The program’s emphases encompass the impacts and opportunities from the built environment and development, rigorous training in research methods and analytical procedures, and interdisciplinary approaches to research and learning - with a focus on the coastal and marine near-shore environments, where problems at the interface of the natural and built-environment are most pronounced. 

Professional Training Programs

TEXAS Maritime Features

A common trait of all TAMUG students is a desire to work and study in an ocean environment. Enrollment at TAMUG increased from 551 in 1987 to over 1,650 students in 2007. Students are from 49 different states and the District of Columbia. Science and engineering majors number 75 percent of the student body; 43 percent are women; about 50 percent reported themselves to have been in the top 20 percent of their high school class. Fifty-seven percent plan to pursue a master’s or PhD degree and about 65 percent receive some type of financial aid.

  • Campus Location: The island location of the campus on Galveston Bay and near the open ocean is in symmetry with the ocean-oriented academic programs offered at TAMUG.>
  • Accreditation: New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
  • Undergraduate Major Areas: Marine Biology, Marine Sciences, Marine Engineering Technology, Marine Transportation, Marine Fisheries, Maritime Systems Engineering, Maritime Administration, Maritime Studies, and Ocean and Coastal Resources
  • Graduate Major Areas: Maritime Administration and Logistics, Marine Biology and Marine Resources Management
  • Co-ops/Internships: Internships are available in many areas of marine science including marine biology, marine and coastal geology, biological, physical, and chemical oceanography, wetlands management, marine fisheries management, and marine resource management.
  • The Shipboard Training Program: In addition to classroom and field training during the regular school year, students sail aboard the Training Ship TEXAS CLIPPER during three required summer cruises (Sophomore, Junior and Senior years) to gain practical experience in seamanship, navigation, and operations.
  • NROTC: Cadets, called Midshipmen, in this program are competing for Navy scholarships, and agree to serve in the U.S. Navy after graduation. You are not obligated to serve in the military until you are awarded and accept a scholarship or advanced standing contract status.
  • Facilities: Training ship, bridge simulation facility, radar training facility, shore side Maritime Safety training facilities. Buildings include a student center, five residence halls, library, classroom buildings, a physical education facility, and other recreational facilities.

LAST UPDATED ON Sep 5, 2023