Chief Seadog had the best reply for your question. I agree that at the present time engineers have the most job opportunities. I had a soft spot for the Maine Maritime engineers, had their cadets aboard during training and had quite a few as Chief Engineers , They were very reliable. Advised my son of that before he got accepted, he still chose wheelhouse, and did well before a medical condition arose that compromised his career at sea after sailing a few years He has a great career ahead of him, due to his major he chose. Get the degree that comes with your license, wherever you attend. It will be a great back-up plan. My son was a grad at KP, but all the academies will give you a darn good opportunity. Choose carefully your back-up plan and your degree besides whatever license you pursue. Shit happens when you least expect it. Even as a bulletproof young fellow.
Basically, go to whichever is cheaper and if there’s multiple options that are the same tuition then visit the campus and make sure he’s willing to spend 4 years there.
Good advice Capt Phoenix. Highly advise choosing a major that will serve you well in the “After Market”. As I have said before, a very small market for retired Tug captains with no degree.
Maine Maritime has a MS in International Business and Logistics that takes one year and if you got your BS there they only charge undergraduate tuition. (If they’re still doing that.)
I currently attend Maine Maritime I am a vet and non-trad student my 2 cents. If you live on the “neck” (peninsula) it is a good 30-60 minutes to get anywhere to do anything. That said I only explored the course catalogs of the other schools when I was applying but Maine seems to offer a few things the others do not. Welding, Scuba certification (all the way up to Master), medical training with placement in an ER, essentially even if I never step foot on a boat I feel I will at least leave here capable of pursuing something else with relative ease.
About the regiment, as a vet all I can say is that I feel its unnecessary, its sole purpose seems to be making things difficult for the kids who are borderline so they either fail and repeat (more money) or leave entirely. Most of the failing kids return spending an arm and a leg trying to not disappoint their families.
All academies do their chest thumping but honestly the programs are largely the same due to STCW requirements. If they want to be able to sit for a professional engineering license in any state then the only options are SUNY, Cal, and Maine, as they are the only ones who offer the necessary degrees.
And Mass (Energy Systems Engineering)
They are all on par with slight advantages to each.
Maine: slightly better maritime core. Possibly the best if you want to sail.
Mass: access to Boston’s emerging maritime tech hub.
KP: free and has the strongest alumni association especially in DC.
Schuyler: best opportunities for shoreside jobs for both engineers and deckies due to proximity to NYC and Stamford, CT
Texas: Same as Schuyler since it’s close to Houston which has really become the maritime hub of the country.
Cal: Less regimental BS.
Great Lakes: really tight network of alimni due to its small size.
And Kings Point (Marine Engineering Systems and Marine Engineering & Shipyard Management are both ABET accredited.). @shipengr already corrected you regarding Mass Maritime.
If you also look at straight network sizes, graduating from TAMUG gives you the biggest network in general, since your degree comes from College Station. KP has almost a cult like network and SUNY in the NE has a good one. The others seem to fade away.
At the end of the day, it’s not what you know, its who and your association to them.
Who you know may help get you in the door , no matter what Academy and it’s Alumni you attended… What you know will keep you from being shown that same door you came in at.
Welding is an STCW requirement so I expect every academy teaches that.
I can’t name one academy that doesn’t procure a welding class.
Or EMT classes. I am sure most if not all the schools have scuba clubs and other such activities.
Straight ROI, maritime schools are ahead of everyone. But, you can top out quickly. Go somewhere that you will enjoy being for 4 years (not sure Maine, KP and Mass are true college “experiences”)
If you’re not looking for a maritime academy yet still want to get into the Maritime Industry, San Jacinto College Maritime has a good Associates of Marine Transportation Program in La Porte, TX, it is an associates degree with two summers for internships on local Maritime Companies. In addition, you’ll earn your STCW Certification and other USCG approved certs along with classes the industries want you to study before joining them on their boats.
https://www.sanjac.edu/program/maritime-transportation
https://www.sanjac.edu/maritime
That would be a half measure with a half-ass result.
I can’t imagine graduating with this San Jacinto degree and being behind the thousand academy graduates. Might as well just flush whatever diploma that gets you now. Worthless. “A better educated entry level mariner”
True college experience? I’m not sure what that consists of or means. I never went to college It’s hard work at any Academy and depending on the degree they choose will be very rewarding. My guy played football and got a license to sail as a third mate starting off with a degree that was very marketable shoreside. He didn’t go to school to be an “Advanced Deckhand”. He had quite a few offers as a 4+ gpa student and was/is a decent athlete. I could have easily hired him on my boat or company if he wanted that, and forget college altogether. Neither of us with a brain entertained that idea… Especially me. He earned it, had “The college experience” (except they didn’t have costumed cheerleaders) and is mentoring young men and women to this day. And yes, he and his classmates had a beer or two together when possible. Kinda like college, ya think?
Apply to all seven academies. Most applicants will get into six of them. Go visit the schools, talk to students about it, and pick the one that seems like the best fit.
The cost will be about the same at the six state schools (you’ll probably get in state tuition at any school after the first year), and free at KP. If you can get into KP go. Don’t worry about taking out student loans; you’ll make enough to pay them off fairly quickly.
The other problem with getting in to KP is that has, to some extent, become the dumping ground for those that don’t get into the other academies. In a way, it has been that way for awhile, myself included, however I fully embraced the maritime industry. As stated throughout this thread, all of the academies do a good job at training for either department. It is more the measure of the person and how they take advantage of the training. I also feel that the cadet program at KP affords the students a “real world” experience, should they take it to heart. I have posted in the past, and will post again, I have sailed with guys from all of the academies and hawsepipers, too. Exactly how these folks got their licenses had little to do with how good they were at their job. . . .