Many of the courses and training videos available from reputable sources are recognized by IMO and many flag states. Whether that includes the US is another question.
Here are some which offer a variety of distant learning courses:
https://www.dnv.com/maritime/maritime-academy/index.html
https://www.lloydmaritime.com/
More Yacht related:
One more link that may be of interest:
Lots of options for you. My two cents though, make the hard sacrifice now if you have the means and set yourself up for both shore-side and ocean-going gigs.
Going back to school full-time may not be an option, but if you could swing it, why not a maritime academy? SUNY Maritime has one of the best returns on investment for college in the nation (consistently rated top 5).
My undergraduate degree is a BS in Business Admin. I flew for the USAF for a while and decided to go back and get my master’s degree from SUNY Maritime with my unlimited 3rd Mate license. I graduated at 41 and yes, “I’m starting from the bottom,” but the bottom isn’t bad when you’re making $150K+ right out of school.
You can also get limited tonnage licenses from these schools and upgrade at a later time.
Don’t count them out if you’re looking to invest in yourself.
Also, a degree is just a piece of paper unless it is a tech degree. A better school may help you stand out a bit more, but an accredited bachelors is usually the same as any other. Study’s have shown students hardly retain the info they learn in school. A lot of it is getting your foot in the door…sell yourself, work hard, learn fast, and you will do very well.
Good luck!
The best online only programs are from normal universities. If you have a degree from UNC no one knows whether you got it in person or online.
Unions use to offer completely free degree but just recently it stopped because it was bending some law. They still offer deals as long as it’s a national union. Union Plus Bachelor’s Degree Completion Programs | Union Plus
UNC is a good name brand school, but an employer is going to know if it was online.
Graduate school is all about learning in study groups and working in teams. I suppose that’s possible over zoom, but it’s not the same quality as a residential program.
There are some excellent schools with hybrid MBA programs that are mostly online with some short residential periods. I think Thunderbird was the first.
If I were hiring MBAs, I would know and care about the difference.
Awhile ago I did see some ads that said degree required, but no online degrees.
If I were considering an MBA program, I’d go to a top 20 school or I wouldn’t go at all
My wife did an executive program at UVA. A lot of work, but mostly online with in person weekend session once a month. Manageable and at the end of the day, she has her MBA. The monthly in persons did have some flexibility to them as well…
Yes, ranking and school name helps in specific markets and areas of employment. I think its best to look at it like this: Most on here are very specialized in maritime, so you have that background already, so no need to do a Masters in Logistics or Marine Transportation (unless that is your passion), instead you want to round yourself out with something more high level and generalized. Best you really need to take a look at what you want before you pay for any higher education, costs can go very high (my MBA was over $150k), so your ROI needs to be compared over your years after or your estimate of years after and where you want to go.
Unless they specifically ask how are they going to know?
Which top 20 program did you choose?
I chose mine on ranking and work type diversity (markets outside of maritime and energy). As well as the in person and international opportunities/programs.
How?
I don’t believe they will know for the most part, especially nowadays, when I rarely see any due diligence done on someone’s resume.
The transcript with dates of attendance that conflict with dates of employment will give away that it was an online program.
If I were hiring MBAs, I’d prefer residential over online programs, and I’d make it a point to find out. I’d ask.
Employers never ask for transcripts.
Can’t work two jobs at once? I’ve got friends in standard MBA programs that are mostly online via zoom. What’s the actual difference in education?
Apparently times have changed.
It’s been a very longtime since I was applying for office jobs, but transcripts were an important part of the process for anyone fresh out of school or with less than 5 years of work experience in the position.
My school did not publish a class rank (didn’t want to make anyone feel bad). Employers hated that. After I was hired and on the job, I recall HR coming to me with applicant’s transcripts from my school and asking: “Can you give us any idea of how well this guy actually did” (in other words, about what was his class rank)?
My employer would hire anyone from an Ivy League school if they were in the top half of the class, but from a good state university, they wanted top 10% of the class.
I have recently seen applications for seagoing jobs that ask for a list schools with dates of attendance and GPA. I wonder if software flags certain GPAs. Many employers these days hire “background check” companies to verify applicant’s prior employment and education. I assume that includes verifying claims about GPA, class rank, or academic awards.
I worked full time and attended school every other Friday and Saturday full days. My transcripts only list classes, grade earned and semester/quarter.
According to tugsailor that’s impossible so you must have done online only.
How long does it take to get an MBA going to class only two days a month?