National Maritime Center
The National Maritime Center (NMC) is a U. S. Coast Guard command whose mission is to issue credentials to fully qualified mariners in the most effective and efficient manner possible in order to assure a safe, secure, economically efficient and environmentally sound Marine Transportation System. Maritime related training in the United States is certified or accepted by NMC. Attending a maritime academy is not required to become a licensed Merchant Marine officer.
There are hundreds of courses available, from very basic which takes someone with little or no maritime background through an apprenticeship, through very advanced.
The National Maritime Center Training & Assessment team evaluates Courses/Programs and their associated Sites, Instructors, Assessors and Proctors for approval. In addition, the team also evaluates Designated Examiner and Qualified Assessor requests.
A list of reviewed and evaluated courses can be found on the National Maritime Center website.
Maritime Academies
There are seven maritime academies in the U.S. that educate and train individuals to become officers in the merchant marine. Graduates receive accredited bachelor degrees and U.S. Coast Guard licenses as STCW qualified deck or engineering officers.
US Merchant Marine Academy
300 Steamboat Road
Kings Point, NY 11024
Phone: (866) 546- 4778
www.usmma.edu
California Maritime Academy
200 Maritime Academy Drive
Vallejo, CA 94590
Phone: (707) 654-1000
www.csum.edu
Great Lakes Maritime Academy Northwestern Michigan College
715 East Front Street
Traverse City, Michigan 49686
Phone: (800) 748-0566 ext. 1200
www.nmc.edu/maritime
Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME 04420-5000
Phone: (800) 464-6565 (In state)
(800) 227-8465 (Out of State)
www.mainemaritime.edu
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
101 Academy Driv
Buzzards Bay, MA 02532
Phone: (508)830-5000
www.maritime.edu
State University of New York Maritime College
6 Pennyfield Avenue
Throggs Neck, New York 10465
Phone: (718) 409-7200
www.sunymaritime.edu
Texas Maritime Academy
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Box 1675
Galveston, Texas 77553-1675
Phone: (877) 322-4443
www.tamug.edu/corps
Affiliated Maritime Labor Training Facilities
The U.S. maritime industry operates high quality, state-of-the-art training facilities that provide a wide variety of courses for mariners entering the industry as well as those upgrading their qualifications.
Calhoon MEBA Engineering School
27050 Saint Michaels Road Easton, MD 21601
Phone: (410) 822-9600
www.mebaschool.org
Andrew Furuseth School of Seamanship
450 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94405
Phone: (415) 777-3400
www.sailors.org
Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS)
692 Maritime Boulevard
Linthicum, Maryland 21090
Phone: (866) 656-5568
www.mitags.org
Pacific Maritime Institute (PMI)
1729 Alaskan Way South
Seattle, WA 98134
Phone: (888) 893-7829
www.mates.org
Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education
Box 75
Piney Point, MD 20674-0075
Phone: (301) 994-0010/(877) 235-3275 (toll-free)
www.seafarers.org
STAR Center (VA Approved)
2 West Dixie Highway Dania Beach, FL 33004
Phone: (800) 445-4522/(toll-free); 954-921-7254
www.star-center.com
STAR Center (VA Approved)
2 West Dixie Highway Dania Beach, FL 33004
Phone: (800) 445-4522/(toll-free); 954-921-7254
www.star-center.com
In addition to all required deck and engine courses needed for USCG/STCW certification, STAR Center offers a unique 2 year apprentice program leading to a career as a licensed marine engineering officer. Information on STAR Center’s VA approved TECH Program as well as the application process can be found here.
Independent Training Centers
In addition, dozens of colleges and commercial training providers provide required and optional mariner training. See the Approved Courses tab on the National Maritime Center’s web page for organizations presenting USCG-approved training courses.