Texas A&M, State Maritime Academies Receive Maritime Excellence Designation
The United States Secretary of Transportation and the Maritime Administration have issued the designation of American Maritime Center of Excellence upon the six state maritime academies: Texas A&M Maritime Academy, California State University Maritime Academy, Maine Maritime Academy, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Great Lakes Maritime Academy, and the State University of New York Maritime College. In a congratulatory correspondence sent to each state university president, the U.S. Transportation Secretary stated, “This achievement speaks well of the academic and professional education provided by your great institution.”
Established by Congress under Title 46 of the U.S. Code, the federal designation supports maritime workforce education and training at Centers of Excellence. The legislation allows Centers of Excellence to develop and prepare students for careers on board U.S. vessels, or ashore supporting the maritime industry. This includes efforts to admit additional students, recruit and train faculty, expand facilities, create new maritime career pathways, and award students credit for prior experience including military service.
The maritime industry is central to the global transportation of goods. Young men and women who graduate from any of the six maritime academies receive specialized training in merchant marine operations, contribute to the economic and national security of the U.S., and may serve as officers in the Nation’s intermodal transportation system, U.S. merchant marine, and U.S. Armed Forces.
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About Texas A&M Maritime Academy
The Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of seven in the U.S. and the only academy integrated into a Tier 1 academic institution, trains over 400 cadets annually for maritime service and employment around the world. The Academy is ideally located in Galveston, Texas on the Gulf Coast where it is surrounded by industry, environment and programs essential to fulfilling its special purpose mission. The Academy is part of Texas A&M University at Galveston, an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University which educates nearly 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students in a unique blend of marine and maritime programs. Aggies are known for their deep commitment to the success of each other and their strong desire to serve. Together, the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Galveston Campus are driving the development of the blue economy in the Gulf Coast Region and are critical contributors to Texas A&M University’s sea-grant portion of their rare land-, sea-, space-grant mission.