300 Steamboat Road
Kings Point, NY 11024

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is a college in New York that prepares men and women who are planning on entering the Merchant Marines. Merchant Marines are the fourth line of national defense on the waterways of the United States. From the East and West Coats, to the Gulf of Mexico, up to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi and every major waterway in between, the Merchant Marines are there.

The tradition of preparing professional sailors for the Merchant Marines dates back more than a century to the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy was not officially dedicated until after a fatal fire aboard the Morro Castle, a passenger ship, convinced Congress that federal oversight of training was needed. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy graduated over 6,600 officers during World War II.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is a federal institution, operated by the Maritime Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Students at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy are typically preparing for officer careers in either the Merchant Marine or a branch of the U.S. military. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy enrolls 950 students per year.

Students at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy enter as midshipmen and study for a bachelor of science degree, a license as a merchant marine officer and an appointment as a commissioned officer in a reserve component of the U.S. military. Students will also choose a specialization from one of the following: marine transportation, maritime operations and technology, logistics and intermodal transportation, marine engineering, marine engineering systems, marine engineering and shipyard management or a dual license for marine engineering and marine transportation. A full year is spent at sea.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is located on 82 acres on Kings Point Long Island adjacent to the water about 20 miles east of New York City. There are more than 25 buildings on campus and over 100 ships and small craft on which to train. Included on campus is a library that holds 180,000 printed volumes of books, periodicals, charts, archives, rare books, microfilm, microfiche, audio-visual equipment, on-line index and special collections.


Quick Facts:

There are 28 intercollegiate sports teams at The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy that include:

There are approximately 80 faculty members at The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The student to teacher ratio is 12:1.

Students at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy live in dorms on campus.

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