Fort Schuyler, NY: State University of New YorkMaritime College is located on a beautiful peninsula on the East River near theBronx. Maritime is a four-year school where students earn a bachelor's degree inengineering, marine transportation, science or the humanities and prepare forgraduate study. One graduate program grants a Third Mate license and theprivilege to act as an officer on a merchant vessel. Deck cadets learn how tohandle, navigate and maintain ships; engine cadets spend a lot of time gettingacquainted with the machinery, refrigeration, electrical and hydraulic systems onboard.

Unlike many colleges, Maritime is regimented. Students (cadets)wear uniforms, go to formation in the morning and participate in inspections.Cadets also go on three summer sea cruises aboard the college's 600-foot trainingvessel, the Empire State 17. Each cruise lasts about 60 days and allows cadets tolearn how to run a ship and to experience what life at sea is like. Recent portsinclude Majorca, Spain, Bremen, Germany, and Plymouth, England.

All thingsconsidered, Maritime is an exciting college, and few offer what it does to its650 cadets. Maritime has excellent academic programs and a job placement rate of100%. There are Navy, Marine, Coast Guard and Air Force ROTC programs available,as well as a generous incentive program for those who wish to work in themaritime industry.

What makes SUNY Maritime so appealing to me is thefact that when a student graduates, he or she has the option of shipping out as aMerchant Marine officer instead of working ashore.


Reviewed in 2000