Texas A&M Is The Golden Ticket For Careers In The Maritime Industry

“Two and a half years ago, we had to tie ships to the dock from a lack of engineers,” said Captain Christian Spain, vice president of government relations for the American Maritime Officers Union. “There’s a constant need for third engineers. We tell kids that if they graduate within the next five or six years, they have the golden ticket if they want it.”  

Texas A&M University will award “golden tickets” to May graduates at its Galveston Campus, home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies. The academy is one of six state maritime academies nationwide and the only one in the Southern U.S. that provides a U.S. Coast Guard officer license in combination with an undergraduate or graduate degree. The academy and college are part of Texas A&M’s Galveston Campus, located on Texas’ Gulf Coast.

“Mariners are the backbone of the nation’s security and economic prosperity,” said Col. (Ret.) Michael E. Fossum ‘80, vice president of Texas A&M, chief operating officer of the Galveston Campus and superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. “They fuel the $1.5 trillion blue economy. Jobs span every industry sector in the U.S. and provide lucrative opportunities for our graduates. Industry pay and employment conditions are the best they’ve been in decades.” 

What is Maritime?

Maritime is any activity related to navigation or commerce on the world’s seas and waterways, along with land-based activities that rely on maritime goods and services. Maritime activities support almost every industry sector in the U.S. and are the backbone of international trade. 

• Business & Finance
• Education & Training 
• Energy & Natural Resources 
• Fishing & Aquaculture
• Retail & Wholesale Trade
• Manufacturing & Construction
• National Security & Transport  
• Public Policy & Service 
• Tourism, Entertainment & Hospitality 

The university has steadily expanded and invested in its marine and maritime campus in Galveston, Texas, over the past four years to help meet workforce needs. Established through the creation of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy in the 1960s, the Galveston Campus’ educational ecosystem now includes the nation’s most comprehensive college of marine, coastal and maritime degree programs spanning engineering to humanities. In addition to the newly created marine and maritime college, preparations are underway to receive a new state-of-the-art training ship, a new engineering building is under construction, and streamlined operations to support additional expansions are underway.  

“We’ve really begun to leverage our location and the special purpose of the Galveston Campus to improve lives and livelihoods through the marine, coastal and maritime disciplines,” said Dr. Debbie Thomas, founding dean of the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies and chief academic officer of the Galveston Campus. “We’re truly unique in our comprehensive collection of cutting-edge, mission-critical courses of study, providing tremendous value for both our graduates as they embark on careers and to the industry by responding to their needs.”  

Its degree programs include four undergraduate and six graduate programs that can be combined with U.S. Coast Guard officer training administered by the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. Graduates of its marine transportation and engineering programs are among Texas’ top-five public bachelor’s degrees for high earnings and return on investment. 

Texas A&M Maritime Academy

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy trains officers for the deck and engine departments, which work cooperatively to navigate, operate and propel ships. Students undergo extensive training to serve in leadership roles in the deck and engine departments of ships, including hands-on semesters at sea crewing the academy’s training ship on voyages around the world. The training is integrated into the degree curriculum, and students must pass the U.S. Coast Guard Officer License exam before graduating.

The deck department is responsible for safe navigation and operation of ships. It manages crew, cargo handling, maintenance and operations. The engine department is responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of the systems that power the ship and support cargo, passengers and crews. Those systems span engines, generators, HVAC, refrigeration,  mechanical and electrical systems. 

The U.S. Coast Guard, which governs license training requirements, requires academy students to live a semi-regimented lifestyle while undergoing extensive hands-on training. Students, known as “cadets,” learn military principles and use terminology common in the armed services because they are also used on commercial vessels. They’re also prepared if a national emergency requires the service of civilian mariners, such as Boatlift during 9/11.  

If Mariners Worked in Corporate

If officers* in the deck and engine departments were classified as corporate employees: 

• The C-Suite = Captain and Chief Engineer
• Chief of Staff = Chief Mate and 1st Engineer
• General Managers = 2nd/3rd Mate and 2nd/3rd Engineer
• College Interns = Cadets

*Other entry-level roles in both areas do not require an officer license. 

Each year cadets spend a summer semester living, working and training on board the academy’s training ship, the TS Kennedy. The academy is scheduled to receive a new training ship, NSMV Lone Star State, in 2026.

Perks for Incoming Students

Officer licenses from the U.S. Coast Guard are required for certain crew positions on board vessels and for mariners to progress into higher-ranking roles. These are lucrative jobs that allow for global travel, with valuable retirement packages and pensions. Young professionals are moving quickly through the ranks with higher salaries than ever, according to union representatives. 

“A student with an officer license makes between $750 to $1,000 a day straight out of college. Their college debt is paid off within two years, and they can retire in their early 40s with a six-figure pension if they stick with it,” said Captain Jay Wedman ‘02, the Gulf Coast representative for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association. 

Progression through a mariner career ladder requires remaining at their current license level for on-the-job training while earning sea hours followed by an exam. It takes three to five years to collect enough sea hours to move into another license rank. On average, it takes 15 or more years to progress from a third-rank officer to a captain or chief engineer. Now, young professionals are moving quickly through the ranks. Spain said it’s the first time in his career that he’s encountered crews composed entirely of professionals between the ages of 20 to 50. 

“I recently visited one of our tankers, and the oldest officer on board was 49,” Spain said. “The captain was 35, and the chief was 30. The rest of the officers were in their 20s. We have a lot of ships like that now, but this is across the industry.”  

National Challenges

Yet enrollment in combined officer license programs mirrors the decline in the maritime workforce. It’s a national problem. Combined enrollment from the six state maritime academies has declined 35% since 2015. State maritime academies are the most efficient means of developing licensed officers for the maritime workforce. Low career path visibility, confusion with military obligations and cost barriers are the primary challenges. 

People just aren’t aware of the maritime industry and that 95% of goods on shelves essentially move on ships.

“The biggest thing we struggle with is visibility. It’s an entire maritime industry issue,” said Captain George Edenfield, head of the Department of Maritime Transportation. “People just aren’t aware of the maritime industry and that 95% of goods on shelves essentially move on ships. COVID did a lot of damage to the workforce, but it was the first time many became aware of maritime because those goods weren’t there.” 

The industry has also lost much of the prestige it held for past generations. Maritime culture has been romanticized or attached to caricature stereotypes by pop culture. The entertainment industry portrays mariners as fishermen, pirates or sailors. Though shipping delays from COVID-19 and potential delays from the longshoreman strike made headlines, maritime workers largely toil behind the scenes. 

“In many ways, we’ve forgotten that we’re a maritime nation — built from ‘sea to shining sea,’” Edenfield elaborated. “The United States’ security and prosperity was built on the strength of being able to control the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as a maritime nation. We’ve gotten away from that, and people generally take it for granted that goods and services will be there without thinking about how they got there.” 

Under Fossum and Thomas’ guidance, the university is making changes to address these challenges by reducing entry barriers, enhancing awareness and ensuring graduates are ready for future roles — and that the workforce can respond to changing needs. 

Filling the Gap

Earlier this year, the university reinstated its in-state tuition for all U.S. undergraduate students who enroll in an officer license program. The program was an effective recruiting tool in the past. Wedman credits the program as the sole reason he discovered the possibilities in maritime. 

“I just knew I wanted to be by the water and scuba dive. That’s impossible in Iowa. At the time, I thought I could only find that by studying marine biology,” he chuckled. “Texas A&M’s in-state tuition program is the only way I could attend an out-of-state university, so I enrolled in the marine biology license program. I’d never been exposed to maritime before, but quickly fell in love with the possibilities. I switched to the marine transportation program before the end of my first semester.” 

Wedman’s experience matches many current and former students who discovered marine transportation and marine engineering through interests in the oceans and coastal activities. 

“We offer degree programs and beyond-the-classroom professional development opportunities that leverage our coastal location and create a destination experience for students to translate their love of the ocean and coast into an incredibly rewarding and lucrative career,” Thomas explained. “For example, our diving minor is the nation’s most technical and rigorous program. It is a strong draw for students interested in any marine, coastal or maritime field. Those certifications are highly valued within the maritime industry and really expand the opportunities for licensed graduates.” 

The College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies has towing and liquified gas elective courses to expand shoreside and inland career options. It will be the first to require deck license students to take a course in maritime cybersecurity beginning this fall. 

“Technology is rapidly expanding into the maritime fields and continuously changing the nature of maritime jobs,” said Thomas. “We work closely with industry to develop an understanding of how we can produce graduates that can adapt, change and evolve in the same way that technology is challenging the industry to do the same. We want to provide that same support to professionals throughout their careers and serve as a pipeline to industry.” 

We are responsible as a sea-grant institution to provide professional development in the marine and maritime fields. We’re now uniquely able to provide comprehensive support across all industries that support the blue economy.

Newly expanded infrastructure and capabilities are helping Captain Augusta Roth ’96 establish continuing education and training for maritime professionals throughout their careers. Roth is the director of the Office of Continuing Education and a professor of practice in the maritime transportation department. She’s shaping development offerings from her extensive career and student experiences under Thomas’ support. 

“STEM advances and industry are rapidly converging, and knowledge in areas like cybersecurity and environmental sustainability require lifetime learning for career advancement in marine, coastal and maritime fields,” said Roth. “We are responsible as a sea-grant institution to provide professional development in the marine and maritime fields. We’re now uniquely able to provide comprehensive support across all industries that support the blue economy. It’s exciting to develop and lead such an innovative initiative that impacts everyone’s daily needs.”