Established in 1941 in Castine, Maine, perched on the edge of Penobscot Bay, Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) is one of only two post-secondary schools that offers a rare Navy Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC). This small, public school enjoys both male and female students who can earn associate’s through master’s degrees in 17 different areas.

Awards and Accreditation

In 2013, the Maine Maritime Academy was dual recipient of “U.S. News & World Report’s” “Best of” categories. The school was designated one of the best regional colleges for New England and one of the best school engineering programs in the country.

MMA is accredited as a post-secondary school by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., and its programs are accredited by those fields’ monitoring organizations.

Academics

Students at the Maine Maritime Academy can choose a degree path in five topics: The fields of study include Engineering and Engineering and Technology and Operations, Marine Transportation, Business, Science and with special permission, Interdisciplinary Studies. Only the Business choice offers only one degree topic, International Business and Logistics. All other fields encompass at least four majors choices.

Whether you want a two-year associate’s degree or a more extensive master’s degree, all degree paths involve maritime expertise as the academy’s name designates.

Athletics

Unsurprisingly known as the Mariners, the small institution supports both male and female sports programs. A few of the programs are softball, football, basketball, golf, sailing and lacrosse.

The school competes within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division III. The Mariners team is also associated with the North Atlantic Conference within the NCAA division.

Military Ties

Students attending this co-ed college enjoy one of two lifestyles. While no student starts attending the academy with a military service obligation, if chosen, the men and women can opt for either of two ROTC programs — the Navy program or the Marines. Those students opting for this direction in their futures live within a modified military structure with training and tasks scheduled regularly.

Those that choose neither do not either gain the advantage of the offered financial aid nor the service’s officer commission upon graduation, but they also do not have the military service obligation. Many graduates specifically study to become U.S. Merchant Marines, a military-like organization that is peopled with civilians.

Students who do not enroll in either ROTC program live a normal campus life.

Admissions

MMA offers several admission paths, depending on prior attendance or previous education. The most common, of course, is the first-time application. The academy’s documentation requirements are fairly standard with other accredited colleges. Because this is not a federal academy, you need no congressional recommendation to attend, which can be an advantage, for obtaining that permission is not easy.

You can also apply if you are a transfer student, though how many credit hours transfer depends on your field of study and the school at which you attended classes. If you are a veteran or an international student, MMA has admissions programs tailored to your situation as well.