The Texas Maritime Academy (TMA) is a fundamental part of the entire Texas A&M University, Galveston. This branch campus of the Texas A&M University is more focused on maritime and marine studies. The main location of the campus is 135 acres and is located on Pelican Island in the Gulf of Mexico.

Groups of Students

There are two groups of students that make up the Corps of Cadets in this academy. The first group belongs to the Merchant Marine Licensing where cadets seek to acquire licenses to become employed as Merchant Marine Officers. Students who belong to this group do not need military commitment but have the option to join the U.S. Navy Reserve.

The second group of students at Texas Maritime Academy belongs to the NROTC College program. In this program cadets are also called Midshipmen and this program offers Navy scholarships that a lot of students compete for. Compared to the former group, cadets in this particular group are committed to serve for the U.S. Navy after graduating. Both of the groups may serve different functions but they belong to the Corps of Cadets, which means that they wear uniforms attending classes and they participate in all training activities of the Corps.

What Students Learn from Texas Maritime Academy

The Texas Maritime Academy is an ideal training ground for students to teach them the proper controls and maintenance of an ocean-bound vessel. Students will participate in regular classroom lessons as well as take part in field training all throughout the school year. On top of that, they get to navigate the Academy training ship, the TS General Rudder.

This training will go on for three summers to help them earn experience on how to navigate the vessel and learn about engineering operations. By the end of the program, students will be assessed for licensure of Merchant Marine to become a deck or engineering officer or choose to work in marine transportation.

Why Should You Join the Academy?

The Academy provides the lowest tuition fees compared to all the state maritime academies. The Cadets, aside from getting their Third Mate and Third Assistant Engineer licenses, will also acquire their degree from the Texas A&M University – one of the top universities in the US that offer engineering and science programs. Faculties employed in the academy are 100% holders of a Master’s Degree or Chief Engineer’s licenses.

Students can also learn the most from their lessons because of the student-faculty ration of the academy which is 14 to 1.

How to Get in TMA?

If you wish to gain admission to TMA, you first need to apply to Texas A&M University located at Galveston via www.applytexas.org. If you apply as a License Option, you need to have a major in Marine Transportation, Marine Engineering, Marine Biology, or Marine Sciences. Applicants for NROTC can take any major as they wish.

Quick Facts on TMA

The University is located in Galveston Texas and main campus for the military academy is located at Pelican Island. There are over 50, 000 of students enrolled in the academy as of fall 2011. Visit their site at https://www.tamug.edu/ for more information.