Federal service academy training merchant marine officers and military leaders since 1943.
USMMA offers a four-year Bachelor of Science degree with five major programs: Marine Transportation, Maritime Logistics and Security, Marine Engineering, Marine Engineering Systems, and Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management. The curriculum combines classroom instruction with mandatory sea year training, where midshipmen serve as cadets aboard commercial, passenger, or military vessels for over 300 days, typically visiting 18 countries. Graduates earn a U.S. Coast Guard merchant marine officer license and a commission as an officer in a reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Candidates must be U.S. citizens aged 17–24, obtain a Congressional nomination, meet strong academic standards (GPA and SAT/ACT scores), pass a DoDMERB physical and Candidate Fitness Assessment, and obtain a security clearance. The academy became the first federal service academy to enroll female students in 1974, two years before the Military, Naval, Air Force, and Coast Guard academies.
The 82-acre suburban campus in Kings Point features barracks, dining facilities, athletic fields, and waterfront training areas. The Regiment of Midshipmen is organized into two battalions and six companies. Students participate in 27 varsity and intramural sports, 40+ registered student organizations, and regimental life including the Regimental Band, which represents the U.S. Merchant Marine at presidential inaugurations and national events.
Established in 1943 following the 1934 SS Morro Castle disaster, USMMA trains leaders for the U.S. Merchant Marine, Armed Forces, and maritime industry. During World War II, enrollment surged to 2,700 and the curriculum was compressed to 18 months; 142 midshipmen were killed in action. The academy is the only federal service academy authorized to carry a regimental battle standard, emblazoned with the number 142.