Maine Maritime Academy (Maine Maritime or MMA) is a

public college A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

focused on maritime training and located in

Castine, Maine Castine ( ) is a town in Hancock County in eastern Maine.; John Faragher. ''Great and Nobel Scheme''. 2005. p. 68. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduate ...

. The academy was established by the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941. Unlike federal service academies, a congressional recommendation is not required to attend this state school. Students are not obligated to go to sea or into the military after graduation, and a large portion of the graduating class chooses shore-side employment, often in maritime related fields or the power generation industry. Maine Maritime Academy is one of six, non-federal, maritime training colleges in the United States and one of only two that fields a

Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Origins A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 192 ...

(NROTC) unit. The college is affiliated under the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and other ...

Academics

The academy offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees through four schools: *The Harold Alfond School of Engineering *The Thompson School of Marine Transportation *The Loeb-Sullivan School of International Business & Logistics *The Corning School of Ocean Studies The academy also offers interdisciplinary bachelor's degree programs and associate degrees. The academy offers two graduate level programs through the Loeb-Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics. Maine Maritime Academy has co-op and internship programs. Students from all engineering majors and the Marine Transportation Operations major are required to complete at least one co-op. Some majors are required to complete multiple co-ops. Students in the Regiment of Midshipmen have the opportunity or requirement to participate in two cruises with the Training Ship ''State of Maine'' (TSSOM). Students in the Small Vessel Operations major have the opportunity to sail with the

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

''Bowdoin'' on its yearly training cruise. Notable alumni of Maine Maritime Academy include

Kenneth M. Curtis Kenneth Merwin Curtis (born February 8, 1931) is an American attorney, Democratic politician, and diplomat. He was the Maine Secretary of State from 1965-1966, the Governor of Maine from 1966-1974, and the United States Ambassador to Canada f ...

Chris Caiazzo Christopher James Caiazzo is an American politician. A Democrat, he represents District 28 in the Maine House of Representatives, which includes part of Scarborough, Maine. Political career Caiazzo served as Finance Chair for the Scarborough ...

Jerald S. Paul Jerald Scott Paul (born 1966 in Lancaster, Ohio) is the current President of Maine Maritime Academy and holds the rank of Rear admiral (United States), Rear Admiral in the United States Maritime Service. He previously served as the Principal Deput ...

, and Thomas K. Shannon.

Athletics

Maine Maritime athletic teams are the Mariners. The academy is a member of the

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the

North Atlantic Conference The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) is an athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA ’s Division III, consisting primarily of small liberal arts colleges in the Northern New England states of Maine and Vermont, as well as New York. The conf ...

(NAC) for most of its sports since the 1996–97 academic year; with the football team playing in the

New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of Connecticut and M ...

(NEWMAC), and the sailing teams playing in the Division I level of the

New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

(NEISA). Maine Maritime competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, sailing, soccer and swimming & diving; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, swimming & diving and volleyball. Club sports include men's & women's wrestling. Currently its football program has been suspended indefinitely due to COVID-19 financial impacts.

Training ships

The academy has utilized a number of vessels over the years to provide hands-on training and instruction opportunities for cadets at sea, usually former U.S. Navy ships. Each of the academy's training ships bear the same name, TS ''State of Maine'', during their respective time in service as the academy training ship. * USS ''Comfort'' (AH-6) - 1953-1963 * USS ''Ancon'' (AGC-4) - 1963-1973 * USNS ''Upshur'' (T-AP-198) - 1973-1995 * TS ''State of Maine'' (formerly USNS ''Tanner'' (T-AGS-40)) - 6 June 1997-present

References

External links

Official website

Official athletic website
{{authority control Maritime colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1941 Military academies of the United States Universities and colleges in Hancock County, Maine 1941 establishments in Maine Castine, Maine Public universities and colleges in Maine