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The Strategic Sealift Midshipman Program (SSMP), formerly the Merchant Marine Reserve (MMR), is an excellent opportunity to assist you in meeting the financial obligations of your college education. The SSMP is designed to train and educate highly qualified students for commissioning as officers in the U.S. Navy Reserve (USNR).

To be eligible for commissioning as a Strategic Sealift Officer (SSO), a student must:

  1. Be a U.S. citizen
  2. Be between the ages of 17 and 42 years on 31 December of the year you expect to graduate.
  3. Have completed a Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB) physical examination, and have either (a), been found physically qualified to participate in the SSMP, or (b) secured a waiver from the Navy for any disqualifying physical condition.
  4. Pass the U.S. Navy’s Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA).
  5. Qualify as a U.S. Navy Third Class Swimmer.
  6. Have a satisfactory record of academic ability and moral integrity.
  7. Demonstrate those characteristics desired of a Naval Officer.
  8. Have no moral objections or personal convictions that will prevent you from obligating yourself to bear arms and support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and agree to take an oath obligating yourself to perform such acts.
  9. Complete SSMP Required Courses:
    NV101 Introduction to Naval Science (Freshman Year)
    NV222 Strategic Sealift Officer Course (Sophomore or Junior Year)
    NV402 Leadership and Ethics (Senior Year)
    NV100 Naval Science Lab (Each semester in the program)
  10. Be enrolled in a Bachelor of Science Degree Program leading to a U.S. Coast Guard Unlimited License:
    Marine Engineering Operations
    Marine Engineering Technology
    Marine Systems Engineering – License Track
    Marine Transportation Operations

Minimum Requirements to Participate with the SSMP in the NROTC unit:

  1. Complete Part 1 and 2 of the SSMP Application. Applications may be submitted prior to the student’s arrival at MMA. Current students may apply at any time, but no later than the start of classes of the 2/C year. Each application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
  2. Complete a sports physical or a Coast Guard physical (Application for Medical Certificate, Form CG-719K). This can be performed at any regular medical clinic.
  3. Continuation in the program is based on continued eligibility (i.e. Minimum GPA 2.5 with satisfactory participation in SSMP program)

Students who meet the qualifications above may apply for Midshipman status in the SSMP and apply to participate in the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Student Incentive Payment (SIP) Program. If selected, students are eligible to receive up to $64,000 during their time at MMA. The SIP Program requires students to obtain a Coast Guard Unlimited License and to apply for, and accept if offered, a Reserve Officer commission in the U.S. Navy Reserve. A student who receives more than $8,000 in SIP incurs a service obligation detailed on MARAD’s website.
For information about the SSMP, USNR, and SIP Programs at Maine Maritime Academy, contact Commanding Officer, NROTC Unit, Maine Maritime Academy, (207) 326-2352, email mmanrotc@mma.edu.