{"id":54,"date":"2014-12-04T18:55:42","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T18:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mainemaritime.edu\/undergraduate-catalog\/?page_id=54"},"modified":"2025-05-29T14:45:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:45:49","slug":"practical-experience","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mainemaritime.edu\/undergraduate-catalog\/practical-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Practical Experience<\/h1>\n

An integral part of all Maine Maritime majors is the practical knowledge that students gain by actual work experience. A major component of all MMA programs is learning by doing. The approach to experiential learning or cooperative education varies from major to major and may include at-sea experience on training or commercial ships, Ocean Studies cruises aboard research vessels, VOT\/SVO training aboard the tug Pentagoet, the schooner Bowdoin, and other vessels, Power Engineering Technology training in operating power plants, International Business and Logistics experience in businesses, companies and logistics providers, and design engineering experience for Marine Systems Engineering students.<\/p>\n

Guidelines<\/h3>\n

The following guidelines apply to all MMA students seeking work experience related to their studies:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Each cooperative education experience is an academic course.\u00a0All academic policies of the college that apply to on-campus courses also apply to off-campus practical experience courses.<\/li>\n
  2. Students planning to co-op must have their practical experience plans approved by the Faculty Co-op Coordinator of their program or their Department Chair prior to registering for the course.<\/li>\n
  3. Students must register for their practical experience course with the Registrar to receive academic credit.<\/li>\n
  4. Matriculating students in good academic standing who have satisfactorily completed the required course prerequisites and have the approval of their Faculty Co-op Coordinator or Department Chair are eligible to participate.<\/li>\n
  5. Students will be considered for practical experience positions with a particular company based upon the employer\u2019s specific needs or requirements.\u00a0In competitive hiring situations, the employer\u2019s choice is the final determining employment factor.<\/li>\n
  6. Students have the responsibility of finding their own housing when employers do not offer it.<\/li>\n
  7. Maine Maritime Academy is under no obligation to refer or assist students who voluntarily withdraw from consideration or who refuse a job at an approved co-op site.<\/li>\n
  8. The college and its representatives follow all equal employment opportunity guidelines in assisting students to find appropriate jobs to gain practical experience.<\/li>\n
  9. A pre-employment drug test through the Academy’s Student Health Services will be required of all students before they participate in a co-op experience.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Marine Practical Training Programs<\/h3>\n

    Candidates for a Third Officer U. S. Coast Guard unlimited license are required to complete the following practical training programs to be eligible for graduation.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Ship Laboratory (maintenance) and watch standing<\/li>\n
    2. Two cruises aboard a training ship (at least 135 days total)<\/li>\n
    3. The Cadet Shipping Program (minimum of 60 days for engine cadets; minimum of 90 days for deck cadets)<\/li>\n
    4. The Fire Training Program<\/li>\n
    5. Lifeboat Training<\/li>\n
    6. All Regimental requirements<\/li>\n
    7. All Standards of Training, Certification, and\u00a0Watchkeeping\u00a0(STCW) required courses<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Students majoring in the five-year Marine Systems Engineering program will be allowed to sit for the license exams, if otherwise eligible, at the end of the first semester of the fourth year of their program.<\/p>\n

      Federal legislation provides that to be eligible for graduation, state maritime students enrolled in the four-year (and five-year) unlimited license majors must have passed the examination for Third Mate or Third Assistant Engineer.<\/p>\n

      Watch Standing and Ship Laboratory<\/h3>\n

      During non-cruise periods, students in the Regiment are expected to satisfy the watch standing requirements of the Academy.\u00a0Students are also required to participate in the Ship Laboratory Program to maintain the training vessel and to gain practical shipboard experience.<\/p>\n

      Training Ship Cruises<\/h3>\n

      Training cruises aboard a training ship are scheduled annually. Students in majors leading to U.S. Coast Guard Third Assistant Engineer\/Third Mate licenses are required to participate in these training cruises during the first and third years. Students in non-license majors may elect to do the First Year Cruise as long as they meet the prerequisites listed in the course description for First Year Cruise, and subject to discretion of the Commandant. A U.S. passport and TWIC card are required in order to go on cruises.<\/p>\n

      For unlimited license students, successful completion of these training cruises, including a sea project and STCW assessments for each cruise, is required for graduation.\u00a0Four credit hours are awarded for each successfully completed cruise.\u00a0Cruises aboard the training ships are designed to develop practical skills required of a Third Mate or a Third Assistant Engineer.\u00a0These skills are developed through watch standing, operating and maintaining the ship, and adapting to life aboard.\u00a0Successful completion of the first-year cruise is a prerequisite to participation in Cadet Shipping in the sophomore year.\u00a0Failure of the junior-year cruise must be made up at the completion of the senior year.\u00a0Students who repeat either cruise will be charged for room, board, and cruise fee.<\/p>\n

      Requirement to Complete License Exams<\/h3>\n

      Federal legislation requires that to be eligible for graduation, students enrolled in the four-year and five-year unlimited license majors must have passed the examination for Third Mate or Third Assistant Engineer.<\/p>\n

      US Coast Guard Certifications and License Requirements<\/h3>\n

      Successful completion of the Marine Practical Training Programs and specific courses as prescribed for unlimited license program majors satisfies the prerequisites for U.S. Coast Guard licenses. Training certificates will only be issued to cadets who complete a U.S. Coast Guard approved academic program. This is consistent with academy approval letters issued by the U.S. Coast Guard which indicate that cadets are not entitled to the various endorsements approved under the program, unless the cadets \u201csuccessfully completes the entire program.\u201d These include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n