The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has approved a new Bachelor of Science in Maritime Operations degree program at Texas A&M University at Galveston.
The degree proposal will now be submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for approval and certification that all applicable criteria have been met.
The program will prepare students for shore-based jobs supporting port operations along the U.S. coastline. Texas has 13 ports, and for every job aboard ships, an estimated three to four jobs are located shoreside to support vessel operations.
"This is such an innovative degree that fills a critical workforce development need with the surge of growth both regionally and nationally," said Dr. Debbie Thomas, founding dean of the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University and executive associate vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University at Galveston. "In addition, the new Maritime Operations degree expands our ability to partner with community colleges to grow the pipeline into these amazing career opportunities."
According to the university, the economic impact of Texas port business and maritime operations equates to $714 billion annually, or 28% of the state's GDP. Additionally, 90% of everything Texans wear, eat, drive, consume, or use has traveled across oceans or inland waterways.
The degree program will be housed in the Department of Maritime Transportation within the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies. The 120-semester credit hour program will provide background in near-coastal and inland vessel operations, cargo handling between vessel and shore, port security, including cybersecurity, and port infrastructure operations.
The first-year curriculum will mirror the first-year curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Maritime Transportation, including a summer sea term with shipboard experience or an applied internship. The overlapping first year will allow students to explore maritime education options before choosing either the shoreside Maritime Operations program or the seagoing Maritime Transportation program without losing credit hours or delaying graduation.
Following the first year, the Maritime Operations program will include maritime business, inland waterways, ports, logistics, and safety courses, with flexibility to pursue coursework in cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, or transportation.
