They graduate to six figure salaries, and grueling work

Key Points:

• The Empire State VII, a 530-foot training ship at SUNY Maritime College, is used annually to provide cadets with essential sea time required for U.S. Coast Guard licensing, blending engineering, seamanship, and licensing coursework.
• SUNY Maritime is one of six state-run maritime academies addressing a critical shortage of licensed mariners needed to staff commercial and Military Sealift Command vessels that supply U.S. Navy ships worldwide.
• There are approximately 8,000 open maritime positions in the U.S., with over 5,000 in Military Sealift Command, which faces urgent staffing needs to maintain naval supply chains critical for national defense and global military reach.
• To attract mariners, the Military Sealift Command offers signing bonuses up to $54,000 and starting salaries exceeding $170,000, though the work often involves long deployments in potentially dangerous conflict zones.
• Graduates of SUNY Maritime face strong career prospects with high starting salaries, but must weigh the demands of extended sea duty and risks, as they play a vital role in both commercial shipping and national security logistics.