1998 Year of the Ocean Marine Education U.S.A.: An Overview 



The strength of marine higher education in CaUfornia and the nation Hes in the research 

 training area for the basic sciences. There is no question that the United States has the best 

 marine research and training in the sciences available in the world. The number of graduating 

 trained researchers certainly meets or exceeds the needs of the nation at this time. The main 

 support comes from NSF, Sea Grant and the U.S. Navy. 



In addition to grant support of graduate students in research, there are Fellows and 

 Internship programs supported by NSF, Sea Grant, AAAS and the U.S. Navy. The Knauss Sea 

 Grant Fellows program provides Washington, D.C. -based experience in both the executive and 

 legislative branches of government for about 24 graduate students per year. This kind of practical 

 training enhances the university experience. Sea Grant is begirming an Industrial Fellows 

 program which will place graduate students in private industry. This program should be 

 expanded. 



One of findings made by Dr. Andreas Rechnitzer's in California in 1969 persists. That is, 

 graduate students are mainly prepared to be research professors at graduate research institutions. 

 The reality is that the majority of MS and Ph.D. graduates in ocean sciences will find 

 employment in government agencies and private industry. University faculty and placement 

 offices need to be more aware of this reality and help students prepare better for this eventuality. 



There are eight maritime academies or institutes in the United States. The U.S. Merchant 

 Marine Academy at King's Point, New York, is the only federal academy. Six are state-run (New 

 York, California, Massachusetts, Maine, Texas, and Michigan). The Maritime Institute of 

 Technology and Graduate Studies (MITGS) is the training arm of the International Organization 

 of Masters, Mates and Pilots at Linthicum, Maryland. These are all high quality institutions that 

 maintain a tradition of training U.S. merchant mariners. Most have from three to six hundred 

 students. The MITGS trains about 1,400 working professionals armually in specialized courses 

 for upgrading and modernization. With a relatively small fleet of non-military U.S. flag ships, 

 these institutions meet the current U.S. need. 



The U.S. government also supports the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard 

 Academy, both of which maintain high quality undergraduate level programs in ocean-related 

 studies. These institutions meet the current U.S. needs. 



ETHNIC MINORITIES 



The ocean sciences community continues to have extremely low numbers of people from 

 ethnic minorities. This means that all universities, government agencies, and private industries 

 dependent on graduating students are affected. 



At NOAA, each line office (National Weather Service, Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Research, etc.) has a program to encourage participation and professional training of etlinic 

 minorities. The Sea Grant program, for example, has granted $50,000 per year for tliree years to 



K-19 



