Maritime Transportation

Program Information

Do you get swept up by thoughts of a life at sea? Do high salaries and vacation time off interest you? If so, pursuing a degree in maritime transportation might be right for you! The San Jacinto College maritime transportation associate degree program offers United States Coast Guard (USCG)-approved and internationally recognized Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) maritime training, and deck level course work for all professional mariners. Training ranges from the entry-level deckhand on an inland towboat, to Unlimited Tonnage Masters on the world’s largest ships, and everything in between.

Our staff consists of USCG-approved Ship Masters, Chief Engineers, former U.S. Navy, Merchant Marine Officers, and skilled technicians with more than a century of combined experience who make the learning experience both effective and enjoyable. 

The San Jacinto College associate degree maritime transportation program:

• Provides students with U.S. Coast Guard-approved instruction to be capable, knowledgeable mariners
• Provides instruction, actual experience, and course work to become a professional mariner or professional captain
• Maximizes the number of maritime courses the student can enroll in and includes general academic courses

Career Opportunities

Texas ranks first in the nation for both domestic and international freight with its waterways, handling almost 50 million tons of freight shipments each year and has been the top exporting state for 13 years.

In Houston, more than 200,000 barge transits occur in and out of the Port of Houston each year.

Texas waterways and ports support approximately 1,170,000 jobs and contribute $264 billion to the state’s economy. These lucrative jobs hold great potential for professional growth and advancement in the maritime transportation industry.

Earning Potential

Note: Below are starting salaries in Texas. Salaries for these positions greatly increase within the Houston region, where there is high vessel traffic.

Sailors and Marine Oilers median salary: $39,620 per year¹

Captains, Mates, and Pilots median salary: $132,552 per year¹

For more information contact 281-974-2200 or amy.arrowood@sjcd.edu.

Campus

Maritime Campus