You can get maritime academy training in many forms, from a national maritime academy to a maritime academy that offers online maritime degrees. Since maritime academy training varies greatly you'll need to do some legwork to locate maritime academy courses that will benefit your business.

Once you know about the types of maritime academy training you can better select your marine maritime academy. Maritime academy courses run the gamut, so use the three questions below to assist you in the process of elimination when selecting an appropriate maritime academy.

1. What type of maritime academy courses will benefit you and your company?

2. What maritime academies close to your business offer maritime academy training?

3. How can you find the best maritime academy close to you and your business?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Narrow the scope of your maritime academy training needs

Before you can select a school you need to look at the documents your business will need from maritime academies. In the United States, maritime academies offer comprehensive maritime training (for example, maritime transport) but academy training should fit your business's needs. Even some competitive academies for maritime transportation may not offer the programs your business can best benefit from, so know what you want to get out of a program before you compare programs. The federal government, through the United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, can help direct you toward maritime academies.

I recommend: The United States Coast Guard walks you through the initial steps of deciding what type of maritime academy training to pursue, and its National Maritime Center website also lists different national maritime academies. Further exploration on this site will help you understand what training different jobs require. Also look at job descriptions at the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration's website when considering training.

Find maritime academy schools close to your business that offer the training you need

Now that you've targeted the types of maritime academy training you need you'll need to find either nearby maritime academy schools or maritime academies that offer online maritime degrees.

I recommend: If you want to find a national maritime academy, then you can find a list on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration's website; if you want to find a state maritime academy the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration has a listing for those as well. Those options may not offer any maritime academy training close to your business, so check out the online maritime degrees offered by a school such as Lloyd's Maritime Academy. If your business is located by a state maritime academy (like Cal Maritime) take a close look at their catalog to make sure their maritime training fits your business needs.

Compare maritime academy schools

Once you've found several marine maritime academies that offer the training your business needs, compare their offerings. You should try to look at student reviews as well as those done by independent sources.

I recommend: Compare maritime academy training programs at Students Review, a website that lets student rate maritime academies in the US. If you want a comparison based on factors other than student input, U.S. News & World Report compares maritime academy schools as well.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Talk to students at any sailors maritime academy you're considering. The type of student who chooses a maritime charter academy speaks volumes about the type of maritime education you can expect. Students can also give you insights you won't get from a website or faculty member.