SUNY Master's Degree Info Needed

**Fatguy** · June 16th, 2009, 08:39 AM

Hello All!

I'll be starting SUNY Maritime in August in the Master's Degree Program (Int'l Transportation Management). I'd like to hear from anyone who is currently in the program or is a graduate of the program--thoughts and ideas, what to expect, job prospects, etc.

Also, as a landlubber who'll be working towards his 3rd Mate's License, can anyone recommend a good "general knowledge" textbook that I can read this summer that will get me somewhat up to speed on becomming a sailor? I've just mastered the port/red/left starboard/green/right concept to give you an idea of my knowledge base so far!

Thanks!

Fatguy

**seadawg** · June 16th, 2009, 12:18 PM

Fatguy,

carried Dutton's as I was crawling up the hawespipe.

**sean** · June 16th, 2009, 12:42 PM

I'm surprised they're offering a 3rd mate's license with this program. I know Mass Maritime has an undergrad maritime business program where they don't get license. I wonder what the job prospects for either of these programs really are.

**john** · June 16th, 2009, 04:22 PM

I have a good friend who graduated the program in 99. He never really used the MBA but has a successful career as C/M with TOTE and was very happy with the experience.

**jdcavo** · June 17th, 2009, 09:34 AM

It's not an MBA, it's an MS in Int'l Transportation Management.

**Fatguy** · June 17th, 2009, 09:38 AM

Thanks for the tip, Seadawg! I ordered it today.

**New3M** · June 17th, 2009, 11:34 AM

The program is alright - I didn't do that program, but the undergraduate degree and then stuck around and got the Master's. I've found that a lot of the people in the "grad-license" program as it's called around campus can sometimes be people who feel they can't be bothered by being in classes with 18 year olds, which is where you're going to start - for the license classes anyway. The graduate classes are full of mostly international students - ratio of int'l to american i'd say is about 6:1 or so. Don't worry about reading Dutton's all summer long - everything you need to know you will be taught by the good professors there. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

**Fatguy** · June 17th, 2009, 12:11 PM

Being in class with 18-year olds won't bother me too much ("Old age and treachery can defeat youth and skill any day"), but I'd like to be able to hit the ground running as much as possible.

Where do most of the international students come from?

**New3M** · June 18th, 2009, 02:17 PM

greece, turkey, several from different parts of africa. you'll find that the graduate degree isn't really geared towards the maritime industry, but having a background in it will help - and a lot of the international students really have no clue about the maritime industry.

**Rigg** · June 18th, 2009, 03:01 PM

Do you think the grad degree is useful at all? Or are most grad students there for the license and thats it?

**john** · June 18th, 2009, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Rigg

Do you think the grad degree is useful at all? Or are most grad students there for the license and thats it?

It's very useful, the problem is that 3rd mate's are making more than MBA graduates right now... start getting use to a a C/M salary and it's difficult to take a pay cut to go back and work in an office.

**New3M** · June 19th, 2009, 08:22 AM

i did it for the future - i hope (if i can) to sail until i can get my master's license, and then coming ashore with a master's and a master's (it's not a MBA, it's a MS) should hopefully make me a little more marketable.

**Fatguy** · June 19th, 2009, 08:37 AM

I'm going primarily for the 3/M license, but really like the idea of having the MS degree to fall back on if/when I decide to come ashore in the future.