News 2021: UMass Dartmouth & Massachusetts Maritime Academy establish accelerated pathway program

Integrated degree program enables Massachusetts Maritime Academy students to earn a bachelor’s degree & professional science master’s degree in less time.

UMass Dartmouth and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) articulating an educational partnership to provide students with a unique opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree as well as a graduate degree in as little as five years.

The Accelerated Pathway for Massachusetts Maritime Academy program for undergraduates provides a pathway for students pursuing a BS degree at the Academy with the opportunity to earn a professional science master’s (PSM) degree at UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST). As part of the program, approved courses will be counted toward the BS degree and the PSM degree.

“This partnership program affords students a new opportunity to attain the skills and knowledge they need for real-world application in the offshore wind industry, and as this industry rapidly expands, educating its future workforce at an accelerated pace has never been so critical,” said  Dr. Mark Fuller, Chancellor of UMass Dartmouth. “We are excited about this integrated degree program and accomplishing more for the blue economy alongside Mass Maritime.”

Goals of the program include

• increasing student educational opportunities
• fostering collaboration between both institutions
• increasing student interest in each institution
• establishing collegiality and communication among faculty and advisors at both institutions

The program, which begins fall 2022, is open to Massachusetts Maritime Academy students who have achieved the classification of juniors with a major in marine science, safety, and environmental protection as well as a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Eligible students will also receive appropriate guidance, transfer credit requirements, and advising information.

This partnership is part of the Connect4Wind articulation agreement established in 2018 among six of the region’s top institutions for higher education – Bridgewater State University, Bristol Community College, Cape Cod Community College, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Massasoit Community College, and UMass Dartmouth.

The structure of cooperative effort includes student participation in degree and non-degree-granting offshore wind academic programs, collaborative research opportunities, lectures and presentations given by visiting faculty members and shared facility use. The framework also develops a better understanding of the workforce requirements of existing models of offshore wind and deepens the understanding of offshore wind as a new industry sector with an appropriate supply chain model.