Maritime studies

Maritime Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that embraces the liberal arts as the foundation for exploring humankind's critical and continually evolving connections with the world's waterways and watersheds. Maritime Studies encompasses the liberal arts in recognized humanities and social science disciplines such as History, English, Geography, Economics, Political Science and Anthropology. Maritime Studies highlights the social and cultural side of the human/water relationship, but recognizes and explores the links between human activities and the composition and the condition of the coastal and marine environments. Incorporating history, literature, poetry, and film, maritime studies is able to cover a broader scope than traditional maritime history or seamanship.

Some of the institutions providing maritime studies combine a broad grounding in technical and scientific coursework with the study of courses in arts and humanities.

While maritime academies frequently prepare cadets for careers in the merchant marine, maritime studies programs prepare students for a variety of careers in the civilian maritime industrial and service sectors. Graduate and undergraduate programs are offered at the following institutions:

• The University of Connecticut /Avery Point Campus
• East Carolina University
• Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Texas A & M Galveston
• University of West Florida
• State University of New York Maritime College

While these accredited universities may offer this program as a degree, there is no guarantee of a job upon graduation. Many students who are not enlisted in the merchant marine will find it very difficult to find a job with this degree as it does not focus on any particular thing. The Maritime studies degree has been deemed as the "general studies degree" by those who have meaningful degrees at the aforementioned universities.