TAMUG's new Master of Maritime Administration and Logistics degree program will open to its first students in fall 2011    

April 18, 2011

The Master of Maritime Administration and Logistics degree program, a project in the works at Texas A&M University at Galveston since 1999, will open when the 2011 fall term begins in August.

As of April 15, this new degree officially met all Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requirements.

Currently offered only in Galveston, the degree is specially designed to emphasize management and administration in the maritime and marine industries.

Building on TAMUG’s highly successful undergraduate program in Maritime Administration, the new program is structured to prepare professionals for leadership positions in maritime administration and logistics in both the public and private sectors.

According to Dr. William T. McMullen — a chief architect of the program who is professor of Maritime Administration, of Marine Transportation and of Marine Sciences, and head of TAMUG’s Department of Maritime Administration — the new graduate courses focus on international trade, economics, finance, management, business analysis and policy as applied to the port and logistics fields.

McMullen says in addition to expanding career opportunities for professionals in port management, supply chain management, brokerage, inland waterways and other aspects of water-based transportation industries, the degree will also appeal to managers in technical and logistical operations in land-based transportation.

“Civil engineers now employed in the facilities-intensive port industry who are looking to move into management positions may also be attracted to this degree program,” he said.

In the program, students may choose one of two distinct tracks — Maritime Policy and Law and Shipping and Port Management.

The Maritime Policy and Law track is for individuals seeking managerial careers in the private public sectors. It covers environmental stewardship, global trade policy and dispute resolution.

The Shipping and Port Management track is geared for those seeking to specialize in the commercial side of the maritime industry — with expertise in port design, security, intermodal systems and logistics.

Addressing the need for the new degree, McMullen points to the exponential growth of world trade projected to the year 2020 — and beyond.

On that score, he points out that growth limitations on the East and West Coasts of the U.S. will bring a tripling of port activity on the Gulf Coast.

“As soon as the expanded Panama Canal begins bringing larger ships with greatly increased cargoes to Gulf seaports, Texas, which already is more of a maritime state than most state residents realize, will need an increasing supply of qualified managers,” he said.

“This new degree is step in the right direction to help meet those escalating demands,” McMullen added.

The new program becomes TAMUG’s third graduate degree offering (the others are in Marine Biology and Marine Resources Management). The university also offers 10 baccalaureate degrees.

**TAMUG**