Suny Maritime A.A.S Marine Technology/Small Vessel Operation

[leekyleek]

I'm getting my funds together to possibly attend Mitags this Fall, but I'm still thinking about applying to Suny just to see what they offer.

When it comes to the small operations program that is being offered at Suny which route is more lucrative? the Engine Limited license or the Mate limited license? Also does anyone know if i can attend the program and not be part of the regiment? I tried to ask the lady on the phone and she did not know.


With both of this licenses i have the option to upgrade to unlimeted later in my career if i decide to go into the shipping industry? and are this limited licenses good enough to get a good paying gig offshore?

Assistant Engineer (Limited-Oceans) allowing the holder to serve within any horsepower limitations of any gross tons upon inland waters and of not more than 1,600 gross tons in Oceans, Near Coastal or Great Lakes service

or

Mate of Ocean or Near Coastal Steam or Motor Vessels of either 500 or 1,600 Gross Tons.

[captainbry]

Suny is a great school. It depends on what you want to do as far as your license options. The small vessel operations route is the way I went and came out with a 1600 mate. They did away with the engine side of the course. Why? I have no clue. Pm me for more info I'll help you as much as I can. And yes all the women in the main offices are retarded I will give you the direct numbers for the two pple you have to deal with in the small vessel program. Good luck

[cappy208]

My best advice to you is to find a job as a seaman and go work for 6 months or so. You may be surprised. Either that you love it, or HATE it. Before you waste your money on an investment you don't know anything about, try it out..

[EHmarine]

if you want your limited license (1600 ton mate) talk to captain Johanson hes the department head for MTSVO, and the school brought back the AAS limited engineering license. All the staff at this school are retarded as stated above, its equivalent to asking help from a home depot employee. The best advices to save the most amount of money, and time is to follow the curriculum and avoid advices from staff they will just point you in the wrong direction. i would also advice the grad program if you already went to college (3rds mates ) so you don't have to do all the regimental bull and deal with 20 year old kids on a power trip, you can finish the grad in two and half years.
AAS 1600 ton mate-very good two year program
MT 3rd mate- horrible 4-5 year program (if listening to staff)
Grad 3rd mate-Best bang for your buck 2-3years depending on cruises/ cadet observer

[New3M]

There is NO reason for the MT program to take you 5 years. And the grad-license program is only good if you already have a degree.

[EHmarine]

There is NO reason for the MT program to take you 5 years.

That depends on the student-lol but it does occur, remember the admission to the school is not that picky, and its a common thing to miss a cruise for some reason(personal or not passing a certain class). It does take a long time to teach students pointy end from rounded end but an even longer time to teach them not to look at draft numbers to tell what the tide is doing-true story. i could go on with examples but i think you get the point.

[New3M]

That depends on the student-lol but it does occur, remember the admission to the school is not that picky, and its a common thing to miss a cruise for some reason(personal or not passing a certain class). It does take a long time to teach students pointy end from rounded end but an even longer time to teach them not to look at draft numbers to tell what the tide is doing-true story. i could go on with examples but i think you get the point.

Oh I'm fully aware how it is there. With the exception of missing a cruise, which should only push you back about 5-6 months because of how the graduations are, any MT student should get out in 4.

[EHmarine]

if you miss a cruise your set back a year, it is that way now because you cant sit for license until you graduate, and to graduate you have to complete the cruises. also if you miss a cruise you wont have some prerequisites to get into future classes needed for the next years cruise. your right in the sense if you miss a cruise you can just finish it after your last semester, however you wont be able to graduate until fall, and then you take your license in January.
example
last semester-->last cruise-->Graduation--->sit for license
ends may2000-> ends august-> September -->January 2001

[New3M]

Then how is it the deckies just sat for license? None of them have graduated yet.

[jdcavo]

if you miss a cruise your set back a year, it is that way now because you cant sit for license until you graduate, and to graduate you have to complete the cruises. also if you miss a cruise you wont have some prerequisites to get into future classes needed for the next years cruise. your right in the sense if you miss a cruise you can just finish it after your last semester, however you wont be able to graduate until fall, and then you take your license in January.
example
last semester-->last cruise-->Graduation--->sit for license
ends may2000-> ends august-> September -->January 2001

This isn't quite accurate, but the result is the same. You can't sit for license exams until you have completed all of your sea time/cruises. Cadets can sit in the spring semester before graduation if they have all their sea time and are going to graduate in May (April for Maine, June for KP)

[New3M]

This isn't quite accurate, but the result is the same. You can't sit for license exams until you have completed all of your sea time/cruises. Cadets can sit in the spring semester before graduation if they have all their sea time and are going to graduate in May (April for Maine, June for KP)

Right. They changed that recently. So if you miss a cruise, you can sit when the ship comes back (assuming the 'license coordinator' has his shit straight, which is a big assumption), and then graduate in September.

[EHmarine]

"it is that way now because you cant sit for license until you graduate"-mistake until you finish cruises(you cant graduate unless you have all the cruises), however in this case the school doesn't offer the possibility to sit for license until January(if done through the school, you can sit at the coast guard office- may be wrong though;however everyone sits with the school). so yes you can sit once you finish the 90 day cruise(in the scenario i provided above: however its impractical and very unlikely).

[flyboy14295]

I'm going to bump this back up to the top. Are there jobs available for someone with a 1600gt license? This program just seems a lot better in my opinion than the 4 year MT program.

[uberTurtle]

The person with the most pieces of papers gets the most jobs - in this case, with the unlimited license, you can get the same jobs as the guy with the limited license AND the jobs on ships. The shipping industry is generally cyclical, with highs and lows in employment in various sectors. If you position yourself to be able to work in multiple sectors, you should always have a job. If you set yourself up for one sector only, you might be left on the beach when employment dries up in that sector.

As for finishing time for the MT 3rd mate's license, I did it in 4, but I also know guys who were on the 7 and 8 year plans. In the end, they graduated as well and are now sailing as master or chief mate.

.....and being disrespectful to the professors and people in the office can come back to bite you. Yeah, it's the internet and you are theoretically anonymous, but be a little polite.

[silverbk]

I am currently in the AAS program, actually about to graduate.

They call it a two year program but the earliest you can finish it is 30 months because the sea time is not included in the 2 years only the academic part.

The program is different in nature than the 3rd mate UL program in that here you actually have to graduate ie sea time and diploma in hand before you can sit for license. They recently had the school take over the licensing details, previously you were handed a diploma and told to take it up with the USCG. Now they at least handle the application and get you approved to test. We still test at the exam room, no on campus testing for us yet.

The reason the MT program takes so long is because the school does a poor job of offering license courses. They are often full or unavailable. So if you are locked out of a class it sets you back a semester and snowballs from there. If you miss a cruise, it will cost you a year.

Like the previous poster mentioned try to speak with someone in the program, rather than staff. There is a stigma with this program and many folks will try an upsell you to 4 year degree with the UL license.

I will also recommend that you take at least one semester of basic academic classes at a community college (make sure the credits will transfer) This will make getting through through the program quicker and cheaper.

BTW the USCG will not accept any previous sea time. So if you are considering this program do it earlier rather than later in your career.

[Jon]

BTW the USCG will not accept any previous sea time. So if you are considering this program do it earlier rather than later in your career.

Can you explain?

[jdcavo]

The program is approved to meet STCW requirements for Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch. For this, STCW requires either 1) completion of an approved program that includes at least one year of shipboard training (not just sea time) or 2) three years of sea time. Since this program is approved to meet the first option, time you had before you entered the p[rgram can't reasonably be considered to have been part of the program. The only exception would be is your total sea time before you entered was of the right type, and you had at least three years of it. If you can meet the TOATL sea time requirements with previous sea time, the training and assessment in the program can meet the rest of the STCW requirements under the second option.