The Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics is a professional graduate management degree offered on the Galveston Campus. Coursework in international trade, economics, finance, marketing, management, logistics, port and shipping management will prepare graduates for senior management positions in a wide variety of industries associated with logistics and, most specifically, waterborne commerce. The program's ultimate goal is to prepare professionals to develop and support maritime business. 

Southeast Texas, from the Louisiana border to Freeport, contains the important ports of Beaumont-Port Arthur, Galveston, Houston, and Freeport, an important segment of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), and a significant portion of the oil refining capacity of the United States. This maritime complex contains a rich diversity of cargo handling facilities that connect to the main east-west and north-south rail and road arteries of the nation. Increased energy exploration and recovery activities in the Gulf and growth in international trade are expected to stimulate 2-3 trillion dollars of economic investment in the coastal zone of Texas in the next few decades. This investment will sustain continued economic growth for the foreseeable future. The combination of these two circumstances will provide exciting and challenging opportunities throughout the energy, maritime, and all other transportation industries.

The graduate program in Maritime Business Administration and Logistics will attract dynamic and forward-looking students who understand the implications of expanding regional and international trade. Some students will want to complete the thesis option, which requires the preparation of a graduate thesis involving original research. This is strongly recommended for students who intend to continue their education at the doctoral level. The non-thesis option does not preclude future work toward a doctorate but is most appropriate for students who see this graduate program as their final professional degree. Thesis students will be supervised by a graduate advisory committee that is responsible for the development of their final degree plan.

Graduate programs in business typically are delivered by both full-time and part-time/adjunct faculty who are active researchers and practitioners in their fields. Proximity to the Houston-Galveston port complex allows ready access to extremely well-qualified faculty, to research opportunities, and to challenging and exciting professional career opportunities following graduation. The website for the Department of Maritime Business Administration provides biographical summaries of all faculty who teach in this program and their research interests.

This program is also approved for delivery via asynchronous distance education technology.

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee
• Degree Plan
• Credit Requirements
• Limitations on Credits and Coursework
• Thesis Option
  • Thesis Proposal
  • Thesis Defense/Final Examination
  • Final Examination Grading
• Non-Thesis Option

Student’s Advisory Committee

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

After receiving admission to graduate studies, students will consult with the graduate program concerning selection of a chair and members (if applicable) for an advisory committee representative of the student’s field(s) of study and research.

Thesis Option Students: The student’s advisory committee for the master’s degree will consist of no fewer than three members of the graduate faculty, representative of the student’s fields of study and research. The chair or the co-chair of the advisory committee must be from the student’s major department (or intercollegiate faculty, if applicable), and at least one or more of the members must have an appointment to a department other than the student’s major department. The chair, in consultation with the student, will select the remainder of the advisory committee. The student will interview each prospective committee member to determine whether he or she is willing to serve.

Non-Thesis Option Students: All MBAA non-thesis students’ advisory committees will consist of the departmental graduate advisor for the MBAA program or the department head for the Maritime Business Administration department. The departmental graduate advisor or the department head has the responsibility of approving the proposed degree plan for all non-thesis MBAA students.

Only members of the Graduate Committee Faculty located on Texas A&M University campuses may serve as chair of a student’s advisory committee. Other members of the Graduate Committee Faculty – including those located outside the university or off-campus (if permitted by program, department, and college/school policy) – may serve as a co-chair or member.

The advisory committee as a group – and as individual members – are responsible for advising the student on academic matters. The duties include responsibility for approving the student’s proposed degree plan; research proposal (if applicable); thesis, dissertation, or record of study (if applicable); and conducting examinations (if required). The advisory committee members’ approval of a degree plan indicates their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing the entire academic program of the student and for initiating all academic actions concerning the student. Additionally, in the case of academic deficiency, the advisory committee is responsible for initiating recommendations to the Graduate and Professional School.

The chair of the advisory committee, who usually has immediate supervision of the student’s degree program, has the responsibility for calling meetings at any time considered desirable.

If the chair of the student’s advisory committee is unavailable for an extended period of time in any academic period during which the student is involved in activities relating to an internship, thesis or professional paper – and is registered for courses such as 684, 691, 692, or 693 – the Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair may appoint an alternate advisory committee chair during the interim period.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee is on an approved leave of absence – and the student is near completion of the degree and wants the chair to continue to serve in this role – a written request must be submitted to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School, by the Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair, that the faculty member who is on an approved leave of absence be allowed to continue to serve as chair of the advisory committee – without a co-chair – for up to one year. The request must confirm that the faculty member is able to engage in the required duties as chair during the leave of absence. Extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with additional approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee voluntarily separates from the university, and the student is nearing completion of the degree, the chair may continue to serve in this role – at the student’s request – for up to one year. Two options are available:

• The chair may continue, with a co-chair, without additional approval by the Graduate and Professional School. The student must select a current member of the Graduate Committee Faculty – from the student’s academic program and located near the Texas A&M University campus site – to serve as co-chair of the advisory committee.
• The chair may continue, without a co-chair, with approval by the Graduate and Professional School. A written request must be submitted to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School by the Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair to allow the faculty member to continue as chair, without a co-chair, of the advisory committee.

For both options, extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

Although individual advisory committee members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, all members of a student committee cannot resign en masse.

Degree Plan

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

Students, in consultation with the advisory committee, will develop a proposed degree plan. The degree plan must be created, submitted, and approved through the online Document Processing Submission System (DPSS). The degree plan must be submitted prior to the deadline imposed by the student’s college or school and approved by the Graduate and Professional School no later than 90 days prior to the date of the final oral examination or thesis defense. Students must select the appropriate program option when submitting a proposed degree plan.

Additional coursework may be added to the approved degree plan by petition through DPSS, if deemed necessary by the advisory committee, to correct deficiencies in the student’s academic preparation. No changes can be made to the degree plan once the student’s Final Examination Request or Final Examination Exemption Request is approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Coursework included on the degree plan is subject to the requirements and restrictions detailed in the Credit Requirements and Limitations on Credits and Coursework sections in each degree program page.

Degree program time limits apply to courses listed on a degree plan. Details are available on the Time Limits section in each degree program page.

Credit Requirements

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

A minimum of 36 semester credit hours of approved coursework and research hours are required for the thesis option (Research Track) Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics degree.

A minimum of 36 semester credit hours of approved coursework is required for the non-thesis option (Professional Track).

Ordinarily, students will devote the major portion of their time on work in one or two closely related fields. Other work will be in supporting fields of interest. The MBAA curriculum is structured with 21 hours of required courses and 15 hours of electives. Thesis option students may use up to 6 hours of their elective coursework as MARA 691 (Research) hours. Students should consult with their Graduate Advisor or advisory committee regarding required and elective coursework. 

Limitations on Credits and Coursework

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

Credit-hour requirements are subject to the following limitations:

1. To receive a graduate degree from Texas A&M University, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution’s own direct instruction. These limitations also apply to joint degree programs.
2. Transfer credits may be used toward meeting the credit hour requirements under the following limitations:
   • The maximum number of credit hours which may be considered for transfer credit is the greater of 12 credit hours or one-third (1/3) of the total hours of a degree plan.
   • Graduate and/or upper-level undergraduate courses taken in residence at an accredited United States or international institution (recognized by the Office of Admissions), with a final grade of B or greater, may be considered for transfer credit if – at the time the courses were completed – the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution.
   • An official transcript from the institution at which the transfer coursework was taken must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions. Coursework credit submitted for transfer from any institution must be shown in semester credit hours or equated to semester credit hours.
   • Up to 1 hour of credit may be obtained for each five-day week of coursework for graduate courses of three weeks’ duration or less taken at other institutions. Each week of coursework must include at least 15 contact hours.
   • Grades for courses completed at other institutions are not included in computing the GPA.
   • Coursework in which no formal grades were given, or in which grades other than A or B were earned (for example, CR, P, S, U, H, etc.), is not accepted for transfer credit.
   • Courses completed at Texas A&M University and appearing on the degree plan with grades of D, F, or U may not be absolved by transfer work.
   • Except for officially approved cooperative doctoral programs, credit for thesis or dissertation research – or the equivalent – is not transferrable.
   • Courses used toward a degree at another institution may not be applied for transferred graduate credit.
     • Courses used toward a certificate, but not applied to an awarded degree, may be considered for transfer.
     • If the course to be transferred was taken for a certificate or prior to the conferral of a degree at the transfer institution, a letter from the registrar at that institution stating that the course was not applied for credit toward the degree must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.
   • A student who has earned 12 credit hours of graduate credit in residence at Texas A&M University may be authorized to transfer courses in excess of the limits upon the advice of the advisory committee and with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School.
3. The maximum number of credit hours taken in post-baccalaureate non-degree (G6) classification at Texas A&M University which may be considered for application to the degree plan is 12.
4. Only grades of A, B, C, and S are acceptable for graduate credit.
5. Graduate courses on a degree plan may not be taken on an S/U basis except for 681 (Seminar), 684 (Professional Internship), 690 (Theory of Research), 691 (Research), 692 (Professional Study), 693 (Professional Study), 695 (Frontiers in Research), 697 (Methods), 791 (Doctoral Capstone), or SOPH 680 (Public Health Capstone).
6. A student pursuing a non-thesis option Master’s degree may not enroll in 691 (Research) courses for any reason.
7. A maximum of 12 credit hours may be used, in any combination, of the following:
   • No more than 8 credit hours in a combination of 684, 691 (if permitted), or SOPH 680.
     • No more than 8 credit hours of 684 for thesis option Master’s degrees.
     • No more than 4 credit hours of 684 for non-thesis option Master’s degrees.
   • No more than 9 credit hours of 685 (Directed Studies).
   • No more than 3 credit hours of 690 (Theory of Research).
   • No more than 3 credit hours of 695 (Frontiers in Research).
8. A maximum of 9 credit hours may be used toward the non-thesis option Master’s degree, in any combination, of the following:
   • No more than 2 credit hours of 681 (Seminar).
   • No more than 9 credit hours of 685 (Directed Studies).
9. Certain zero-credit courses may be allowed for Master’s degree programs:
   • A zero-credit 684 (Professional Internship) or 685 (Directed Studies) course is only allowed for non-thesis option Master’s programs.
   • A zero-credit 681 (Seminar) course may be used for either thesis or non-thesis option Master’s programs.
   • Other courses, including 691 (Research) hours, are not eligible for zero credit.
10. No more than 25 percent of the total credit-hours required on the student’s degree plan may be in any combination of 684, 685, 690, 691 (if permitted), and 695.
11. A maximum of 9 hours of advanced undergraduate courses (300- or 400-level) may be considered for application to the degree plan.
12. No more than 50 percent of the non-research coursework required for an in-person degree program may be completed through distance education courses.
13. Continuing education or extension courses may not be used for graduate credit.

Some departments may have additional or more restrictive requirements. Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases and when petitioned by the student’s advisory committee and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Thesis Option

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

The thesis option is designed to allow the student to demonstrate research capabilities through developing an independent and thorough investigation of a particular problem of interest. This would also prepare the student for further graduate studies. An acceptable thesis is required for the Master of Science degree for a student who selects the thesis option program. The finished work must reflect a comprehensive understanding of the pertinent literature and express in clear English, the problem(s) for study, the method, significance and results of the student’s original research. Thesis formatting must be acceptable to the Graduate and Professional School as outlined in the Guidelines for Theses, Dissertations, and Records of Study.

After successful defense (or exemption) and approval by the student’s advisory committee and the head of the student’s major department (or chair of intercollegiate faculty, if appropriate), the student must submit the thesis in electronic format as a single PDF file to https://etd.tamu.edu/. Additionally, a thesis approval form with original signatures must be received by the Graduate and Professional School through the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS). Both the PDF file and the completed approval form must be received by the deadline.

Deadline dates for submitting the thesis are announced each semester or summer term in the “Graduate and Professional School Calendar” (see Time Limit statement). These dates also can be accessed via the Graduate and Professional School website.

Each student who submits a manuscript for review is assessed a one-time thesis/dissertation processing fee through Student Business Services for the thesis/dissertation services provided. After commencement, theses and dissertations are digitally stored and made available through the Texas A&M Libraries.

A thesis that is deemed unacceptable by the Graduate and Professional School because of excessive corrections will be returned to the student’s department head (or chair of the intercollegiate faculty, if applicable). The manuscript must be resubmitted as a new document, and the entire review process must begin again. All original submittal deadlines must be met during the resubmittal process to graduate.

No credit hours of 684 (Professional Internship) may be used for the thesis option for the Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics degree. A maximum of 8 credit hours of 691 (Research) or 485 and/or 685 (Directed Studies), and up to 3 credit hours of 690 (Theory of Research) or 695 (Frontiers in Research) may be used toward the thesis option of the Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics degree. In addition, any combination of 685, 690, 691, and 695 may not exceed 12 credit hours.

The 36-hour thesis-option curriculum is structured with 21 hours of required courses and 15 hours of optional elective courses of which at least 6 hours are in 691 courses. Additional flexibility to replace required courses targeted to their area of research is available to thesis-option students upon recommendation and approval by their committees and the Head of the Department of Maritime Business Administration.

Thesis Proposal

For thesis option students, a Research Proposal must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) at least 20 working days prior to the submission of the Final Examination Request or by the deadline established in the Graduate and Professional School Dates and Deadlines Calendar, whichever comes first.

Compliance issues must be addressed if a graduate student is performing research involving human subjects, animals, infectious biohazards and recombinant DNA. A student engaged in these types of research should check with the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety at 979-458-1467 to address questions about all research compliance responsibilities before the proposal is submitted to the Graduate and Professional School. Additional information can also be obtained on the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety website.

Thesis Defense/Final Examination

Students must pass a final examination by dates announced each semester or Summer term in the Graduate and Professional School Calendar. Eligibility to schedule a final examination requires that

• a student’s GPA must be at least 3.000 for courses on the degree plan and for all courses completed at Texas A&M which are eligible to be applied to a graduate degree;
• a student may have no unabsolved grades of D, F, or U for any course listed on the degree plan (to absolve a deficient grade, the student must repeat the course at Texas A&M University and achieve a grade of C or better);
• all coursework on the degree plan must be completed, with the exception of those hours for which the student is registered; and
• for thesis option students, an approved thesis proposal must be on file in the Graduate and Professional School according to published deadlines prior to the final examination or submission of the request for exemption from the final examination.

A request to schedule the final examination must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via ARCS a minimum of 10 working days in advance of the scheduled date for the examination. The Graduate and Professional School will be notified via ARCS of any cancellations. A student may be given only one opportunity to repeat the final examination for the master’s degree and that must be within a time period that does not extend beyond the end of the next regular semester (Summer terms are excluded).

For thesis option students, the final examination covers the thesis and all work taken on the degree plan and – at the discretion of the student’s advisory committee – may be written, or oral, or both. The final examination may not be administered before the thesis is available to all members of the student’s advisory committee in substantially final form, and all members have had adequate time to review the document.

The examination is conducted by the student’s advisory committee as finally constituted. A thesis option student must be registered at the University in the semester or Summer term in which the final examination is taken. Persons other than members of the graduate faculty may, with mutual consent of the candidate and the advisory committee chair, attend final examinations for advanced degrees. Upon completion of the questioning of the candidate, all visitors must excuse themselves from the proceedings.

Final Examination Grading

The student’s advisory committee will conduct this examination. A positive vote by all members of the graduate committee with at most one dissension is required to pass a student on the final examination. If the chair is the sole member of the student’s advisory committee, a positive vote – with no dissention – is required to pass a student on the final examination. Departments or interdisciplinary degree programs may have stricter requirements provided there is consistency within all degree programs within the department or interdisciplinary degree program.

The student’s department will promptly report the results of the Final Examination to the Graduate and Professional School via the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) within 10 working days of completion of the final examination. If an approved committee member substitution (one only) has been made, their approval must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via ARCS.

If the program requires the advisory committee to include at least one external member – with an appointment to a department other than the student’s major department – and the substitution is for the sole external member of the advisory committee, then the substitute must also be external to the student’s major department. In extenuating circumstances, with approval of the Graduate and Professional School, an exception to this requirement may be granted.

A thesis option candidate may petition to be exempt from the final examination provided the degree plan GPA is 3.500 or greater and he/she has the approval of the advisory committee, the head of the student’s major department, or intercollegiate chair, if appropriate, and the Graduate and Professional School. It is required that the petition for exemption be submitted the same semester the student intends to submit the thesis.

Non-Thesis Option

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

A final examination is not required for the non-thesis Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics program.

All requirements for the non-thesis option MMB degree other than those specified above are the same as for the thesis option degree.

Additional Requirements

• Residence
• Continuous Registration
• Time Limit
• Scholarship
• Application to Degree
• Licensing Program Requirements

Residence

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

No residence requirement exists; however, attention is directed to the rules regarding Limitations on Credits and Coursework.

Continuous Registration

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

A student in the thesis option of the Master of Science program who has completed all coursework on an approved degree plan other than 691 (Research) is required to be in continuous registration until all requirements for the degree have been completed.

See Continuous Registration Requirements.

Time Limit

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

All degree requirements for a master’s degree must be completed within a period of seven consecutive years for the degree to be granted. A course will be considered valid until seven years after the end of the semester in which it is taken. Graduate credit for coursework which is more than seven calendar years old may not be used to satisfy degree requirements.

Scholarship

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

Graduate students must maintain a grade point ratio (GPA) of 3.000 (B average based on a 4.000 scale) for all courses which are listed on the degree plan and for all graded graduate and advanced undergraduate coursework (300- and 400-level) completed at Texas A&M University at College Station and/or Texas A&M University at Galveston and eligible to be applied toward a graduate degree.  If either of a student’s cumulative GPA or the GPA for courses listed on the degree plan falls below the minimum of 3.000, he or she will be considered to be scholastically deficient. If the minimum cumulative GPA is not attained in a reasonable length of time, the student may be dropped from graduate studies. The procedures for dismissal are explained in the Texas A&M University Student Rules.

Application for Degree

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

For information on applying for your degree, please visit the Graduation section.

Licensing Program Requirements

On-Campus and Distance Education Degree Programs

Course Requirements for all Texas A&M Maritime Academy Third Mate Licensing Programs

Through the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, TAMUG offers license training for Midshipmen
leading to a Third Mates' License (Unlimited Tonnage, Un limited Oceans). The curriculum for
Marine Biology - LO, Marine Sciences - LO and Marine Transportation include this training. All
graduate programs offered by TAMUG may include this license training as an option. Each degree candidate will be required to fulfill the existing university degree requirements plus all U.S. Coast Guard License Option additional requirements to complete STCW Training Record Book:

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Credit Hours
Shoreside Courses:
MART 103	Basic Safety and Lifeboatman Training	3
MART 115	Seamanship I	3
MART 201	Vessel Structure and Ship Knowledge	3
MART 202	Ship Stability and Trim	3
MART 204	Terrestrial Navigation I	3
MART 208	Maritime Meteorology	3
MART 210	Integrated Navigation I: RADAR/ARPA/ECDIS	4
MART 212	Marine Dry Cargo Operations	3
MART 215	Seamanship II	3
MART 303	Celestial Navigation	3
MART 307	Global Maritime Distress Safety System	3
MART 310	Integrated Navigation II: Electronic Navigation	2
MART 313	Marine Liquid Cargo Operations	3
MART 321	Navigation Rules - International and Inland	2
MART 410	Bridge Resource Management	2
MART 498	Maritime Medical Care Provider	2
NVSC 200	Naval Science for the Merchant Marine Officer	3
Cruise Coursework:
MART 200	Deck Sea Training I: Basic Communications, Navigation and Seamanship	4
MART 300	Deck Sea Training II: Intermediate Communications, Navigation and Seamanship	4
or MART 350	or Deck Sea Training II – Commercial Internship
MART 400	Deck Sea Training III: Advanced Communications, Navigation and Seamanship	4

Courses complete a Training Record Book which includes USCG required Basic Safety Training,
Ratings Performing a Navigational Watch, First Aid Provider, and Officer in Charge of a
Navigational Watch. All STCW related courses must be completed with a C or better to meet
license standards. Furthermore, the Midshipmen are required to complete mandatory sea service, participate in the USCG approved Corps of Midshipmen License Option Program, complete a degree, and pass license examination administered by the USCG. Candidates will also have to follow all regulations set forth in 46 CFR l 1.910 and 46 CFR 310, STCW as amended, and USCG Texas A&M Maritime Academy approved Standard Operating Procedure and any other regulations required by Texas A&M Maritime Academy License Option programs.

This degree requires full participation in the Texas A&M University Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets as a qualified License Option cadet. Refer to the University catalog section for the Texas A&M Maritime Academy for detailed requirements. In addition to the academic requirements outlined here, the cadet must also complete the following requirements to receive the degree:

• Successfully complete required sea service and minimum training cruise requirements.
• Pass a comprehensive professional examination (either the Third Mate Unlimited- Oceans or Third Assistant Engineering Unlimited) administered by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).
• Successfully complete all competencies required by the International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW).

Note: STCW competency certifications expire 5 years after completion. If the cadet does not complete the degree within that time period, the cadet will be required to revalidate the expired competency prior to graduation.

This program prepares students for the opportunity to pursue an occupational license. Please refer to the Notification for Students Pursuing an Occupational License in our catalog for additional information.