BUZZARDS BAY – Cape Codders don’t have to travel very far to attend one of the Top 25 Best Colleges in the U.S., according to Money magazine.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay made the magazine’s annual list at No. 21.
The magazine ranks schools by the quality of education, affordability and outcomes.
Massachusetts Maritime President Admiral Francis McDonald said the recognition is exciting but not surprising.
“When you look at some of the rankings that have come out over the last few years, whether it is Pay Scale Magazine or SmartAsset.com or folks that are spending some energy looking at return on investment, we’ve been recognized as providing a very valuable product,” McDonald said.
Recent graduates from the school report average earnings of just over $63,000, which is about 29 percent more than graduates of schools with similar student demographics.
Cadets also graduate at a rate of 76 percent, which is 13 percent higher than schools with similar student bodies.
McDonald says value of investment has become a major factor for prospective students.
“That has changed from several decades ago where college was a destination as opposed to a journey that was going to drop you off somewhere,” McDonald said.
The full tuition price for the academy for the 2018-19 school year is $26,300. About 55 percent of students who attend the school receive grants and the estimated price for students who receive aid is $15,100. The average price for low-income students is $3,100.
The school’s degrees are limited to the maritime industry and include marine engineering, international maritime business and marine environmental protection. MMA is structured like a military academy and students have the ability to earn a Merchant Marine Officer’s License and a Naval Officer’s Commission.
Cadets are also required to complete one “sea term,” which is a seven-week sea training program.
The academy does offer more traditional aspects of college life, but on a smaller scale, with Division III athletics and other organizations and groups.
“The combination of skill sets that our students put together and earn while they are here just really put them in a high demand position in well-paying, generally STEM oriented fields,” McDonald said.
McDonald said that when Money analyzed schools with less than 5,000 students, MMA was ranked No. 4 in the nation.
With K-12 student populations decreasing McDonald said the academy is looking to temper growth.
“We are trying to look at what we can do to squeeze a little more academic efficiency and residential efficiency out of what we have,” McDonald said. “But we are still moving forward making significant investments in the campus, including money coming from the state for deferred maintenance but also looking at using some of our own reserves to make an investment in technology and infrastructure to really be able to continue to deliver a quality product.”
McDonald said the academy is a leadership laboratory for the military and the shipping industry.
“More and more companies are recognizing the value of bringing a young person aboard who has had the opportunity to practice leadership, to practice followship,” he said.
McDonald, who also attended the academy as a student, said more things at the school have remained consistent over the last few decades than have changed.
Princeton University was ranked No. 1 on the magazine’s list. Other schools included from the state were Massachusetts Institute of Technology at No. 6 and Harvard University at No. 16.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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