California State University Maritime Academy's waterside campus on the northern end of San Francisco Bay is tucked into a quiet cove with ever-changing views of the ever-changing maritime world. This world is much more than operating commercial ships; it is a global economic force linking with various modes of transportation to get commodities and people from point A to point B. Operating this global enterprise requires engineers, business leaders, port managers, deck officers, environmental advocates, maritime security consultants, and more. Cal Maritime produces professionals in these and other areas related to the ocean as a resource and an engine for a global economy.Academies are generally small, focused, structured, and offer a high-quality education. These characteristics all describe Cal Maritime. Our students study one of only six majors, and students are generally very focused on their chosen fields. Quality, personalized teaching is provided with a student-to-faculty ratio of 15 to 1 and average class size of 20. Cal Maritime is not a military academy, however, we do stress some similar values as the military academies such as leadership and accountability. Our reputation among the many corporations, industries, agencies, and graduate schools filled with Cal Maritime alumni is that of a school preparing professional, responsible, and successful graduates.As one of the 23 campuses in the California State University system, Cal Maritime enjoys the strength associated with this planet's largest university system. Tuition and housing costs are no more than other CSU campuses up and down the state which makes us highly affordable. Our academic quality, however, shares more in common with private colleges. Our small average class size and approachable, mentoring faculty creates the type of academic atmosphere more closely associated with small schools. At Cal Maritime, all students are also cadets who comprise the Corps of Cadets that forms the basic organizational structure of the Academy. Your classes will teach you the hard skills and knowledge for your degree, but the Corps of Cadets stresses the soft skills such as responsibility, accountability, leadership, and professionalism. Those soft skills are what give Cal Maritime graduates an advantage in their job search and later careers.There are always things in life (and in college) where the benefits are hard to see in the moment, but they become apparent as people enter their career. Eventually, everyone has dress and grooming standards in the workplace. Cal Maritime considers the campus your workplace, so cadets wear uniforms during the class day. Generally, personal clothes are just fine after the last class of the day. There are no curfews, but there is a mandatory morning assembly called Quarters three days a week where there are announcements and possible uniform inspections. One important way that Cal Maritime ensures a global perspective in its graduates is the requirement that all students travel abroad while taking courses and gaining experiences important to each major. The way each student fulfills this requirement is determined by his or her individual major. All Cal Maritime cadets in the Marine Transportation program and all three Engineering programs become members of the crew of the 500-foot Training Ship Golden Bear on at least one sixty day journey visiting a number of ports around the Pacific Rim. The cadets run the ship under the supervision of licensed maritime professionals. Cadets also take classes, perform ship maintenance, and gain a first-hand exposure to ship operations.Cal Maritime alumni also boast one of the highest career placement rates in the country. Ninety-four percent of our 2016 graduates confirmed employment in their field by August 1 of that year.

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