General Education Requirements

Students at Massachusetts Maritime Academy participate in the General Education curriculum in order to obtain the full benefits of a college education and the skills and knowledge for success in their future education and careers. Moving beyond the bounds of the major requirements, students are encouraged to become lifelong learners through a balanced variety of courses.

These courses contain enough depth and breadth in the areas of humanities, social science, mathematics, and science to provide the student with the skills necessary to succeed in an increasingly complex world. These fields of knowledge foster the aesthetic appreciation, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, ethical analysis and evaluation, citizenship, and strong communication skills necessary for further self-development and personal inquiry.

As part of the General Education requirements, students must also complete the writing proficiency requirements, including the writing proficiency examination (WPE), which is taken at the end of College Writing (course, course, or course). Students who do not pass the WPE will be required to take Applied Writing (course) before or concurrently with Writing About Literature (course).

Missing the WPE exam is considered failure unless evidence of extenuating circumstances is provided to and accepted by the WPE Coordinator.

Humanities

The required courses in the Humanities Department build skills in reading, writing, critical thinking, and communication; aesthetic and cultural awareness; and humanistic inquiry.

In the first semester, students take a college writing course that focuses on the skills necessary for logical presentation of thoughts and ideas in clear, concise language. In the second semester, students take Writing About Literature, where they read, analyze, and interpret fiction, poetry, and drama for meaning, technique, cultural and historical context, and significance as literary art. 

Students are then required to select two electives in the Humanities: a literature course (Group I) chosen from a variety of genres, historical periods, and subject matter, followed by either another literature course or a non-literature course (Group II) chosen from a broad range of offerings within the department. 

course Introduction to College Writing, course College Writing or course Advanced College Writing

course Writing About Literature 

One course from Humanities Group I 

One course from either Humanities Group I or II

Social Science 

The courses from the Social Science Department strive to make students aware of the richness of their civilization and society and to prepare them to think critically about their world. They also strengthen their skills in written and oral expression. Students first study the social, intellectual, political, and economic history of the modern era in Western Civilization and then explore the nature of American political culture in American Government. 

After taking two courses as a base, students take three additional courses from the Social Science Department. They will take one course in each of three groupings, which will further broaden their critical thinking and writing skills. 

The underlying principles of our economic system, the dynamics of capitalism, and the fundamentals of the international economy are studied in Group I courses, where the students choose either Microeconomics or Macroeconomics. 

To acquire a clear understanding of the legal regulations and legal dynamics of the fields they are entering, students take one course from Group II. 

Finally, to develop a well-rounded education, students select one additional course from the Social Science Department’s Group III electives, which provide a wide range of offerings in history, geography, sociology, psychology, anthropology, behavioral science, economics and economic policy, and military affairs. 

course Western Civilization 

course American Government 

One course from Social Science Group I

One course from  Social Science Group II

One course from Social Science Group III

Science and Mathematics 

The required courses from the Science and Mathematics Department enhance the ability to think quantitatively, critically, and logically, and they illustrate the manner in which problems of a quantitative nature are solved through the use of algorithms and logical thought. 

Students study fundamental mathematical functions in Precalculus with Trigonometry and explore the basic concepts of analysis in either Calculus I or Applied Calculus, depending on their major. Then students take one additional mathematics course with a Calculus I or Applied Calculus prerequisite. Thus, students learn to use mathematics, including calculus, in problem solving; to use technology appropriately in this process; and to apply mathematics to problems arising in other disciplines. 

In the required science courses, students apply the scientific method in a variety of classroom and laboratory settings. In so doing, they develop the ability to carefully collect, organize, and analyze data for the purpose of synthesizing a model for better understanding or problem solving. 

Basic concepts of matter are explored in Chemistry I to increase students’ understanding of technology, health, and environmental issues. 

Students study the laws of nature in College Physics I or Engineering Physics I in order to develop a method of reasoning that will enable them to interpret physical events in a rational manner. To add necessary depth to their study of natural science, students also select a sequential laboratory science course in either chemistry or physics. 

course Precalculus with Trigonometry 

course Chemistry I

course Calculus I or course Applied Calculus 

One course from  Science & Math Group I 

One course from  Science & Math Group II

One course from  Science & Math Group III