Program Overview
Degrees & Certificates
Certificate programs provide students with a set of skills to find a job or
stay current in a profession. Many certificates are designed to build on top of each other
and
eventually lead to a longer-term certificate or degree. These are called “stackable”
certificates.
Learn more
- Credits to complete: 63.5
- Estimated program length in quarters: Full Time - 4 | Part Time - Part Time Option Not Available
Fall 2025 Cohort Applications open
To join the Fall 2025 cohort, please submit all eligibility requirements to sma.central@seattlecolleges.edu to be considered for acceptance into the program. Click Get Start to view all eligibility requirements.
About the Program
Seattle Central College’s Seattle Maritime Academy offers a Marine Deck Technology program that combines practical shipboard experience with classroom instruction to help you learn the theory, design, operation and maintenance of deck equipment and applied navigation skills.
Career Opportunities
As maritime industry employers like the Washington State Ferries face a shortage of deckhands due to an aging workforce, demand for graduates of a U.S. Coast Guard approved training programs is growing.
The Marine Deck Technology program can prepare you for a position as an Able Seaman, which is your first step in an exciting career in the deck department that could one day lead you to the wheelhouse as a mate or a captain of a vessel. As an Able Seamen on vessels, you will need to know how to:
- Stand watch and steer the ship
- Do routine maintenance
- Keep the inside of the ship clean
- Handle lines when docking or departing
- Tie barges together when they are being towed
- Load and unload cargo
- Assist passengers, as necessary
Intensive Education
Our expert instructors, with extensive maritime experience, will help you gain practical experience working in our advanced training facility equipped with a simulation labs and aboard our fleet of vessel. You will build skills in navigation, marine math, vessel handling and seamanship, preparing them for an in-demand maritime career and apply those skills during an at-sea internship. As a graduate of the Marine Deck Technology program, you will be well-prepared to launch a maritime career.
Program lengths are estimates, not guarantees. For the most current program information, please check with the program contact.