Maritime Education in the Philippines: MARINA Licensure and the Seafarer Career Path
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Mar 03, 2025 • Study in Southeast Asia
Becoming a licensed seafarer in the Philippines takes a four-year BS Marine Transportation or BS Marine Engineering degree, with one year of that spent onboard a ship as a cadet. After the degree and cadetship, you sit the PRC board exam and get your MARINA certificate before international shipping companies hire you.
🎓 Two degree paths: BS Marine Transportation (deck) and BS Marine Engineering (engine room).
⏱️ Four years total: three years academic plus one year of shipboard cadetship that counts toward STCW training.
📩 PRC administers the board exam (MDOLE for deck, MEOLE for engine), MARINA issues the STCW certificates.
🏠 MARINA's STCW Administration Office lists which maritime schools are officially recognized.
The two degree tracks
Philippine maritime education splits into two Commission on Higher Education (CHED) degree programs. Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) trains deck officers who navigate and command the ship. Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMarE) trains engine officers who run and maintain the ship's propulsion and machinery systems. Both are four-year programs offered at CHED-recognized maritime higher education institutions listed on the MARINA STCW Administration Office site.
How the four years break down
Both degrees run three years of classroom and laboratory instruction plus one year of shipboard training as a cadet, embedded in the four-year program rather than added on afterward. The cadetship places you on a commercial vessel on international routes as a deck or engine cadet, where you complete the practical training hours required under the International Maritime Organization's STCW Convention . By the end of this training, BSMT and BSMarE graduates meet Regulation II/1 and III/1 of STCW, the baseline that lets a new officer take on watchkeeping duties under supervision.
Who licenses what
Two agencies split the licensing role. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) runs the board exams: the Marine Deck Officers Licensure Examination (MDOLE) for BSMT graduates and the Marine Engineer Officers Licensure Examination (MEOLE) for BSMarE graduates. The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), through its STCW Administration Office , handles STCW compliance and issues the Certificate of Competency (COC) that international shipping companies check before hiring. Passing the PRC board exam qualifies you for the COC, but the COC is the document that certifies you under STCW.
Additional STCW certificates you need
Beyond the degree and board exam, MARINA-accredited training centers run mandatory short courses under STCW, including Basic Safety Training, Security Awareness, and other certificates specific to your rank and vessel type. Some of these certificates need periodic renewal, and your Seafarer's Identification and Record Book (SIRB) tracks your sea service and certificate history, which manning agencies and shipping companies check before deployment.
Choosing a maritime school
School choice affects your job prospects as much as your grades, since foreign shipping companies and manning agencies track which schools produce cadets who pass board exams and perform well onboard. The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) is the state-run service academy for maritime officers, admission is competitive and heavily subsidized, and graduates serve an initial service obligation. Private maritime colleges also run BSMT and BSMarE programs, some tied directly to shipping companies or manning agencies that pre-select cadets for their own fleets. Check a school's inclusion on the current MARINA-recognized MHEI list before enrolling, since only graduates from recognized schools qualify for the PRC board exam.
From license to a ship
With your COC, STCW short courses, and SIRB in place, you apply through a manning agency, the company that recruits and places Filipino seafarers on international vessels. Manning agencies work with foreign shipping lines and cruise companies, and they handle your contract, deployment paperwork, and onboard placement. The Philippines supplies a large share of the world's seafarers, and international companies actively recruit through these agencies because Filipino officers and ratings carry a strong reputation in the industry built over decades.
Career progression at sea
You start as a Third Officer (deck) or Fourth Engineer (engine room) after your initial COC, then move up through Second Officer, Chief Mate, and Master on the deck side, or Third Engineer, Second Engineer, and Chief Engineer on the engineering side. Each rank up requires additional sea service time and a higher-level COC exam, so your career path runs on a mix of experience at sea and further licensing rather than classroom study alone.